Hebrews 11:32-40(NKJV) 32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:  33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 

Hebrews 11:32-40(NKJV) 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 

Hebrews 11:32-40(NKJV)  37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,[f] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—  38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

Hebrews 11:32-40(NKJV) 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,  40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Stand Firm In Your Faith Hebrews 11:32-40 It’s no secret that we live in a world that seems to be increasingly against those who follow Christ There are many things in the world that are at odds with Christians and Christianity It often puts us in a difficult situation What do we do when we come upon something that opposes the cause of Christ? Whether it be opposition to the fact that you are a Christian, or to a certain doctrine or belief, or to your freedom to express such There have been events ranging from killing those who believe in God to attempting to suppress their beliefs, views and convictions (Houston) Even though we realize that there is a small chance of the worst happening to us, we must give consideration to our reaction in any situation such as these Will we stand firm for God or will we run from opposition? (give in or compromise)

There are many examples in the Bible of standing up for Jesus In so many passages we see those who were challenged based on their beliefs Each of them stood firm in the face of danger (or death) Stephen in Acts 7 stood and preached boldly before a crowd that did not like his message of truth They took him outside the city and stoned him, yet he did not back down Paul certainly suffered for standing up for the truth as evidenced by his words in II Cor. 11:23-28 John was exiled on the island of Patmos for “the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:9) Hebrews 11:32-40 gives us a list of things that some stood strong in the face of Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33 that we should confess Him before others, not deny Him All these stood firm in the face of perhaps greater things than you and I could possibly face in this life

The Bible also tells of those who did not stand firm in the face of opposition Peter is one who comes to mind Peter had already stated that he would stand firm When confronted, he denied that he knew Jesus or that he was associated with Him (Matt. 26:69-75; Mk. 14:66-72; Lk. 22:54-62; Jn. 18:15-18, 25-27) The Bible says that he wept bitterly because of what he had done He felt sorrow and great remorse because he realized he had done wrong This story illustrates the great importance of standing up for Christ, even in the face of threatening opposition

What about the Social Issues of our day? If we are willing to stand up for God in the face of death or danger, will we stand up for the truth of God’s word? There are many things that seek to divide us: Abortion Homosexuality Sexually Immorality (living together unmarried) Are we willing to stand up for what God says about these things? Will we stand firm even though our view is not the popular one?

What about the issues we face within the church? Many congregations are adding the instrument. Some are now using women in leadership roles such as preaching and as elders or deacons Are we willing to stand up and stand strong in the faith amidst these things? Again, we do not stand on a popular position We will be called names such as rigid, legalistic, unloving, Pharisees and many others Will we give in or stand firm?

If we stand up to those things, will we not also stand up to more common issues? Do we take a stand when our co worker tells a dirty joke, or do we laugh at it instead? Do we take a stand against constant and unnecessary foul language? Do we refuse to join in when others are mistreated, laughed at, or talked about?