The Courage to Keep Going – Dr. Charles Stanley

DR. CHARLES STANLEY: HOW DO YOU RESPOND WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF DEALING WITH SITUATIONS THAT ARE VERY PAINFUL? IN FACT, THEY REJECT YOU. SOMEONE LEAVES YOU. YOU FEEL THEY WERE DISHONEST TO YOU. THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU THE TRUTH. YOU FEEL LONELY. YOU FEEL HURT. VERY DISCOURAGED. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO PEOPLE AND THE REACTIONS WE HAVE, HOW DO YOU FEEL? YOU MEAN YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T HAVE TO STAND FOR THIS ANYMORE. AND YOU DECIDE THAT I'M GOING AWAY. I LEAVE. I GIVE UP. I DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS. I DON'T HAVE TO STAY HERE.

HOW DO YOU REALLY AND TRULY FEEL? BECAUSE YOU SEE, AS A FOLLOWER OF JESUS ​​CHRIST, GIVING UP IS NOT WHO WE ARE. GIVING UP IS NOT WHO WE ARE. THROWING IN THE TOWEL, WE SAY THAT WE ARE NOT THAT. AS A FOLLOWER OF JESUS ​​CHRIST WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPECT THE BEST FROM HIM. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPECT THE BEST FROM US. WHEN I THINK ABOUT GIVING UP, IT DOESN'T FIT WHO WE ARE. AND IF YOU ARE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW, GIVE UP YOUR MARRIAGE, GIVE UP YOUR JOB, GIVE UP YOUR CHILDREN, GIVE UP YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.

WHATEVER THE SITUATION, BEFORE YOU GIVE UP, STOP AND ASK DOES THIS FIT WHO I AM AS A FOLLOWER OF JESUS? AND THIS MESSAGE IS ABOUT, LISTEN, IT'S ABOUT KEEP KEEPING. AND THAT IS HAVING THE COURAGE TO KEEP FOLLOWING. IF YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY AND APPLY THESE POINTS THAT I WILL EXPOSE BEFORE YOU, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE UP AND RESIGN. THERE IS AN ANSWER AND A SOLUTION TO WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW NO MATTER WHAT IT IS. SO I WANT YOU TO GO BACK, IF YOU WANT, TO 2 TIMOTHY 4 AND PAUL WRITES TO THE YOUNG PASTOR TIMOTHY AND GIVES HIM WONDERFUL ADVICE.

HE IS NOW REACHING THE END OF HIS LIFE. IN FACT, PAUL DIES AROUND 67 AD. HE IS KILLED BY EMPEROR NERO. AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT NEXT YEAR NERO COMMITTED SUICIDE. SO HE'S ENCOURAGING TIMOTHY RIGHT NOW. STARTING IN CHAPTER FOUR VERSE ONE. I SOLEMNLY CHARGE YOU IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND CHRIST JESUS, WHO IS TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD BY HIS APPEARANCE AND HIS KINGDOM, TO PREACH THE WORD. BE READY, LISTEN, BE READY IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON. REBUDE, REBUDE, EXHORT WITH GREAT PATIENCE AND INSTRUCTION SO THAT THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL NOT STAND THE SOUND DOCTRINE.

BUT WANTING THEIR EARS TO BE TICKLED, THEY WILL ACCUMULATE TEACHERS ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN DESIRES AND WILL TAKE THEIR EARS AWAY FROM THE TRUTH AND RETURN TO THE MYTH. BUT BE ABOVE IN EVERYTHING, WITHSTAND THE PENALTIES. DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST. HE FULFILLS HIS MINISTRY. BECAUSE I'M ALREADY BEING SPILLED ON LEAVE. AND THE TIME FOR MY DEPARTURE HAS COME. I HAVE GIVEN A GOOD FIGHT. I HAVE FINISHED THE COURSE. I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH. IN THE FUTURE THE CROWN OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS STORED FOR ME, WHICH THE LORD RIGHTEOUS JUDGE WILL GRANT ME ON THAT DAY, NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT TO ALL THOSE WHO LOVE HIS APPEARANCE.

THIS IS HIS CHALLENGE TO YOUNG TIMOTHY. HE IS A YOUNG PASTOR. NOW WE FIND HIM LISTENING TO THE APOSTLE PAUL GIVE YOU A WARNING AND A CHALLENGE AND A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT NO MATTER WHAT YOU GO THROUGH, DON'T GIVE UP AND DON'T GIVE UP. I THINK OF ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, NO ONE FITS THE QUALIFICATION OF SOMEONE WHO NEVER GIVES UP LIKE THE APOSTLE PAUL. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HIS LIFE AND HOW HE LIVED IT, HERE IS SOMEONE WHO STAYED UP WITH THE CHALLENGE NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED. AND YOU MAY BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE TODAY WHO WANTS TO STOP BEING.

AND YOU THINK YOU HAVE A GOOD REASON TO LEAVE HIM. YOU HAVE A GOOD REASON TO LEAVE. YOU MAY LEGITIMATELY THINK I DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS. I DON'T HAVE TO STAY HERE. I THINK MANY PASTORS I HAVE TALKED TO OVER THE YEARS SAID, THIS IS WHAT NOBODY DOES ABOUT MY CHURCH. I DECIDED THAT I DON'T HAVE TO STAND FOR THIS. I DON'T HAVE TO KEEP DOING THIS. I DON'T HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS. I DON'T LIKE THEY TREAT MY FAMILY THIS WAY. I DO NOT HAVE TO. WHEN THEY ASK ME WHAT I THINK, THIS IS WHAT I TELL THEM.

IF YOU CAN. YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU ARE DOING UNTIL GOD TELLS YOU TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. AND PAUL IS ENCOURAGING TIMOTHY. HE SAID, LOOK, THERE'S GOING TO COME A DAY WHEN THEY WON'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. THEY WANT SOMEONE TO TICKLE THEIR EARS TO MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD. YOU STAY STABLE, CONSTANT, CALM IN THE SITUATION. KEEP DOING WHAT GOD CALLED YOU TO DO. AND THEN HE TALKS ABOUT HIS OWN LIFE. BECAUSE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN LIFE. NOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT PAUL SUFFERED IN LIFE, WE HAVE TO ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT MOTIVATED HIM TO KEEP GOING WHEN EVERYTHING IN HIM HAD DECIDED TO LEAVE.

BUT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT PAUL KNEW, SOMETHING HE DID THAT EACH OF US NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND IN OUR LIFE, EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE TESTED OR HAS BEEN TESTED ONE OR MANY TIMES TO JUST SAY, I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT. ACCEPT THIS. I LEAVE. I GIVE UP. I GET AWAY. NOW THE TRAGEDY IS THAT MANY PEOPLE USE THAT SAME PHRASE WHEN THEY STAY AWAY FROM THEIR MARRIAGE, FROM THEIR CHILDREN, FROM HER. OR IN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? I LEAVE. IN A PARTICULAR JOB THAT YOU LIKE BECAUSE YOU THINK IT IS TOO DIFFICULT OR IT DOES NOT SUITABLE FOR YOU.

QUITTERS, THERE ARE MANY QUITTERS. HOWEVER, THOSE WHO QUIT DO NOT GET ANYWHERE IN LIFE. PEOPLE WHO GIVE UP DO NOT GET ANYWHERE IN LIFE. I WANT US TO LOOK AT THE REASONS, THE MOTIVATIONS THAT PAUL HAD TO CONTINUE WHEN THINGS GOT VERY DIFFICULT. AND WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THOSE TOPICS. SO THE FIRST THING I WANT US TO KEEP IN MIND HERE IS THIS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PREVENTED Paul from giving up and moving forward was the awareness that God was with him. AND I THINK ABOUT THE SECOND CORINTHIAN LETTER AND CHAPTER 11, THIS IS A VERY CHALLENGING CHAPTER FOR ME WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT PAUL WENT THROUGH, WHAT HE SUFFERED.

AND YET, HE NEVER GIVED UP NO MATTER WHAT HE EXPERIENCED IN LIFE. IF YOU LOOK AT CHAPTER 11. THIS IS A FAMILIAR CHAPTER TO MANY CHRISTIANS BUT MANY PEOPLE WON'T BE. BUT PAUL SAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, HE WAS ARGUING AND THEY CRITICIZED HIM FOR WHO HE WAS. HE SAID IN VERSE 22, ARE THEY HEBREWS? ME TOO. ARE THEY ISRAELITES? ME TOO. ARE THEY DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM? ME TOO. I SPEAK LIKE CRAZY. I DO MORE. IN MUCH MORE WORKERS, MANY MORE PRISONS. TIMES BEATEN, HEARD, WITHOUT NUMBER. OFTEN IN DANGER OF DEATH. FIVE TIMES I RECEIVED 39 EYELASHES FROM THE JEWS. THREE TIMES I WAS HIT WITH RODS.

I was high once. THREE TIMES I WAS WRECKED. A NIGHT AND A DAY THAT I HAVE SPENT IN THE DEEP. I HAVE BEEN ON FREQUENT JOURNEYS, DANGERS OF THE RIVERS, DANGERS OF THE THIEVES, DANGERS OF THE COUNTRYMAN, DANGERS OF THE GENTILES, DANGERS IN THE DESERT, DANGERS OF THE SEA, DANGERS OF FALSE BROTHERS. I HAVE BEEN TO WORK AND DIFFICULTY MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND HUNGER AND THIRST AND EXPOSURE. THERE IS DAILY PRESSURE ON ME FROM CONCERN FOR ALL THE CHURCHES. IF YOU AND I HAVE BEEN THROUGH WHAT HE HAD BEEN GOING THROUGH, I WONDER HOW MANY OF US WOULD HAVE SURVIVED THAT.

WHAT MADE HIM SURVIVE THAT? HE HAD MANY REASONS TO GIVE UP AND QUIT BUT HE DIDN'T DO IT, WHY? BY HIS CONSCIENCE ALMIGHTY GOD WAS WITH HIM. WHEN I THINK ABOUT THINGS, SO MANY THINGS THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD WITH HIM, HE SAID, FOR EXAMPLE, IN ACTS 23, GOING THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME. HE SAID: THE LORD IS BY HIM. HE KNEW THAT THE LORD WAS WITH HIM. THE LORD IS FROM HIM. ON OTHER OCCASIONS HE TOLD HIM DON'T BE AFRAID. I'M WITH YOU. AND SO, THROUGHOUT PAUL'S EPISTLES, WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY REMINDED THAT GOD IS WITH US.

NOW IF I ASKED YOU IF YOU BELIEVE GOD IS WITH YOU, YOU WOULD PROBABLY SAY YES. Do you claim that when times are tough? REMEMBER NO MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING, WHO IS TREATING ME LIKE THIS, GOD ALMIGHTY IS WITH ME. HE SAID I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR ABANDONE YOU. EITHER I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL DO WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO OR I DON'T. IF I START QUESTIONING IT, I WILL START CONSIDERING GIVING UP IN SOME SITUATIONS. IF I BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS IS TRUE AND HE IS TRUE TO HIS WORD FROM HIM, I WILL NOT GIVE UP NO MATTER WHAT IS HAPPENING.

AND MANY TIMES WE GIVE UP, LOOK AT THIS. MANY TIMES PEOPLE GIVE UP JUST BEFORE VICTORY IS ABOUT TO UNLEASH. JUST BEFORE OPPORTUNITY LOOKS THEM IN THE FACE, THEY ARE READY TO GIVE UP. PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO SURRENDER JUST BEFORE RECONCILIATION CAN TAKE PLACE. JUST BEFORE THINGS CAN CHANGE, THEY WANT TO GIVE UP. THAT'S WHY IT IS DANGEROUS TO ALWAYS GIVE UP. WHEN WE GIVE UP ON A SITUATION, WE ARE GIVING UP ON GOD. HE SAID I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR ABANDONE YOU. As long as you and I walk in His will and in His path, no matter how difficult it is, if we do not give up, we will be rewarded.

HE SAID SHIPWRECK ALL THESE TIMES, ONE DAY AND ONE NIGHT AT THE SEA AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN THE JEWS TRIED THEIR BEST TO KILL HIM. THEY TRIED TO CATCH HIM. THEY TRIED TO KILL HIM. THEY DID EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE TO TRY TO GET RID OF HIM. YOU STILL FIND HIM IN JAIL REJOICEING IN THE LORD, PRAISING GOD FOR WHAT HE IS DOING IN HIS LIFE. YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE PAUL NEVER SAT, LISTEN, HE NEVER FELT REJECTED BY JESUS. OR THAT JESUS ​​CHRIST WAS ABSENT IN ANY SITUATION IN WHICH HE WAS FOUND. THE AWARENESS OF HIS PRESENCE WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH THINGS THAT NOTHING ELSE WILL.

A SECOND THING IS THIS. THE EXPERIENCE OF THE STRENGTH OF GOD WITHIN HIM. WHEN YOU FEEL WEAK. You see, when we feel weak and worn out and then these things hit us, we are more likely to give in to them and give up. HE SPOKE ABOUT THE STRENGTH THAT WAS IN HIM. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THESE EXPERIENCES HE SURVIVED, HE HAD TO UNDERSTAND AND EXPERIENCE THE STRENGTH OF ALMIGHTY GOD. THREE SHIPWRECKS. WON ALL THESE MANY TIMES. IMPRISONED. IN OTHER WORDS, HE WAS A FREQUENT VISITOR TO THE JAIL. SO ALL THESE THINGS HE IS EXPERIENCING. HOW DID YOU LIVE IT?

HE HAD STRENGTH. HE WAS NOT NECESSARILY A PHYSICALLY STRONG MAN, PROBABLY A SHORT GUY AND THE EVIDENCE IS THAT HIS EYE WAS NOT THAT GOOD. BUT HE HAD STRENGTH. WHAT WAS THE STRENGTH? YOU AND I HAVE THE SAME STRENGTH TO GO THROUGH ANY SITUATION WE FACE IN LIFE. AND THAT IS THE STRENGTH OF ALMIGHTY GOD. MOST OF US KNOW THE VERSE WHEN PAUL SAID IN PHILIPPIANS: I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME. HEAR. HE WAS AWARE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND BEING AWARE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD HE WAS AWARE OF THE STRENGTH THAT GOD RELEASED IN HIM IN THAT AWARENESS OF HIS PRESENCE.

NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH, WHAT YOU ARE FACETING, YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH OF GOD WITHIN YOU. BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVING WITHIN YOU. AND THAT IS WHAT JESUS ​​PROMISED TO HIS DISCIPLES. HE KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO BE TEMPTED, HE KNEW THEY WOULD GO THROUGH TIMES THAT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE. HE SAID THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL BE IN YOU, WITH YOU, ABOVE YOU. AND HE WILL EMPOWER YOU, HE WILL STRENGTHEN YOU TO DO WHAT THE FATHER CALLED YOU TO DO. EACH OF US HAS THE ADEQUATE STRENGTH WITHIN US TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.

YOU CAN SAY, I DON'T FEEL SORRY. YOU MAY NOT LIKE IT. THE TRUTH IS, ARE YOU CLAIMING IT? YOU CAN HAVE SPIRITUAL GIFTS, SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS AND IF YOU DO NOT CLAIM THEM YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THEM AND IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THEM YOU CANNOT EXPERIENCE THEM. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KEPT THE APOSTLE PAUL FROM GIVING UP, FROM KEEPING GOING, WAS EXPERIENCED THE STRENGTH OF ALMIGHTY GOD IN HIS LIFE. WHEN HE APPEARED IN THE COUNCIL AND THEY CRITICIZED HIM AND WANTED TO CRUCIFIE HIM, IF POSSIBLE, EVERYTHING HE DID, HE NEVER GIVED UP. HE NEVER GIVEN UP.

Did that mean he was always like a man? I'M SURE THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I WAS SCARED BY THE MOMENT. THAT'S WHY THE LORD TOLD HIM HERE I AM BY YOUR SIDE. I'M GOING TO BE WITH YOU ON THIS NO MATTER WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. AND SO, WHEN I THINK ABOUT HIS PRAYER OF HIM, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE EPHESIANS, HE WAS ENCOURAGING THEM TO PRAY FOR THE STRENGTH THAT GOD, CHAPTER THREE, THE STRENGTH THAT GOD WOULD GIVE THEM FOR WHAT HE CALLED THEM TO DO. SO WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT PUTTING ON THE SPIRITUAL ARMOR, HOW DOES THAT BEGIN IN THE SIXTH CHAPTER OF EPHESIANS?

BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS POWER. THEN HE TELLS US EVEN BEFORE GETTING THE ARMOR, THAT HE TALKS ABOUT THE HELMET OF SALVATION TO PROTECT OUR MIND. CUT OF JUSTICE TO PROTECT OUR EMOTIONS AND BELT OF TRUTH TO ALWAYS STAY IN THE TRUTH. SPEAKS OF THE SANDALS OF SALVATION, ALWAYS READY TO GO. SPEAKS ABOUT THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, THE WORD OF GOD. ABOVE ALL, THE SHIELD OF FAITH. IT BEGINS BY SAYING, BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND THE POWER OF HIS STRENGTH. THAT'S WHAT YOU AND I MUST START WITH EVERY DAY.

THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF GOD IS WITH US TODAY AND WE HAVE THE STRENGTH OF GOD TO FACE ANY AND EVERYTHING AND ANY AND ALL NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION IS, BECAUSE LISTEN, IT IS NOT OUR STRENGTH. IT IS HIS STRENGTH. TO CONTINUE IN YOUR STRENGTH OR IN MY STRENGTH SOME DAYS WE DO NOT GET UP. BUT IT IS THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD. SEE THIS. IT IS THE DIVINE ENERGY OF GOD. IT IS THE POWER OF ALMIGHTY GOD WITHIN US. And that doesn't mean you won't have difficult situations and circumstances, but he will allow us to live through them no matter what.

AND THEN WHAT KEPT HIM FROM GIVING UP WHEN HE HAD SO MANY REASONS TO GIVE UP WAS HIS AWARENESS OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD. YOU AND I NEED THE SAME THING. WHEN THE SAME IS THE SAME WITH HIM, AND WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPERIENCE THE STRENGTH OF GOD. YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVING WITHIN YOU. IT IS THAT YOU HAVE GOD LIVING INSIDE. SEE THIS. HE'S NOT GOING TO CALL YOU, LOOK AT THIS CAREFULLY. HE IS NOT GOING TO CALL YOU TO DO ANYTHING, TO FACE ANYTHING, TO EXPERIENCE ANYTHING WITHOUT HE GIVING YOU THE STRENGTH TO DO IT.

HE SAYS, HE MAKES ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM, TO THOSE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. SOMETIMES IT ALLOWS US TO GET INTO SITUATIONS WE THINK, OH GOD, I DON'T KNOW I CAN HANDLE THIS. WHY DO YOU ALLOW SOME OF THOSE THINGS? IT GIVES HIM THE CHANCE TO SHOW US HOW REAL HE IS. HOW FAITHFUL HE IS. HOW POWERFUL IT IS. HOW SUITABLE YOU AND I ARE WHEN WE PUT OUR TRUST IN HIM. THAT'S WHAT PAUL SAYS HERE IN THESE PASSAGES. THEN, OF COURSE, SOMEONE SAYS, WELL NOW, HOW AM I GOING TO HAVE THAT VALUE?

WELL, TWO THINGS. I SAY IT EVERY SUNDAY ON PURPOSE. YEAHSo when people say, well, you know, if you understood what I was

going

through. MAYBE I WILL. MAYBE NOT. I KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES IT AND THAT'S GOD. GOD UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH BEFORE YOU STARTED GOING THROUGH IT. AND LISTEN, HE IS READY AND WILLING TO EQUIP YOU. SO THAT YOU DON'T GIVE UP RIGHT BEFORE THE BEST THING HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE. AND THE REASON WHY I REPEAT THAT IS BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN IT SO MANY TIMES AND SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS IN PEOPLE'S LIVES AND I HAVE SEEN IT IN MY OWN LIFE.

OH GOD. JUST BEFORE I THINK GOD I CAN'T STAND WITH THIS ANYMORE, THE LORD OPENS AN AWESOME DOOR AND I THANK HIM AND THANK HIM AND THANK HIM BECAUSE HE NEVER LET ME QUIT. I NEVER HAD TO DO THAT. I'M TELLING YOU, GOD IS TELLING YOU, WHAT YOU ARE FACETING IN LIFE RIGHT NOW, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT IS, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT IS, NO MATTER HOW DISCOURAGING IT IS, AND ALL THE REASONS AND EVIDENCE YOU HAVE TO WALK AWAY AND ALL THE PROOF YOU HAVE THAT THINGS ARE WRONG. REMEMBER THAT THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN.

AND IF YOU ARE SAVED HE LIVES WITHIN YOU. AND MAY GOD WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH ANYTHING YOU ARE FACING IN LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT. NO, LISTEN, LOOK AT THIS. YOU SAY I GIVE UP. I'm quitting my job. I GIVE UP ON THIS. NO. YOU ARE GIVING UP GOD. AS A FOLLOWER OF JESUS ​​WHEN YOU GIVE UP, YOU ARE GIVING UP WITH HIM. YOUR BOSS OR YOUR MARRIAGE, SOMEONE ELSE CAN'T DO FOR YOU. YOU ARE GIVING UP GOD. DON'T GIVE UP TO THE SUPREME, LISTEN, TO THE SUPREME POWER IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE, DON'T GIVE UP. HE WHO LOVED YOU ENOUGH TO GIVE HIS SON TO DIE ON THE CROSS, DON'T GIVE UP ON HIM.

REMEMBER WHO YOU SURRENDER TO. WHEN YOU DO IT, DON'T GIVE UP. WELL, I THINK ALSO, THE VISION OF THE CROSS ALWAYS BEFORE US. THAT'S WHAT PAUL SAID. THE VISION OF THE CROSS ALWAYS BEFORE HIM. HE MAKES AN AMAZING STATEMENT IN THIS SIXTH CHAPTER OF GALATIANS. WHEN YOU LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAYS HERE AND LOOK AT THE LIFE HE LIVED, AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAYS. HE SAYS IN VERSE 14, LET IT NEVER BE THAT I WANT TO BREAK EXCEPT ABOUT THAT THING. IT SAYS, EXCEPT ON THE CROSS OF THE LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST, BY WHICH THE WORLD HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED FOR ME AND I FOR THE WORLD.

HE SAID, THE CROSS HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO SURVIVE ANYTHING. BECAUSE IT IS ON THE CROSS, THE ATONING DEATH OF JESUS ​​CHRIST PURCHASED OUR SALVATION. ON THE CROSS THE ATONING DEATH OF JESUS ​​CHRIST PURCHASED EVERYTHING WE HAVE. IT IS THE ATONING DEATH OF JESUS ​​CHRIST THE SHEDDING OF HIS BLOOD THAT MAKES OUR FORGIVENESS A LIVING REALITY. JESUS ​​DID NOT GIVE UP. IT WAS NOT LEFT. ALTHOUGH HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCOURAGED IN THE FLESH SOMETIMES BUT NOT IN THE SPIRIT. YOU KNOW WHY? HE AND THE FATHER WERE ABSOLUTELY ONE AND HE KNEW THAT NOTHING COULD CONQUER HIM.

BECAUSE HE WAS GOD IN HUMAN FLESH. DO NOT GIVE UP. DO NOT GIVE UP. Around us today there are many people who want to give up. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LEAVE IT. THEY CAN GIVE YOU SOME, let's say, GOOD REASONS FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE WHY YOU SHOULD LEAVE A SITUATION OR WHY YOU SHOULD QUIT. NOT IN GOD'S POINT OF VIEW. HE HAS THE BEST FOR US. HE IS WILLING TO GIVE US THE BEST. BUT HE DOES NOT BLESS THOSE WHO QUIT, THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN. CHRIST SACRIFICED HIS LIFE FOR OUR SALVATION. AND WHEN I LOOK AT THE SCRIPTURES AND SEE WHAT JESUS ​​DID, HE DID NOT GIVE UP.

I CAN'T GIVE UP. THE APOSTLE PAUL DID NOT GIVE UP. WE CAN'T GIVE UP. AND HERE IS THE THING. HE WILL REWARD US FOR NOT GIVING UP. THE REWARD MAY NOT REACH TO GLORY OR YOU MAY BE REWARDED TODAY OR TOMORROW OR NEXT WEEK OR NEXT MONTH OR NEXT YEAR. HE DOES NOT OVERLOOK OUR OBEDIENCE, OUR FAITHFULNESS, OUR LOYALTY, OUR DEVOTION AND OUR MOVING FORWARD. THEN, OF COURSE, NATURALLY OUR LOVE AND DEVOTION TO JESUS ​​CHRIST. THAT SHOULD KEEP US GOING NO MATTER WHAT. AND PAUL SAID BEAUTIFULLY IN PHILIPPIANS, FOR ME TO LIVE IS THAT CHRIST LIVES, FOR ME TO DIE IS MY GAIN.

THINK ABOUT IT. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU AND I WANT FOR OUR LIFE? THAT WE WANT TO LIVE THE KIND OF LIFE THAT WHEN PEOPLE MEET US, IT WON'T TAKE THEM LONG TO HEAR JESUS ​​IN OUR VOICE. IT WON'T TAKE YOU LONG TO SEE CHRIST IN OUR ACTIONS. IT WON'T TAKE LONG TO FEEL THE LOVE THAT YOU AND I FEEL FOR THEM. HE SAID, FOR ME LIVING IS CHRIST. THAT WAS HIS ENTIRE PERCEPTION. FOR ME LIVING IS CHRIST. AND HE SAYS, NOW TO DIE, I WIN WITH THAT. BUT FOR ME TO LIVE IS THAT CHRIST LIVES. IF I ASK YOU DO YOU LOVE GOD?

NATURALLY YOU WILL SAY THAT YOU LOVE HIM. DO YOU LOVE HIM ENOUGH TO SERVE HIM? OH YEAH. DO YOU LOVE HIM ENOUGH TO SUFFER FOR HIM? WELL IT DEPENDS ON WHAT IT IS. NO. IF WE LOVE IT, WE WILL NOT GIVE UP. We won't give up when things get tough. WHEN THE SUFFERING BECOMES HARD AND THE PAIN BECOMES INTENSE, WE DON'T GIVE UP ON YOU. WE WILL NOT QUIT. WE CONTINUE BECAUSE JESUS ​​​​FOLLOWS, THE APOSTLE PAUL CONTINUES AND THE TEACHING OF THE SCRIPTURES IS THAT YOU AND I CONTINUE THE SAME. AND PAUL SPEAKS ABOUT GOD IS RICH IN MERCY AND GRACE AND LOVE TOWARDS US.

AND HE IS. AND MANY TIMES OF GOD'S PEOPLE WANT TO GIVE UP AND RESIGN. I TELL YOU, DON'T GIVE UP AND QUIT. ASK GOD TO GIVE YOU WISDOM AND STRENGTH TO MOVE FORWARD. And I can think of some people in my own mind and heart who have been through very, very difficult times and I wondered how they got through it. BECAUSE THEY TRUSTED IN GOD. BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THE THINGS WE TALK ABOUT HERE. MAYBE YOU DON'T THINK OF THEM THAT WAY. BUT IF YOU HAD ASKED THEM. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD IS WITH YOU? YEAH. DO YOU THINK HE IS HEARING YOUR PRAYERS?

YEAH. ARE YOU READING THE WORD OF GOD? YEAH. YOU COULD GO AHEAD. AND ALL THE THINGS WE HAVE SAID WE WOULD HAVE SAID YES AND YET NO ONE HAS EVER PRESENTED IT AS A PRINCIPLE. IT WAS PRESENTED IN A SCHEME FOR THEM. So let me ask you a question. TODAY, WHAT ARE YOU TEMPTED TO GIVE UP? WHAT ARE YOU TEMPTED TO AWAY FROM? ARE YOU WILLING TO TELL HIM: LORD, I AM WATERING HERE NO MATTER WHAT? I KNOW THAT IF I AM HERE, YOU ARE HERE WITH ME. BY MY SIDE. TO SEE ME THROUGH. FROM TIME TO TIME I PUT SOMETHING ON MEG'S SCREEN BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO SEE IT WITH YOUR EYES.

I COULD SAY THAT, BUT LOOK AT THIS FOR A MOMENT. HERE ARE REASONS WHY PEOPLE GIVE UP AND THE WAY THEY GIVE UP. HEAR. BECAUSE WHEN THEY FACE SITUATIONS, THEY FACE THEM WITH FEAR. SCARED. PERFECTLY, THEY DO NOT SEE THE PATH CLEARLY. BECAUSE HE LOOKS THROUGH THE EYES OF FEAR. REBELLY, THEY DON'T LIKE IT. THEY DON'T WANT IT LIKE THIS. AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS? WITH FEAR, WITHOUT HOPE, WITH REBELLION, OR YOU CAN LOOK AT SITUATIONS WITH COURAGE. AND THE NEXT SIMPLE PHRASE THAT I HAVE ABOVE IS THIS. WE MAKE THE CHOICE. WE MAKE THE CHOICE HOW WE LIVE THE DIFFICULT MOMENTS OF LIFE.

AND IT IS MY PRAYER, WHOEVER YOU ARE, IF YOU HAVE NEVER TRUSTED JESUS ​​CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR, I CAN TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. YOU CAN SAY, I HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. YOU CAN LOSE IT. I HAVE A LOT OF HEALTH. YOU CAN LOSE THAT. I HAVE A BIG FAMILY. YOU CAN LOSE THAT. YOU CAN LOSE ANYTHING. HEAR. BUT IF YOU ARE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, YOU CAN'T LOSE THAT. YOU CAN'T LOSE YOUR SALVATION. YOU CAN'T LOSE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ALMIGHTY GOD. AND GOD CALLED US TO TRUST HIM AS OUR SAVIOR IN JESUS ​​CHRIST.

PUT OUR LIVES IN FRONT OF HIM AND ALLOW HIM TO LIVE HIS LIFE THROUGH US AND SHOW THE WORLD THAT JESUS ​​CHRIST IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS. HE WILL DO WHAT HE SAYS HE WILL DO. AND HE IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF KEEPING THAT PROMISE. I PLEASE DO NOT GO AWAY. DO NOT GIVE UP. DO NOT GIVE UP. DON'T THROW IN THE TOWEL LIKE PEOPLE SAY. BUT JUST TELL THE LORD, LORD, I'M GOING TO TRUST YOU TO HELP ME THROUGH THIS. I DO NOT KNOW HOW. BUT I'M GOING TO TRUST YOU, BECAUSE YOU SAID, YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE ME OR ABANDONE ME.

AND GOD, I THINK YOU ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH. FATHER, HOW GRATEFUL WE ARE THAT YOU HAVE PLACED YOURSELF WITHIN US IN THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. TO EQUIP US. TO DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU WANT US TO DO THAT WAY. WE DON'T HAVE TO GIVE UP AND GIVE UP. WE WANT TO CONTINUE BECAUSE THAT IS THE IMAGE THAT JESUS ​​LEAVES US. AND THE IMAGE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL. AND CROWDS OF SAINTS WHO HAVE PASSED BEFORE US. SO PRAY FOR EVERY ONE OF THE PEOPLE HERE THIS MORNING WHO FEEL TEMPTED TO GIVE UP. WHO FEELS TEMPTED TO LEAVE IT.

WHO FEELS TEMPTED TO GO OUT? TO GET AWAY. TO LEAVE IT. TO LEAVE IT TO THE SIDE. SPIN. THAT YOU WOULD REMIND THEM THAT THERE ARE MANY REASONS NOT TO DO IT. THERE ARE MANY REASONS TO STAY CONQUERED AND CALM AS PAUL WOULD TELL TIMOTHY. AND KEEP GOING FORWARD AND TRUSTING IN YOU MOMENT BY MOMENT. AND YOU SAID, YOU WILL CAUSE ALL THE THINGS THAT MAY TEMPT AND TRY TO MAKE US LEAVE WILL BE FOR OUR GOOD IF WE TRUST IN YOU. WE JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT IN THE NAME OF JESUS, AMEN.