STAND FAST

I Corinthians 16:13-14
13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with
charity.

INTRO:
**We are going to examine today what it means and what it takes to “stand fast,” but first look at this
verse.
Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in
the Lord, my dearly beloved.

**There Paul is telling another church and more Christians to stand fast. It must have been an important
message that God wanted Paul to deliver to the church body as a whole. So let’s look at what this term
means along with the other phrases and words that are in our text.

**From I Corinthians 16:13 notice these terms:

A. Watch ye - It means to give strict attention to things and be cautious and actively watching because a
sudden calamity could overtake you! In other words, be on the lookout for the ole devil and his little
demons!

B. Stand Fast -This means to stand firm, keep one’s standing, and persevere and persist! Dig in your
feet and don’t move or lose ground!

C. In the Faith - Your faith is your convictions of the truth and beliefs concerning your relationship with
God and divine things! Stand firm in your beliefs and in your relationship with God. Philippians 4:1 says
to “stand fast in the Lord.”

D. Quit You Like Men – It means to act like a man and be brave! Don’t back down or be a coward! Face
it like a brave man and stand your ground!

E. Be Strong – This means to grow in strength! So while you are watching, while you are standing firm,
while you are being brave like a man, grow in the strength of the Lord!

F. I Corinthians 16:14 Let all your things (all the things you do – all inclusive) be done with charity
(affection and brotherly love).
**The point is that God is telling us here to watch, stand firm in the faith and in the Lord, be brave, be
strong and have brotherly love!

**So what is it we are watching for? What is it we are going to be standing firm against? Why is it we
need to be brave and strong?

**First of all, you need to know who your enemies are! Our enemies includes the devil, principalities and
powers, sin, worldliness, and our own flesh! Our flesh often seems to be the enemy we have the most
trouble watching out for, standing firm against, and being brave and strong against.

**Today I want to give you some tools that are necessary in order to stand fast . . . or to stand firm!!
I. HAVING COURAGE IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO STAND FAST
I Corinthians 16:13 quit you like men - BE BRAVE!

A. It Takes Courage to Present Truth and to Stand Firm

**Notice these verses that pertain to having courage...

Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy
God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

1 Chronicles 28:20 - And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear
not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

Psalms 31:24 - Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

1. Many have stood firm for the truth in their faith in the past!
**It is estimated that more than 50 million Christians died for their faith during the dark ages. Most of us
today cannot even present the truth to our neighbor because we’re afraid they might scold us.

2. Many have stood firm for the truth in their faith in the present!
**I’m thankful there are some people in our present day who are standing fast and standing firm in the
faith and for the Lord! Are you one of them? If not, you need to be!

B. It Takes Courage To Preserve Truth and Stand Firm

II Timothy 2:1-3 1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the
things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also.3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

II Timothy 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of,
knowing of whom thou hast learned them.
1. Stand Firm when you are Rejected 2. Stand Firm when you are Ridiculed

C. It Takes Courage to Practice Truth and Stand Firm

1. May God help us to Stand Firm, Be Brave and Be Strong and Practice Truth in Public!
2. May God help us to Stand Firm, Be Brave and Be Strong and Practice Truth in Private!

**God help us to have Courage as Christians to Stand Firm and to Stand Fast!

II. HAVING CONVICTIONS IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO STAND FAST

I Corinthians 16:13b stand fast in the faith
**That means stand firm in your convictions of the truth and beliefs concerning your relationship with God
and divine things!

A. The Only Convictions Worth Having Are Bible Based

Colossians 2:6-8 6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and
built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
**Notice “established in the faith as ye have been taught”
Established means to be stiff, solid, steadfast, strong, sure, solidified. In other words, the one who is
“established” or has convictions has made up their mind that they’re not going to change!

Ephesians 4:4 . . . that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

**The only defense against false doctrine is a solid grounding in the Word of God!

**Spoil - It does not mean to ruin or rot, but rather, “to carry away” as the spoils in battle.

False teachers want to spoil you or carry you away from God and the Word of God. Many of them are on
TV on Sunday morning and have carried many away from the local church!

**Rudiments – spoken sounds that told of the elements of man, life and destiny through the principles of
art and science. It’s all a part of all those crazy philosophies that go against the Word of God.

**The Word of God says that we are not to allow these things to take us away from the convictions that
are found in God’s Word!

1. Don’t let Traditions change your Convictions.

2. Don’t let Troubles change your Convictions.
3. Don’t let Triumph change your Convictions.

B. The Only Convictions Worth Having Are Bible Blessed

II Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

**Stand Fast and Stand Firm on Biblical Convictions because . . .

1. God is going to Review you Appropriately
2. God is going to Reward you Accordingly

**We won’t hear the words “Well Done,” if we have not done well!
**God help us to have Convictions as Christians to Stand Firm and to Stand Fast!

III. HAVING CHARITY IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO STAND FAST

I Corinthians 16:14 Let all your things be done with charity.

**Your enemies will rise up and challenge you! Your enemies like Satan, sin, principalities, powers,
demons, worldliness, and your own flesh will challenge your standing firm on the Word of God!

**You have got to know what it is and why it is you have made up your mind not to let these enemies
overtake you. You’ve got to understand why you are going to stand firm, be brave, and be strong! Let’s
see if we can figure out why we are determined to stand firm.

Jude 1:17-23 17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our
Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk
after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

**The reason why you want to stand firm, be brave, and be strong in these last days is because you love
some things!
**I’ve noticed people will stand up, stand firm, be brave, be strong, and fight you and anything else over
things they really love!

**Do you want to see a real Christian that stands firm, that’s brave and strong? Then look at one who is
in love with the Lord, in love with going to church, in love with reading their bible, and in love with being
Spirit-filled and wanting to be in Spirit-filled services!
Those are the Christians that are going to stand for the Lord and stand firm! Those are the Christians
that are going to be brave and be strong! Those are the Christians that are going to be watching out and
doing their best to make sure nothing comes along and tries to pull them away , their family away, or their
church away from the Lord and the convictions of the bible!

**If you want to be that kind of a Christian that does stand firm and does be brave and does be strong,
then you have got to have a deep, deep love for some things!

A. Fall in Love with His Mercies, and you will Stand Firm!
1. Christ Mercifully Convicted Me 2. Christ Mercifully Converted Me 3. Christ Mercifully Changed Me

B. Fall in Love with His Memory and you will Stand Firm!
1. Remember the Brutality on the Cross was because He Loved You!
2. Remember the Blood on the Cross was because He Loved You!

C. Fall in Love with His Message and you will Stand Firm!
1. His Message gives me Help so I stand for it.
2. His Message gives me Hope so I stand for it.

D. Fall in Love with His Methods and you will Stand Firm!
1. I love His Methods because it will save my Family!
2. I love His Methods because it will save my Friends!
Illustration:
(Demonstrate standing firm!) I first must be alert and see Him coming! Second, I must plant my feet
firmly so I can stand firm. Third, I must be brave and I must be strong. When I’m weak the Lord is strong
for me! The reason I’m determined to stand firm is because first of all, I love my Father. Second, I love
my Family. Third, I love my Friends. If I don’t stand firm now, they probably won’t stand firm either!

**God help us to have love for Christ, the Church, our Children, our Companion, and our Christianity so
that we will Stand Firm and Stand Fast!

CLOSE
**My question is will you Stand Fast? Will you Stand Firm? Will you watch? Will you be brave? Will you
be strong?
**Somebody is counting on you to stand firm and to stand fast! You cannot take a stand until you first
bow before God and ask Him for that strength!
**Will you come now and pray and dedicate yourself and devote yourself to watch and to stand firm as a
Christian?