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Cowards or Overcomers?
Standing Strong on God’s Word
Let’s
be fearless ambassadors of Christ and stand strong for the glory of God our
Savior, pulling others from the fire of eternal judgment
BY FRANKLIN GRAHAM
Heaven is not for cowards!
Recent comments I made while
speaking at an event in Washington, D.C., have drawn some controversy.
In a challenge to those who are
afraid to speak out on moral issues addressed in the Bible, I referenced a
chilling passage — a warning from God about the most catastrophic indictment
the world will face someday:
“But the cowardly,
unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and
all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone” (Revelation 21:7-8).
Christians cannot ignore parts of God’s Word
because they are unpopular or cause division.
Our commission is to proclaim
Christ and all He stands for. This is what the church’s presence in the world
is all about.
We cannot sincerely proclaim
the truth of God’s love while ignoring what He hates, and God hates sin.
His love pours out the remedy
for sin that holds mankind in bondage. It is found in His unmerited grace — the
gift of salvation.
For this reason, the whole
Gospel must be preached, as demonstrated by the Apostle Paul.
“For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes … For in it the righteousness of God is revealed” (Romans
1:16-17).
What immediately follows this
bold declaration demonstrates the importance of God’s entire message to the
human race.
Paul
wrote in connection to the Gospel: “For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them,
for God has shown it to them …
“so
that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not
glorify Him as God … but became futile in their thoughts. …
“Therefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor
their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans
1:18-21, 24-25).
Followers of Jesus Christ, and especially
pastors and church leaders, have a responsibility to speak the truth of
Scripture, calling sin what it is, and acknowledging that it has always reigned
in the hearts of the human race.
It is not any worse today than it was “in the beginning.” After all, sin brought about the Great Fall and then the Great Flood because “the wickedness of man was great in the earth” (Genesis 6:5).
It is not just a debate about abortion or homosexuality; all sin is immorality — and all immorality is evil.
In America today we are
experiencing an epic drought. It is not just the basic misunderstanding of the
Word of God; it is the absence of God’s complete Word.
Christians are called to shun acceptance of sin
in all forms, not because we are perfect people but as a testimony to the
transformation God brings about in a life surrendered to Him; washed clean by
the blood of Christ and clothed in His righteousness.
We must be people of endurance
in the face of criticism or any form of persecution. If we do not exhibit godly
courage to stand strong in the faith, we cannot overcome Satan’s seducing spirit
that grips the world.
The
Bible says: “Now the Spirit [of God] expressly says that in latter times
some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines
of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared. … If
you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus
Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine” (1
Timothy 4:1-2, 6).
If we as God’s people
refuse to speak about sin because it will make others uncomfortable, we are
cowards.
We are called to
sound the alarm, warning them that God demands obedience to His perfect law,
which is designed for the good of the human race.
Do not
miss the staggering truth that God’s law brings about contentment. “The law of
the Lord is perfect … rejoicing the heart” (Psalm 19:7-8).
Those who reject this truth
reveal that they do not know Him.
“Whoever
does not practice righteousness is not of God. … His commandments are not
burdensome … and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John
3:10, 5:3-4).
True faith is what empowers us to speak God’s
Word and live it before an unbelieving world.
Someone has said: “To sin by silence
when they should protest turns people into cowards.”
The definition of a coward is one who refuses to
do the right thing for fear of consequences. This certainly falls short of
possessing godly character.
.
People make judgments every day. The world’s system passes judgments accepted by governments and citizens.
But the world considers
Christian judgment to be biased, judgmental and intolerant.
Christians
have only one standard on which to base judgments — it is called the Bible.
Without its instruction and authority, we cannot possibly know how to live, so
we are told to “judge with righteous judgment” (John
7:24).
It does not matter how mankind
defines sin; the ironclad Word of God has already laid it bare, and it is
unchangeable.
“If anyone … does not
consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the
doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is
obsessed with disputes and arguments over words” (1
Timothy 6:3-4).
Twisting God’s Word leads to
rejecting God’s message.
We must guard against handling
the Word of God in a cowardly fashion but rather preach the entire Word of God
because His grace and His judgment flow from His love.
.
Sin is at the very heart of all that is against Almighty God; it is bowing the knee to worldly living, serving selfish desires so that the things that we used to call sin no longer seem to be sin to us.
.
Sin is at the very heart of all that is against Almighty God; it is bowing the knee to worldly living, serving selfish desires so that the things that we used to call sin no longer seem to be sin to us.
Some pastors I know say they
just want to preach the Gospel and not become targets by speaking out on
specific issues that Jesus Himself did not address.
Sadly, this reveals a lack of
basic Bible knowledge.
That would be like suggesting
that because Jesus never preached a sermon about jealousy it is not a sin;
however, the Bible states clearly that jealousy is a serious sin against God (Galatians
5:20)
.
Jealousy is the very sin that caused Lucifer to rebel against God. The point is that God’s servants cannot preach part of the Gospel.
.
Jealousy is the very sin that caused Lucifer to rebel against God. The point is that God’s servants cannot preach part of the Gospel.
They must preach the entire
Word of God, regardless of how it may impact church attendance or trigger
unfavorable tweets!
Those who say they stand on
biblical principles need to understand that persecution will come in some form,
even if only losing popularity, the least of all maltreatment.
.
The Lord Jesus was certainly a target. Yet He willingly went to the cross and suffered for us.
.
The Lord Jesus was certainly a target. Yet He willingly went to the cross and suffered for us.
He died, was buried, rose from
the grave and ascended to Heaven. That was more than 2,000 years ago, and still
today He is a target.
He is hated. He is rejected.
How can we fear rejection by the world when He gave His all for us?
But still He extends His
salvation to all who will come to Him. He is the One who empowers us to stand
strong in the face of persecution for what the world does not affirm.
He gives us the power to overcome
sin, and that includes cowardice, triggered by ignoring all that God proclaims.
“Many are my persecutors
and my enemies, yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. I see the treacherous,
and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word … The entirety of Your
word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalm
119:157-158, 160).
If God’s people do not stand strong, who will?
Many in the church have accommodated worldliness (a devotion to temporal
interests and pleasures to the neglect of spiritual things) in order to be
relevant and increase attendance.
This approach has
desensitized the conscience.
There was a day when
God’s messengers preached against drunkenness. Unfortunately, this is seldom
heard from the pulpit anymore; rather, there is widespread acceptance of the
intoxicating drug.
When preaching falls short of
God’s whole truth, it becomes easier to overlook or redefine evil behavior. The
result is that we get our worlds mixed up.
We are not to become like the world;
we are to illuminate the world with the light of Christ and distinguish
ourselves from the darkness.
There are those who minimize
this astounding message in an effort to make sinners comfortable in their sin.
.
This is egregious to Almighty God, and He has prepared a lake of fire for those who reject His truth. In other words, there is grave danger in not preaching, as the apostles did, the whole Gospel.
.
Just as our nation has drifted from the strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, so has the church seriously drifted from taking God at His Word.
.
This is egregious to Almighty God, and He has prepared a lake of fire for those who reject His truth. In other words, there is grave danger in not preaching, as the apostles did, the whole Gospel.
.
Just as our nation has drifted from the strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, so has the church seriously drifted from taking God at His Word.
Sin is destructive to people,
to families, to nations and to the church. Sinful behavior that is excused and
repackaged as personal choice is Satan’s greatest deception.
His greatest victories today
take place within the church by those who remain silent; who are not aware of
his divisive presence.
The Body of Christ must
recognize that we have allowed Satan to distract us with non-essentials. It is
time to get back to the basic teaching of God’s Word.
It is cowardice to excuse sin
by claiming we have no right to judge what God has already judged.
There is only one personal
choice that decides where we spend eternity; if we choose Christ and all He
stands for, we gain Heaven; if we deny Christ’s Word, we are cowards and
deserve hell.
“Listen to Me, you who
know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the
reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. … You have feared continually
every day because of the fury of the oppressor” (Isaiah
51:7, 13).
We can
be fearless when we stand strong on the Word of God because as Joshua
proclaimed, “The Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you”
(Joshua 23:10).
What are the characteristics of God’s people?
Have we become so accustomed to the worldly system that we fear we cannot
overcome it?
Or do we draw strength from the One who has overcome?
Can we stand with the believers
at Thessalonica who did not seek comfort and fulfillment but endured
hostilities because of God’s Word?
Paul
wrote to them: “So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God
for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you
endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you
may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer” (2
Thessalonians 1:4-5).
Who does not remember the cowardice of Peter,
the salty fisherman — the sea-walking but fainthearted follower — who denied
Jesus Christ?
Out of his anguish he overcame his greatest failure, and a bold and mighty faith emerged. He became a soul-winning fisher of men — the disciple who instructed others in serving as effective shepherds of God’s flock (1 Peter 5:2).
Out of his anguish he overcame his greatest failure, and a bold and mighty faith emerged. He became a soul-winning fisher of men — the disciple who instructed others in serving as effective shepherds of God’s flock (1 Peter 5:2).
He
wrote: “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles [the very Word] of
God” (1 Peter 4:11).
We must understand that the
very Word of God is the Bible.
Let’s overcome cowardice with courage. Let’s be fearless
ambassadors of Christ and stand strong for the glory of God our Savior, pulling
others from the fire of eternal judgment (Jude 23).
Scripture
quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.
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