Stand for Him or Fall for Nothing!
Mark 8:38 “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Here is something I found on the internet that might be of interest to you…
INDIANAPOLIS — “Prayers that typically open sessions of the Indiana House of Representatives can no longer mention Jesus Christ or advance a religious faith, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge David Hamilton issued a permanent injunction on Nov. 30 barring House Speaker Brian Bosma from permitting sectarian prayer as part of the official business of the House.”
(Source: http://www.reporter-times.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=28598&format=html)
As the end of time begins to unfold, we should not be surprised that the name of Jesus will come under attack more frequently. But why is the name of Jesus so controversial to many? It’s because of the power that is in that name—so much power that even the world in its darkness knows this name is above every name. This power is why every effort is being made to remove any reference to the name of Jesus. There are lawsuits filed when someone says the name of Jesus; there are rules in organized sports telling children not to pray to Jesus; there are movements disguised as “multiculturalism” asking us not to offend others by using the name of Jesus. And if we have the audacity to “offend” someone by using the name Jesus, the world will tell us that we’re wrong and should be ashamed of ourselves.
However, in our text, Jesus tells us that “[w]hosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Now, when you are ashamed of someone, you deny knowing him and you deny ever having a relationship with him. Quite honestly, I don’t want to risk Jesus denying my relationship with Him because I was afraid to proclaim His name. I don’t want to risk my access to heaven all because I want to be accepted by some heathen. I don’t want to deny my blood-bought right to peace, salvation, healing, joy, and wholeness simply to be one of the boys around the water cooler.
Jesus paid too great a price for us to be fearful of what men can do to us, and quite honestly, that is really the root of the entire issue – – -FEAR. If you don’t believe me, just look at the “reason” why references to Jesus are being removed. Companies are not displaying “Merry Christmas” in FEAR of lawsuits. Schools districts have renamed Christmas Break to winter break in FEAR of lawsuits. But you know what? The devil is afraid too. He’s afraid that you will step out of fear and smack-dab into BOLDNESS. He’s afraid that you will stand up to him and let anyone who is anyone know about Jesus Christ.
I love what the late Alexander Hamilton stated: “Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.” Having done all to stand, can you stand? Can you stand for Jesus when all our co-workers work so hard to make santa clause look good? Can you stand for Jesus when no one else even says, “Merry Christmas?” Can you stand for Jesus when your relatives question the issue of going to church on Christmas Day – – – even when it doesn’t fall on Sunday?
Standing for Him is not that difficult if we can remember that He left the comfort of Heaven to bear the cross.