~6 min read
Ps Paul Cheng
1 Corinthians 15:58
“…it must result in the following response…”
Dear Bethelites,
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).
If the resurrection is true, then it must affect our lives and the way we view life and death. Having learnt all the great truths about how Christ was risen from the dead, and He was the first-fruit of the resurrection, and because of His resurrection, there would be this great harvest of the believers’ resurrection which includes us. So, what should we do? The resurrection of Christ demands a response from us!
The word therefore is a consequence of what we know and believe about the resurrection. If we truly believe, then it must result in the following response.
I. Be Ye Stedfast
To be stedfast means to be settled or firmly seated, it is a solid commitment. The first question we need to ask is, “Be steadfast in what?” The Apostle Paul said, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand (1 Corinthians 15:1). Therefore, the command is to be steadfast in the foundation and truth of the gospel.
It is the gospel that has saved us, and it is in the gospel that we are to be steadfast. It does not mean that we can lose our salvation by not being steadfast, but rather the evidence of our salvation is in our continuous steadfastness.
B.B Warfield, the theologian, once said, “The gospel is not only true at the point when we believe, it is just as true after we have believed, and it will continue to be true as long as we live.”
What is the gospel? It is the good news that Jesus came for us. He died on the cross and shed His precious blood to wash away all our sins. He was buried, but He rose again from the dead on the third day, to give us the victory over sin and death, unto eternal life. Do we only need all these great truths at the point of our salvation, and then forget about it after that? Most certainly not!
Our need for Christ, relationship with Him, and fellowship in His life, suffering, death, blood, resurrection and righteousness, will always be there, for as long as we live. The gospel is not only good for unbelievers, but the believers as well. We need the gospel to be saved, to live our lives, be empowered, sanctified and persevere, until we see the Lord face-to-face.
To be steadfast in the gospel is to make a conscious effort in letting the gospel of Christ be the foundation of our lives. The same gospel that excited us at the beginning, must still excite us today. The same truth that our Lord Jesus died on the cross of Calvary to save us which had brought tears to our eyes at the point of our conversions, must still bring tears to our eyes today. The same motivation that caused us to serve our risen Saviour at the beginning, must still motivate us today. We need the gospel to live for Jesus, so we need to remember Christ’s death and His resurrection, not just at the beginning of our salvation, but at every moment and every day of our lives. That is what be ye stedfast means!
II. Be Ye Unmoveable
Next, Paul said, be ye unmoveable. To be unmoveable has the same basic idea as the word stedfast, but it is with more intensity. There will be certain things that will work against us, and force us to be moved. Therefore, to be unmoveable means not wavering. It has the idea to stand your ground in the midst of adversities and challenges.
Allow me to use the analogy of sailing a boat. Once you have decided on the destination and set the course, you start to sail the boat, right? There will be so many things that will try to blow you off course. The wind can sometimes carry you forward but it can push you backward as well. The waves can be so strong and capsize your boat. On top of all that, you have to endure the uncertainties of the weather which can be extremely hot or cold.
This is an illustration of the believers. Our destination is the shores of heaven, and as we set our eyes toward heaven, we start to live as a new man in Christ (just like the boat sailing in the ocean towards the destination). But there will be so many things that will trouble, distract and cause us to be shaken or moved. It can be trials, afflictions, troubles, financial woes, health issues, relationship problems, worldly influences, false teachings, sins and immoralities, etc.
Satan cannot do anything against the cross, for the work of salvation had already been accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ. But what Satan would do, is to cause us to be shaken, and moved away from God’s will, to dishonour Him by living a life in disobedience. If we succumb to his temptations, then he has achieved his goal!
Hence, the command is, be ye unmoveable. This unmovable stance does not come automatically. We do not become a strong and firm believer all of a sudden. It is a spiritual exercise that we have to be engaged in at every moment. We have to stand our ground in the midst of temptations, adversities and challenges, all the days of our lives. And again, this unmovable stance is in the foundation and truth of the gospel.
III. Always Abounding In The Work Of The Lord
always abounding in the work of the Lord.
The word abounding means to increase, or in abundance. The work of the Lord refers to any work we do in Jesus’ name; it could be preaching, ushering, singing in the choir, serving in the fellowship groups, teaching in the Sunday school, ministering in the refreshment team or home care group, etc. If you are serving in any one of these ministries, it is a reminder that you are not doing anyone a favour, but you are serving the Lord Himself. That is why it is called the work of the Lord.
When Paul exhorted the Corinthians to be always abounding in the work of the Lord, it was not as if they were not serving, and he was encouraging them to serve. They were already serving, but he encouraged them to continue serving, and to increase and abound in their services. It was like Paul saying to them, “You are already serving. I have heard of your faith, love and services. But I urge you to continue, increase and abound in your services.”
Dear friend, perhaps you have been serving the Lord, but there is always still room to grow in your services. No one can say that he or she has done so much already that it is enough. If we are really true to ourselves, we should rather say, “Why am I not doing more than I should? Is there anything more I can do?” There is always room for improvement!
The day will come when we shall stand before God, and what really matters is how we have used our time, talents, gifts, energy and resources, for the work of the Lord.
Finally, the Apostle Paul said, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Notice, Paul did not say, “You feel, or you hope, or maybe your labour is not in vain.” But he said, ye know. How do we know? Where does the Bible say that our labours will not be vain? There are many biblical passages, but I would like to end by quoting our Lord Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead and seated at the right hand of God, interceding for and watching over us as we are always abounding in His work. Jesus said, And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:12).
Dear friend, if we believe in the resurrection of Christ, and because He lives, we shall live also, then our response ought to be stedfast, unmoveable and always abounding in the work of the Lord. So, when we see our risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whether by the rapture or by death, and experience the resurrection of the dead, we will hear Him say to us, “All the things you have done in my name are not in vain. Come, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”
In Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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