It's time to take a stand for Jesus Christ like never before. Why? Because there is a waiting and watching world that desperately needs the saving and sanctifying work of Jesus Christ. Join Pastor Mark Jobe for part one of his keynote address at the Moody Bible Institute Founders Week 2024 on Moody Presents.
Pastor Mark Jobe.
We live in a time a day more than ever before, that the people of God, the children of God, the redeemed of God, need to learn to stand. I dare to say that we live in a time where our standing is going to be more difficult than it has been, but more important than it ever has been to stand.
It's time for Moody Presents, the half hour teaching ministry that features doctor Mark Jobe. You might know him as president of Moody Bible Institute or founding pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm John Geiger, really excited about today's message, which takes us back just a few weeks to Founder's Week, where pastor Mark Jobe was the keynote speaker. His message was titled, prepare to take a stand. And that's a spiritual posture that you and I, as followers of Jesus, need to take. As we go through today's message, pastor Mark presents four things that you and I need to remember as we prepare to take a stand. I mean, it's one thing to say, Yes, I'll take a stand. Quite another to know. How do we do that biblically? And where do we find the gumption spiritually when things are all against us? Lots of stories, lots of insights, lots of scripture. All ahead here on Moody Presents. Let's turn things over to our speaker, doctor Mark Jobe.
Today, I want to talk to you about what it means to take a stand. Take a stand? You know, like some of you, I have had this incredible life transforming event. It's changed my name, my perspective softened, my heart, melted me. And that is, I become a grandparent. And, you know, I've watched with my grandchildren now how each of them has to learn how to before they can walk. They have to. I'm thinking about stand but but crawl. Yeah, they crawl, but then they stand. Now it's not easy. Watch them. And they're tentative. They're afraid it's new territory. It's difficult. They think they're going to fall. They are watch their face and they struggle and they try to keep their balance. And it's quite an effort to stand sometimes standing up for something, for someone that we believe in is difficult. My wife and I watched our little baby granddaughter, our first little baby granddaughter, and she said, I saw something on Instagram. Oh that's dangerous. She said, it's a hack. It helps babies walk because our baby granddaughter was standing, but she was having she was afraid to walk. And so she said, I saw on Instagram that if you put two balls in their hands, that for some reason it helps them walk. Try it. Grandparents. So we we captured the moment and I think that we have it for you right now. Do we have it? Yes. Okay. Yay! Good job. Good job. Good job. Yay! And I started to think it's kind of like us. We have difficulty standing. And once we stand, we have to walk. But if we grab on to. Well, you know, I'm a preacher, so I'm thinking it's grace and truth. And when we have grace and truth, it allows us to be able to walk forward. We live in a time, a day more than ever before, that the people of God, the children of God, the redeemed of God, need to learn to stand. I dare to say that we live in a time where our standing is going to be more difficult than it has been, but more important than it ever has been to stand. The Scripture tells us that our calling is to stand for the gospel. I'd like for you to take your Bibles and to turn to acts chapter four. I'm going to be looking at a few verses in acts chapter four where the apostles took a stand. I am convinced that we live in a season where we will encounter increased opposition to our stand. But I'm also convinced that we live in a season and a time where there are greater opportunities if we stand. I believe that we live in a moment, a key moment, a unique moment in which we, as followers of Jesus Christ, will have to understand what it means to be bold and clear and compelling about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message of Jesus. I'm just wondering if we're ready to stand. I'm wondering if we're prepared to stand. I'm wondering if we have the courage to stand, the audacity to stand, the perseverance to continue to stand. And so to help us in this endeavor, I'd like to read a few verses out of acts chapter four, if you remember the story in acts chapter four. Uh, Peter had just been used by God. Pentecost had happened. 120 had been baptized in the spirit. They had spoken in other languages, pronounced the gospel to people that were hearing 3000, came to Christ, got baptized. It was the beginning of the church. There was this exciting movement of God. Uh, they are on the way to the temple. There's a lame man there. Uh, Peter looks down at him and says, silver and gold, have I none but such as I have. Give I thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up! That stirs a whole big commotion. He starts to preach again. And here's what the Bible says. And the priest and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people, they were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John because it was evening. They put them in jail until the next day. But many who had heard the message believed. So the number of men who believed grew to 5000. So I want to talk to you about four things that you need to remember as you prepare to take a stand. Number one, as you take a stand, I want you to remember the message of Jesus, when boldly proclaimed, is disruptive. It's disruptive. There is no such thing as a easy gospel. There is no such thing as a pleasant Gospel. The gospel is confrontational in its nature. The gospel, in essence, tells us that we are wrong and that we need a Savior. That we need to repent. We need to bow ourselves. We need to come to the end of ourselves and encounter life in God. There's no easy way to present the gospel that doesn't bring about some kind of disruption. The gospel in its nature is disruptive. I want you to notice that it says that the Sadducees were greatly disturbed. Now, for some of you that maybe are getting more acquainted with your Bibles, the Sadducees were a group of people during the times of Jesus that they were a bit the aristocratic group. They tended to be wealthy, had positions of power. They included the chief priest. The high priest. They had the majority of the seats in the council called the Sanhedrin. Doctrinally, they clashed with the Pharisees because the Sadducees were materialist. Theologically, they did not believe in the resurrection. And so when Peter started to proclaim Jesus the Christ and the resurrection, I want you to notice what they did. They seized Peter and John because it was evening, and they put him in jail to the next day. That's opposition. But it says many who believed the message, so many believed that the number grew to 5000. That's opportunity. I want you to see it. Do you see it? There's opposition, and in the midst of opposition, there is great opportunity for the gospel. Peter and John are being put in jail and 5000 people are saying yes to Jesus. Do you see it sometimes that we think that opposition means that people are closed? Sometimes we think that opposition means that this is not a good time for the harvest. But I want to say that I believe that oftentimes opposition comes hand in hand with opportunity. And so I speak to a lot of people around the country that seem very dismayed by what's happening in our country these days, and there is plenty to be worried about. But I want to make sure that you don't miss the fact that oftentimes, opposition is the greatest time for the gospel, that that opposition and opportunity go hand in hand. Here they're being put in jail by some that fiercely oppose them. Yet at the same time, 5000 people are coming to Jesus. I want you to know that we live in a moment that's similar to this. I want you to note that yes, there are things that concern us. 40 million Americans go to church a whole lot less than they than they did 25 years ago. That's true. It's true that church attendance overall has been declining. That's true. It's true that 40% of millennials are religiously unaffiliated. In other words, they have no religious background. That's true. It's true that secularization and is being contrasted with the moral values that people that embrace the Bible have. And that's true. It's true that our nation is confused over the biblical definition of human sexuality and our our society's definition of human sexuality. That's true. It's true that there is a upswing of anxiety, depression, loneliness, suicide, especially among young people. And yes, that's true. It's true that there are more pastors over the age of 65 than they are under 45. And yes, that's true, and it's true that it seems like we live in a country that is less and less tolerant of the values that we have embraced the biblical Judeo-Christian values. And that's true. And you say, well, hey, that sounds like bad news.
Here on Moody Presents, you're listening to pastor Mark Jobe with highlights from his message at Founders Week 2024 back in October. A lot of great messages that week. If you missed any of it and you'd like to hear it or watch it again, you can do that at founders Wnyc.org. Founders week.org. Well, with the Christmas holiday ahead, we're excited to let you know about a wonderful gift we'd love to place in your hands. It's Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth book, The First Songs of Christmas. She writes, God has placed his spirit inside his children to lead us, to counsel us, and yes, even to show us what to say. His presence should affect the way we talk. And when we're filled with the Holy Spirit, our mouths should be filled with words like those of Elizabeth, words that are gracious and life giving. Remember what Elizabeth said, blessed are you among women. Words that express our praise and worship well, there's a lot to be learned in this book. It's a devotional from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth it's our thanks for your gift of any amount in support at Moody presents.org. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is a communicator who you trust, whose books and broadcasts are always inspirational. So you'll love the first songs of Christmas. It's our thank you again for your gift of any amount at Moody presents.org. Let's get back to today's message. Here is pastor Mark Jobe on Moody Presents.
What can I tell you, man? I see something in the middle of this opposition. I see sparks of awakening happening all across this country. I see people coming to Jesus in a accelerated way. I see the gospel touching people like I have never seen the gospel as I have pastored over three decades. I've never seen people so open to the gospel of Jesus Christ than I am seeing right now. And so I believe this is a moment for the people of God to wake up. This is a moment for us to take a stand. This is a moment for us to rise up and say the gospel of Jesus. The Christ is the solution to our nation. It is the solution to our soul, to our lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen it over and over. I've been pastoring here in Chicago for, like I said, over 30 years, and I have never seen people that are as open as they are now. Opposition and opportunity. My deep concern, however, is I'm wondering, in this time of great opportunity, have we become so focused on the opposition that we're missing a great window of opportunity? My concern is that the people of God seem so bent on gloom and doom, so entrenched in sometimes the political polarization that exists in our nation, so filled with what's going wrong, so obsessed with what is happening that seems like it's going in opposite direction, that we're missing. One of the greatest opportunities that I feel has been presented to us in decades for the transformation of people's lives. And I'm just wondering if this is a time that we need to say, Lord, help us take a stand in Jesus name. Many of you know that I'm a the president of Moody Bible Institute, but I'm a volunteer pastor as well. This past Sunday I preached like many Sundays, and this is fairly a normal thing. At the last service I preached and I just thought, I'm going to give up, make sure that people have an opportunity to respond to the gospel. And I think we have a slide up here with a picture of this. This was just this past Sunday where Were 23 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Yeah, just. Just because people are open to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want you to remember that it's time that the gospel is disruptive and in the time of opposition, that there will be great opportunities. Secondly, as you take a stand, I want you to remember that ordinary people become extraordinary witnesses when they have been with Jesus. The Bible tells us that they were put in prison, and the next day the Bible says that Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, it's by the name of Jesus, the Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, that you have seen this man. Be healed, and he is speaking to people that have the power to put him in jail, the people that had the power to keep him in prison. And the Bible says that he declared to them boldly the message of Jesus. And verse 13 says, and when they saw the courage of Peter and John, and they realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished that they and took note that these men had been with Jesus. I want you to see two things here. I want you to see that these highly educated, wealthy individuals with power were amazed, astonished, overwhelmed that these individuals with no formal education spoke with such a great authority and power. And they noted that they had been with Jesus. When I look at the apostles, there are two things that pop out at me from this passage. Number one. Two keys. Number one Peter, it says, was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, Peter had already been filled with the Spirit at Pentecost. He was filled with the spirit. And if you read the book of acts, you will continually see an empowerment from the Spirit of God to accomplish his mission. He was filled with the spirit. Can I tell you something? If we're going to stand, it's going to require the supernatural power of God. It's going to require a dependence on the Holy Spirit of God that is given to us to be able to accomplish the mission. D.L. Moody, as he preached over and over, he talked about the empowerment of the Spirit of God that causes us and gives us the ability to do things that we could never do in our own power. What happened? Peter opened his mouth and the Spirit of God filled his mouth. So he spoke with authority and power, words that he did not even know he had because he was filled with the Spirit of God. The work of transforming our communities and the nation. The work of revival and awakening is not going to happen in our own power. It's going to happen in the power of the spirit of the Most High God. And then I want you to also note that these men, unschooled fishermen, they didn't use big words, reminds me of another character that I know very close and dear to this institute that had no more than a sixth grade education. He would slur some of the words, he would mispronounce some of the words. He was a bit of a overweight guy from the Boston area, the East Coast. His name was D.L. Moody. A very unlikely individual to be used to do what he did. But I want you to notice that they could tell these men had been with Jesus. They were filled with the spirit, and they had been with Jesus. Can I tell you something? I believe those are still the key factors in what makes us a witness. The emptying of ourselves with the Spirit of God can fill us. And secondly, the fact that we have been with Jesus, spent time in his presence, allowed him to shape us, touch us, mold us, transform us. The fact that we have been with Jesus. I don't know about you, but when I haven't been with Jesus, my wife can tell. How about you? When you haven't been with Jesus and spent that time with Jesus and been around and in his presence and listening to him. But when you've been with Jesus, something starts to happen. When you've been around him, something starts to happen because you start behaving, acting, talking more like Jesus. So they were filled with the spirit and they had been with Jesus. They could tell. I am convinced that one of the challenges that we have. They tell us, research tells us that one of the great challenges that we have in this country about people actually talking about Jesus and the gospel, and that's what this entire Founder's Week is about, transform the power of the gospel, and people cannot be transformed unless they hear the gospel, and they cannot hear the gospel until someone carries the gospel to them, and it can't be carried to them. Unless, first of all, we are excited about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And what research tells us is that the reason that we don't share the gospel isn't primarily out of fear. It's not primarily out of, uh, not knowing how to share the gospel. It's primarily out of the fact that we are not excited about the Or of the gospel. Because when you are excited about something, when you are thrilled about something, when you, then you can't help but share it with people around you. If we have become accustomed, if we have become dull to the gospel, if we're not awed by the message of Jesus, if it no longer causes us to weep as we talk, as we sing about the amazing grace of God, if it no longer moves our heart. If we know, if we've forgotten what it meant to be saved by the blood of Jesus the Christ, washed by the blood of the lamb. If we no longer remember how lost we have been and how great the mercy of God is, then we stop sharing. Because we've forgotten how powerful and good it is.
I don't know about you, but I am really caught up in this story and really wishing that we had time to finish it, but we don't. Now the good news is Moody Presents is back next week with part two. It's a story you've got to check out in its completeness, and you will as you're with us next week. Meanwhile, let me remind you of the resource we'd love to place in your hands called The First Songs of Christmas from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. Comes this 31 day advent devotional, something fresh for you to ponder the Christmas season. Nancy writes, too often we speak before we're consciously aware of the Holy Spirit's direction and discernment about what to say. May we learn, as Elizabeth did, the importance of letting our tongues be guided by him this Christmas. Ask him to employ your words so that you bless those around you, saying not just what comes mechanically to mind, but what God Himself has given you to say. Well, Nancy DeMoss is always practical, insightful, and you'll love the first songs of Christmas from Moody Publishers. Again, this 31 day advent devotional is our gift to you as you support us at Moody Presente.org and help keep this teaching coming to homes and communities across the nation. Moody presents.org and thank you for your support right now during this holiday season. Well, I'm John Geiger on behalf of our teacher, doctor Mark Jobe, inviting you back to part two of his message. Next week on Moody presents a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.