STANDING UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
1. We live in a time when there is a great amount of emphasis on unity.
2. Nations talk about working together.
3. People are encouraged to watch out for each other.
4. Stress is laid upon our being unified against threats of terror.
THE BIBLE HAS SOME THINGS TO SAY ABOUT UNITY, BUT IT ALSO HAS SOME THINGS TO SAY ABOUT DIVISION.
A. God says that there are times when we must part company with other people.
B. There are times when unity is wrong.
C. One of the places where we find this truth is Acts 4.
D. During the scripture reading we heard Acts 4:18.
E. Religious leaders told the apostles to stop preaching about Jesus.
F. Peter and John understood the command, but according to verse 20, they refused to quit.
2. The apostles stood up for what was right.
3. In spite of risks and dangers, these servants of God told the authorities “no.”
4. These men died a long time ago.
5. Yet, this same type of choice is often presented to us.
A. We are put into positions where we must stand up for what is right or stay silent.
B. These circumstances can occur in the home, school, work, or in another public setting.
C. The people of God have often been put into positions where they had to make this kind of choice.
6. Think with me about some of the events recorded in scripture.
7. In Ex. 1 we read about some Jewish midwives.
8.
Exodus 1:7 says that the children of
9. The text says that the Hebrew people “increased abundantly, and multiplied.”
10. There were so many of them this verse says they “waxed exceeding mighty.”
11. The final description is that “the land was filled with them.”
A. For a time this was okay.
B. According to Ex. 1:8 a new Egyptian king came into power.
C. This ruler was worried about the expanding Hebrew population (verse 9).
12. Because he had some concerns, he began to afflict them (verse 11).
13. The burdens this ruler imposed didn’t stop the Israelites from increasing.
14. Ex.
15. Even when the Hebrews were subjected to “rigor” (verse 14), they continued to increase in number.
16. By this time the king was desperate.
17. The decision that this ruler finally made is in verse 16 – READ .
18. The king ordered the women who helped at the births to kill male babies but keep the girls alive.
19. Most are familiar with this part of the story as well as verse 17 – READ.
20. These women stood up for what was right.
A. Like the apostles in Acts 4, they did not back down.
B. They decided to follow God and what was right no matter what the cost.
C. The time came when the ruler of Egypt “called for the midwives” (Ex. 1:18).
D. The apostles were also called before officials.
E. The apostles responded to the situation in a better way, but both stood up for what was right.
F. What the apostles and midwives experienced must have been at least a bit frightening.
21. The ruler of Egypt had the power to kill people on the spot.
22. The rulers in Acts 4 had the authority to administer severe beatings.
23. Yet, God’s people stayed true to their convictions.
24. BOTH THE NEW TESTAMENT AND VERY EARLY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE READ ABOUT PEOPLE WHO STOOD UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT. ARE THERE OTHER OCCASSIONS WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE WERE PUT INTO A POSITION WHERE THEY HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN STANDING UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT OR GIVE IN TO PEOPLE WHO OPPOSED THEM?
A. Yes.
B. In Ex. 2 we read about the birth of a Hebrew baby.
C. This child was a male; we know him as Moses.
D. The Bible says that his parents hid him.
E. If all we had was the information in Ex. 2, we would not know too much about his parents.
F. Listen to a little detail from Heb. 11:23 – READ .
G. The parents of Moses defied the ruler of the land and they were “not afraid.”
H. These people had trust in God.
I. They stood up for what was right and they didn’t think twice about it.
25. A little later in this lesson we will see how God dealt with them.
26. For now we want to look for other examples of people who stood up for what was right.
27. Our next two examples come from the book of Daniel.
A. The first of these is in Dan. 1.
B. This book opens by telling us about king Nebuchadnezzar.
C. After the battle in Jerusalem was over, some of the young men were taken back to Babylon.
D. One of these young men was Daniel.
E. The king set these young men up on a three-year program.
F. During this time they were to eat food from the king’s kitchen and be schooled in Babylonian ways.
G. The food that was given to Daniel would have “defiled” him (verse 8).
H. Thus, Daniel did not eat it.
28. Many who would be selected by a king would do whatever the ruler asked.
29. Being picked by a ruler is an honor.
30. Not doing what a ruler says can be a deadly mistake.
31. Daniel respectfully declined to do what the king wanted.
32. Two chapters later in this book we read about three others who stood up to an official.
A. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image that was about 90’ tall.
B. The width seems to have been about 9 feet.
C. This was a colossal image.
D. The day came for a dedication ceremony (3:2).
E. When people heard some musical sounds they were to bow before the image.
33. Those who refused to do so were threatened with death – verse 6 – READ .
34. As the story progresses we are told that not everyone obeyed.
35. There were some Hebrews who refused to comply with the king’s order.
36. This made the king very angry – verses 12-13 – READ .
37. These three men were brought before the king and they respectfully said “no.”
38. They stood up for what was right.
39. No matter what the cost they would not bow down before the image.
A. King Nebuchadnezzar was enraged.
B. It seems that this ruler was out of control – verse 19 – READ .
C. According to verse 20, “mighty men” were told to cast the three Hebrews into the furnace.
40. The Jewish men could have agreed to the king’s demands and saved their lives.
41. Instead, they chose to stand up for what was right, just like the apostles in Acts 4.
42. IN DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE BIBLE WE FIND PEOPLE WHO, DESPITE SOME VERY TERRIBLE THREATS AND SCARY SITUATIONS, STOOD UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT.
A. Let’s now, as Paul Harvey says, get the “rest of the story.”
B. What happened to the people we have looked at?
C. Let’s go back to Acts 4.
D. According to verse 23 Peter and John were released.
E. These men didn’t die. God was with them.
F. After these men were released they prayed.
G. God responded to their prayer – verses 31-33 – READ .
43. Peter and John came out okay.
44. Our next example was taken from Ex. 1.
45. The Hebrew midwives defied the ruler of Egypt to do what was right.
46. What happened to them?
47. We are told in Ex. 1:20-21 – READ.
A. This is interesting.
B. Both the apostles and the midwives were cared for and blessed by God.
C. People stood up for what was right and things turned out allright.
48. Our third example was taken from Ex. 2 (Moses’ mother and father).
49. These people also resisted the Egyptian ruler and did so without fear.
50. What happened to them?
51. Ex. 2:7-8 – READ .
A. Moses’ mother thought that she was giving up her child.
B. As things turned out, she was reunited with her son.
C. She was even paid to take care of her own baby.
D. God sees and rewards His people when they stand up for what is right.
52. This same truth is also seen in the examples in Daniel.
53. Daniel found “kindness and compassion” because he did what was right.
54. Daniel was later given special abilities (Dan. 1:17).
55. The depth of God’s blessing to Daniel and the other men is described in Dan. 1:20 – READ .
56. Daniel became so highly regarded that a ruler later worshipped him (Dan. 2:46).
A. What about the three young men in Dan. 3?
B. These men were thrown into a fiery furnace.
C. Someone else (and many believe this was Jesus) appeared in the furnace with them (3:25).
D. These men were walking around in the fire and they were not hurt.
57. The miracle was so amazing that Nebuchadnezzar had to say that God had “delivered them”, v. 28.
58. What this pagan king said is still true.
59. God will deliver—in one way or another—the people who stand up for what is right.
A. We live in a time when fewer and fewer people will stand up for what is right.
B. If we are a Christian this is one of our continuing obligations.
C. We will be forced, at different times in life, to make decisions like we have looked at tonight.
D. At times these situations may be frightening.
E. If we are a Christian we have some examples to help us.
60. One of our hymns—Who Will Follow Jesus – p. 705 – got it right.
61. “Who will follow Jesus, standing for the right?”
62. Will we stand for the Lord and what is right?
63. We can only do this if we are a Christian. Have we become a child of God?
64. If so, are we standing?
65. We are about to sing an invitation song—Who Will Follow Jesus?
66. Tonight will we say, “I will?”
67. I will follow, and when called upon to stand up for what is right, I will be like the others of old.
68. We hope that you are ready to stand for the Lord. If we can help you we want to do that now.