[Normally, the sermon on this page is from the previous Sunday morning.  However, this particular sermon is from this past Wednesday night service with the children and youth.  If you missed it…you missed a blessing! It was “Youth night.”  It was as if Bro Fields and the kids were on a planet by themselves for about a forty-five minute span of time. A total of twenty-nine children and youth were present.]

Would you stand-up for Jesus or sit-down and deny Him?

Daniel 3 tells the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  These three men refused to follow the king’s orders to bow down and worship the golden image that the king had made of himself.  The old king was mad at these three boys and had them thrown into the fiery furnace.  The heat was seven times hotter than normal, yet the boys were up walking around.  When the king looked inside, he saw an extra person present and all four of them were walking around.  Do you know who that person was?  Yes, you are right!  It was God.  When the king ordered the three boys out of the fire, he was surprised to see that not one hair on their heads was singed; neither was there any power in the fire to burn their bodies. Those three boys stood for God and God stood for them.  Will you stand up for Jesus?

Matthew 26:69-70: gives another side of the story.  Although Jesus was guilty of nothing, He was sentence to death.  All the disciples forsook him and ran away.  Peter was in the palace that very same night and a woman in the palace told those present that Peter was one of the followers of Jesus.  When asked, Peter denied knowing Jesus.  Again, that same night another woman said she had seen Peter with Jesus.  Peter again denied knowing Him.   Peter denied Jesus for the third time when he was questioned about his speech being like that of Jesus.  Peter cursed and said, “I know not the man.”  Peter would not stand-up for Jesus.

To the young and old alike, would you stand-up for Jesus, or would you sit-down and deny Him?  To be a Christian is a twenty-four hour-a-day job.  When someone asks if you are a Christian, are you ashamed to tell them, “Yes.”?   Often people will make fun of Christians and say bad things to them.  However, would you rather disappoint Jesus by denying Him?  How do you stand-up for Jesus? There will be times in your life when you will have to make the choice of standing up for Him or denying Him.  Let me give you some examples:

• What answer would you give someone if, for instance, you are at a party and someone walks up to you and says, “Hey! Let’s go outside and smoke some pot?”   Would you go with them, or would you say, “No, thank-you, I don’t do that stuff.”
• Girls, never let a boy pressure you into doing something you do not want to do.   They might say, “Do what I want or I will break -up with you.”  Would you give in, or would you say, “No, I am keeping myself pure until my wedding night.”  No matter if he does break-up with you, keeping yourself in God’s will is the most important thing.
• A group of boys standing around telling dirty jokes; do you take part in that by snickering at their jokes or do you walk away?
• Suppose you see a group of kids picking on a handicapped person; would you join them or would you stand up for the victim? 
• You find $100.00 in the parking lot at Wal-Mart; would you put it in your pocket and say, “Finders keepers, losers weepers.”?  It would be the better choice to take it into the store and tell the store workers you found it in their parking lot.  It could have been the last dollar someone had.  It is possible no one will claim it and you would end up with it anyhow; but at least you received it in the right way.
• What if someone gave you back too much change?  Would you stick it in your pocket and say, “Sorry, their loss is my gain”?  Or would you say, “I think you gave me back too much money.”

What decisions would you make?  Always remember, “Right is always right, and wrong is always wrong.”  You may say, “I don’t see anything wrong in being with the crowd if you don’t participate in what they are doing.  Well, by staying with the crowd, you are making the decision to accept their behavior.  If you are a Christian, you are a “Child of the King,” and God will always speak to your heart. No matter where you are, His spirit will let you know when something is not right. Be careful who you pick to be your friends.

Shadrach, Messiah, and Abednego stayed true to their faith and God went with them in the fiery furnace.  Peter denied Jesus three times.

This question is for the young and old, what will it be?  Stand-up for God, or sit-down on Him and deny knowing Him?  People do laugh at Christians and call them “Religious Nuts,” but to walk with Jesus is the best road to take.  He will be with you when those so-called friends are gone.  He will walk with you through any situation.

Bro. Jr Fields
Youth Ministry on Wednesday Evening March 21, 2007

 Sermon edited by Mary King

To read other sermons by JR Fields, click here