Perseverance

As Paul pursued a ministry of building up churches, he wrote to the Corinthian church that they should stand firm in the Faith. Hear him in his own words:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the Faith; be courageous; be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13)

The Corinthians had sound doctrine already. You can be sure of that, having been founded by Paul (who spent a year and a half preaching among them, see Acts 18:11). So the need of the congregation was not doctrinal foundations, but how to persevere in those foundations.

The same goes for you. You have strong foundations, but with the challenge of the Last Times looming ahead, knowing that deception will increase, your perseverance in the Faith is at stake.

… the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the End will be saved (Matthew 24:12-13).

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to persevere by giving them four quick commands:

1. be on your guard

2. stand firm in the Faith

3. be courageous

4. be strong

These four commands prove Christians are in a battle. But we’re on the defense, not on the offense. Our enemy the Devil is attacking us, so our job is to hold our ground. The Bible commands us to resist, not to attack the Devil.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the Faith… stand fast in it (1 Peter 5:8-9, 12).

That reminds us of how Samson resisted a lion attack. Like Samson, you'll be victorious, but you have to keep the covenant God made with you.

Stand Your Ground: Eliazer

David had special soldiers. He had a valiant group of 30, but he also had an exclusive group of three. Their names were Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah.

Two of David’s three mighty men had the same outstanding accomplishment: they stood their ground when all others fled. While other soldiers withdrew from the battle, these two didn’t give up.

Think of how so many Christians have withdrawn from debates, from arguments, from evangelism, from prayer, and even from the Faith! How many have turned away from the battle in fear? How many pastors have given up the fight for the Truth?

But Eleazar didn’t give up. He stood his ground when his Israelite compatriots ran away from the dreaded Philistines.

… Eleazar… one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn.

He rose up and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and it clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day… (2 Samuel 23:9-10)

The Sword of the Spirit

Even if you get tired of debates, may you hold firm to the Bible. Clench it tight. May your hand cling to your sword as Eleazer did to his. Your sword is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Never give up on using it to wage spiritual warfare. Use it to stand firm on the Truths we cherish as Christians.

... the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

... from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness... (2 Timothy 3:15-16)

Stand Your Ground: Shammah

Another one of David’s men was named Shammah. Like Eleazar, when other Israelites soldiers fled, he stood his ground. Once he held his own in the midst of a patch of lentils.

… Shammah... And the Philistines were gathered into an army where there was a plot of land full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it, and struck the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory (2 Samuel 23:11-12).

Now, some of our spiritual battles may seem insignificant to others. Who cares about a lentil garden? Someone might think that a patch of lentils isn’t worth the sacrifice—but Shammah did. May you also have the courage to defend any Truth that rightfully belongs to God’s people.

Are you willing to fight for the doctrine of baptisms? Are you willing to fight for the laying on of hands? Are you ready to stand for the Resurrection of the Dead and the Eternal Judgement? Is it worth it?

Courage Against Enemies

Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians teaches us that it’s not enough to possess the Faith. It’s not enough to have sound doctrine. The pressures around us obligate us to be courageous and to hold our ground. We must take a firm position in the Faith and fight back.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the Faith; be courageous; be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13)

There are many forces opposing sound doctrine: Satan, demons, the Antichrist, false prophets, false religions, false sects of Christianity, trends, philosophies, worldly systems, religious ideologies, educational systems, heresies, and worst of all—apostasy.

Apostasy

The Holy Spirit warns us that times will only become worse. You may have heard pastors tell you that we’re moving towards a revival, but the Bible says just the opposite.

… realize this, that in the Last Days difficult times will come. For people will be… holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these (2 Timothy 3:1, 5; NASB)

And here’s another passage that warns of Last Times apostasy.

… the Spirit explicitly says that in the Last Times some will depart from the Faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons (1 Timothy 4:1; LEB).

To avoid falling into that Apostasy, you have to focus on being firm in the Faith. But to be firm, you’ll have to avoid false teachers. With so many around, it’s a huge challenge to avoid them.

… [today’s false teachers] follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.

They said to you, ‘In the Last Times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy Faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life (Jude 1:16-21).

Do you understand the contrast Jude is making? He’s saying that as we face the Last Times and a large amount of false prophets gather naïve people to them, that we must be firm in the Faith, and pray God would save us from these teachers.

Other means to gain strength in sound doctrine are Bible study, quizzing ourselves on the fundamentals, memorization of Bible verses, to decorating our homes with Bible passages, and (if we can’t find any good teachings to attend)—to teach! The saying is: “He who teaches, learns twice.” And: “Teachers are nothing more than exceptionally good students.”

Are You in the Faith?

Today’s lesson is meant to encourage you to be firm in the Faith. But let’s first make sure that you’re in the Faith. The Faith is sound doctrine, the official teachings of the Apostles.

Are you committed to the Apostles’ doctrine, or are you someone who prefers "sermonettes for Christianettes"? Do you prefer “Christianity lite” over the original version of Christianity? Do you appreciate Acts chapter 2 and the story of the first church?

Are you a person who eats Christ’s body and drinks his blood, or does that sound like too strong a commitment? Do you think that we’re saved by a "prayer of faith" or in baptism? Does salvation consist of a prayer or a covenant?

In the original version of Christianity (not today’s cheap version) Christians were willing to go to prison and to die for the Truth. And you? Are you willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus even to death?

A Commitment to Doctrine

The first Church ‘continued steadfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles’ (Acts 2:42; NASB). They were firm because the very first thing they dedicated themselves to was doctrine. After that, they dedicated themselves to fellowship, prayer, and the breaking of bread. Those were the first four commitments of the first church in history, one that was pastored by the Twelve Apostles.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:42; NKJV).

If you’re a firm believer in the set of truths the Church has inherited from the Apostles, you’ll also be spiritually sound, and you will remain spiritually healthy. You won’t slip into error, heresy, or apostasy as many have already done.

Knowledge is Power

Sound doctrine will not lose its importance for those who seek eternal life. In fact, it will become more and more important as we proceed to the End. Jesus’ most common warning for us as we face the Last Times is that we not allow ourselves to be deceived!

Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5).

To avoid deception, strengthen yourself in the Truth. Bolster your understanding. Show yourself approved!

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15; NKJV).

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6; ESV).

Firm Foundations

The evil spiritual forces around us try to intimidate us. They will knock down our beliefs if we let them, so we have to stand firm like soldiers, and hold our ground. Our ground is the Faith. The Faith is the foundation.

What’s the best summary of sound doctrine in the Bible? We challenge you to find one that’s better than the beloved passage we call the foundations. Here it is:

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of:

1. repentance from dead works and of

2. faith toward God, of 

3. and 4. instruction about baptisms and

5. laying on of hands, and about

6. the Resurrection of the Dead and 

7. eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:1-2; NASB).

Stand your ground on these seven foundations. Fight till the end! In life, you have to pick your battles wisely. The Foundations is a battle worth fighting.