Set My Resolve Series

Introduction

The past several sermons that I have preached I have been talking about do-overs. I showed you from daily life, there are do-overs and I gave you several examples. And I used those examples to introduce you to the fact that in our Christian life, there are do overs. I pointed to a Scripture in HOSEA 14 in which God calls us to return or do over. Let me quote you that Scripture: Hosea 14:1 (NIV)

1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!

Now because I am a Christian and I love God, I do not want to take advantage of do-overs. I want as few do-overs as possible in my Christian life. I want to stay the course. I want to be able to say what the Apostle Paul said: “I finished the course; I kept the faith.” Do you know how I read that? Paul is saying that I uses as few do-overs as possible.

I want to be like that. And so, I ask God to show me how Paul did that. And I believe that I heard in the quietness of my heart- set your resolve. Just to make sure I knew what that meant I looked that word up in the dictionary. And resolve means to decide firmly on a course of action. So, I must set my mind to stay the course. I must set my mind to keep the faith. So, my next question to God had to be and how do I do that, and He pointed me to today’s Scripture which addresses the how to stay resolved. Turn with me in your Bible to Galatians 6:9-10. Please stand for the reading of God’s Word.

Scripture

Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

POINT #1

DON’T LET THE VISUAL OUTCOME DETERMINE YOUR LEVEL OF RESOLVE.

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This Galatian church started off doing all the right things. But over time they began to struggle, and they were not seeing the results that they were previously seeing. Some false doctrine had creeped in the church and Judaizers arrived on the scene making it harder to bring in the harvest. And what happens when things get harder and you are not seeing the results? You grow weary and want to give up.

Paul did not tell them to start doing good- what he told them is despite what comes against you and discourages you- do not grow weary.

Let us be honest, I learned this lesson in life, more often than not when you start something and before you get to the end of it you are going to be meet with resistance. Nothing is clearing sailing.

Walking with Christ is not an easy walk, it requires resolve. I have yet to find it clear sailing.

Point #2

DON’T LET THE “WHEN” DETERMINE YOUR LEVEL OF RESOLVE.

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I want to call your attention to the phrase “proper time”. That phrase appears 22 times in the Bible. And that term “proper time” refers to God’s timing. Let me give you a couple of examples to show that.

Zechariah was silenced by God for his unbelieve and God tells him that he will speak again at the “proper time.” Luke 1:20 (NIV)

20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time." The proper time there was God’s time!

And then in 1 Thessalonians we are told that the man of lawlessness is being restrained upon the proper time. God is holding back the Antichrist until the “proper time”. The proper time is God’s time!

So, this Scripture up to this point has told me to keep doing good even if I had not seen the result is my timing because it is not about my timing but God’s timing.

So that begs me to ask to ask the question?

Have you given up praying for someone’s salvation or some prayer need because you did not see the results in your timing?

I wonder how many pastors have given up the pastorate and went to another occupation because they did not see the results in their timing?