Jesus Never Quit

“Jesus Never Quit”

Vince Lombardi was possibly the best professional football coach in all of football. He coached the Green Bay Packers in the 1960’s leading his packers to three straight league championships and five in seven years. He led his team to win the first two super bowls in 1966-67. He won 75% of all regular season games and 90% of post season games as the head coach for Green Bay. The NFL’s Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor and one year after his death {1970} he was inducted into the NFL’s hall of fame.

Vince Lombardi would not give up, quitting was not an option and his winning spirit and attitude on the football field was just a reflection of his entire life. Have you ever heard the saying, “winners never quit and quitters never win”, Vince Lombardi never quit, he never gave up or gave in or gave out. He left everything on the field and demanded no less of those who played the game for him. Because of his never quit attitude he is remembered as the greatest football coach in professional football and his teams will be remembered as the greatest teams to ever play the game.

There’s another man I want to talk about this morning who never quit, never gave up, and never gave in and because of it you and I sit here today. He’s name is Jesus.

2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.

In our last message we took a look at the man Theophilus and some thoughts concerning him. He may have been a man of great love, humility, and wisdom; three attributes that should exemplify all believers in our daily walk. His name meant “beloved of God or friend of God.” If we are going to ever see Jesus do everything he ever began to do and teach in and through our lives then we must believe that we are God’s beloved.

Today, I want to look at vs.2 and take some thoughts concerning our Lord Jesus {God is Salvaiton}. “She shall give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sin {Matt. 1:21}. As He lived out His life on earth so should we try to live out our lives or better yet, let Him continue to live His life in and through us. Today, I want to look at vs.2 and take some thoughts concerning our Lord Jesus.

a. Jesus never quit.

“until the day when He was taken up to heaven…”

Luke says he is writing of all that Jesus began to do and teach until he ascended up into heaven. Our Lord brought life to a dying world, peace to a perishing world, hope to hopeless world. He was faithful to the end using all He had until He had accomplished or completed all that God had for Him to do. In other words, Jesus never quit.

If our Lord never quit then neither should we. Until that day when our Lord comes and takes us up to heaven, by rapture or resurrection, we should use our gifts and talents to serve Him and to see that the His gospel goes to the ends of the earth. There is no retirement plan for the Christian. There is no retiring from service to our Lord. There is no retiring from seeking to reach a world sinking hopelessly in sin and shame.

As we study the life of Jesus on earth we read of all His miracles and all the great and wonderful things He began to do and teach. But, we also see all the persecutions He went through. The Pharisees hated him, the Romans wanted to kill Him, and His disciples, in the end, deserted Him.

No doubt, Jesus was the Son of God but He was also the Son of Man. There had to be those times when our Lord became tired and frustrated spiritually, physically, and emotionally. There had to be those times when our Lord thought “what’s the use.” There had to be those times when our Lord just wanted to quit and go home. But He could not and He would not because He knew the very souls of men, your soul and my soul, were at stake.

I don’t know about you but there are times when I want to quit and go home. There are times when I want to just throw in the towel. There are those times when I feel persecuted but I can’t quit, times when I feel nobody notices but I can’t quit, times when I feel no one cares but I can’t quit, times when I think “what’s the use” but I can’t quit. There are times when I grow tired and weary but I can’t quit, times when I become frustrated and I want to just quit, but I cannot and will not for I know there is a work to not only be done but to finish. We, the church, are the “called out of God”.