17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.
Stand firm – gain life; Matthew renders it in the following way:
9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matt 24:9-14 (NIV)
The word translated “firm” in our verse for today is from the Greek word “Hypomone” meaning “A bearing up under, patience, endurance as to things or circumstances. Generally, signifying endurance, patience, perseverance, or constancy under suffering in faith and duty. Used in an absolute sense. The bearing of evils and sufferings with a tranquil mind.” Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible New Testament Lexical Aids.
Standing firm by exhibiting patient endurance amidst the dire circumstances of life is a very prevalent theme throughout the New Testament. What goes against human nature – the bearing of evil and suffering with a tranquil mind – is made possible in the believer’s life through the indwelling power of the precious Holy Spirit. Paul exhorts us in Romans to:
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)
As believers, our hope is founded in Jesus – He is our reason for rejoicing. Our scrawny necks are saved through no work of our own, our eternal state is secure. Therefore, our distresses and troubles are to be patiently endured – resting in His comfort and peace – with the full assurance that He will use everything He allows for our good and His glory. Our prayers should be for wisdom and guidance so that we may, as Epaphras prayed for the Colossians, “stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
I do not know about any of you, but often I find myself a “whiny britches” in dire circumstances or even in unpleasant ones. In fact, if the truth be known, I can complain with the greatest of ease when things are even but a bit askew! Shame on me! This is not befitting a child of the King! I am reminded of a verse that specifically addresses this issue – one of my favorites when my kids were younger:
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life-- Phil 2:14-16 (NIV)
Complaining reflects a bad attitude and is usually expressed through grumbling. God did not like it when the Israelites did it back in Exodus and He gives us no high fives for it either! It is an affront to Him and His pleasing and perfect will for our lives and it displays our lack of trust and faith in what He allows – perhaps the complaining endorses our belief that we deem His will neither pleasing nor perfect!
"The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God cannot sustain you!" Anonymous
“Our extremities are the Lord’s opportunities.” Spurgeon
Moses brings clarity to the Israelites regarding to Whom their grumbling was ultimately directed. Remember, like the Israelites, as believers, God has also taken us out of bondage (Egypt) and is directing us through our own desert and wilderness experiences into the Promised Land – our heavenly eternal home:
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" 8 Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." Ex 16:6-8 (NIV)
“Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness.” Charles Spurgeon