Stand firm in the faith
“Resist the devil. Stand firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of thing.” You’re not in this alone. You’re not the only Christian who’s had to say no.
All right, now let’s deal with the subject of hardships. Now I’m going to warn you in advance. This part you’re not going to like very much. I don’t like it either. You cannot preach the Bible selectively, okay? So get ready. You’re not going to like these scriptures. I don’t like them either, but it’s a part of your Christian walk.
There are three scriptures: Matthew 10:19 and 20. These are concerning hardships. And before I read them, let me say this, the Holy Spirit is present in hardships.
All right, Matthew 10:19 and 20. “When you are arrested”—now I’m not talking about arrested for drunk driving. I’m not talking about arrested because you did something illegal, because you ran somebody off the road. I’m talking about when you are arrested or called into question because of your faith, okay?
“When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say at your trial, for you will be given the right words at the right time. For it won’t be you doing the talking. It will be the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of your heavenly Father speaking through you.”
Now Jesus was on this earth at a time when Christians were being arrested. We’re not living in that day. But I promise you, should the Lord tarry, that day is coming. The day is coming when we will be arrested for our faith. The day is coming when the very Honor Code that we hold up as a witness and as a testimony on this campus will be questioned in the courts of this land.