He’s Not Given Up On Us Yet
Philippians 1:1-6
There are times that Christians may become discouraged and feel like giving up because things aren’t going well. Some may feel that either they have messed up in life and cannot be used by God or that God for whatever reason has just given up on them.
The loving patience of God is so amazing. The Bible tells us that when we come to Jesus Christ we are a new creation of God who begins to work in our lives to bring us into perfect conformity with Christ and that He doesn’t give up on us even when we give up on ourselves. As someone has said, “It ain’t over until God says it’s over.”
I. God doesn’t give up on us when we fall into sin
A. 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
B. Christ told the story of a shepherd who had 100 sheep. Ninety-nine of those sheep stayed with the shepherd and never wandered away from the safety of the fold. But one sheep wandered off on its own away from the shepherd and away from the fold. The shepherd left the 99 and sought out the one wandering errant sheep. He never gave up on the sheep.
C. Romans 5:8 “But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
D. God loves even the vilest sinner. But we need to understand that God absolutely does not approve of anyone's sins nor a wicked lifestyle. In the Bible there are more than one hundred references to God's love; however, there are a staggering seven hundred references in the Word of God to God's holiness. God's holiness demands that sin be dealt with and put away. – copied He therefore in His patient mercy calls for us to confess and to repent of our sins.
E. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
F. Confess = In secular documents from New Testament times the verb “homologeo” translated in 1 john 1:9 as “confess” was commonly used to denote agreements between two parties and thus is very common in our sources in the sense “contract,” “agreement.” Literally it means to say the same thing”
G. Confessing our sin is more than just simply saying “Okay God I agree. I have sinned.” It is having the same estimate towards that sin that God has of it. - copied
H. God hates our sin but even as we are sinning He still loves us with that perfect unconditional, unending, unfathomable love.
II. God doesn’t give up on us when we falter in our faith
A. To falter is to be unsteady in purpose or action, as from loss of courage or confidence; to waver, to act hesitantly.
B. The trials and testing that we go through as we journey through our Christian lives are meant to strengthen our faith and build us up as we follow our Savior. But often we are like the children of Israel, who had become discouraged because the path of the Exodus was not a primrose path but difficult and arduous. Instead of placing their faith in the One who had delivered them from bondage in Egypt they faltered and began to murmur and complain.
C. Numbers 21:4 “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.”
D. God’s anger was kindled by their lack of faith and failure to keep their eyes fixed on Him. In His judgment He sent a plague of fiery venomous serpents. But demonstrating His patient unending love and mercy we find God having Moses lift up a brazen serpent that whoever by faith look at it lived. (Numbers 21:8)
E. Isaiah 40:30-31 “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
F. 2 Timothy 2:13 “If we believe not, [yet] he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
G. Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
III. God doesn’t give up on us when we fight against and flee from His will
A. Isaiah 65:2 “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walk in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts”
B. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah, who was called by God to go to Nineveh but sought to run from God’s will.
C. Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”
D. When Jonah went to Tarshish instead of going to Nineveh and disobeyed God outright, God sent the large fish after him. The fish was not to make Jonah suffer, but to keep him from going too far from His will, to save him from drowning, to bring him safely to Nineveh, and to soften his rebellious heart. God loves us so much that He uses discipline to save us from ourselves... God doesn’t easily give up on us when we fail Him; instead, He restores us. – Martin Sanders, God’s Pursuing Love
E. Psalm 139:7-12 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hides not from thee; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”
F. At a meeting in Massachusetts, a speaker, who had just delivered an urgent appeal to a group of young people to accept Christ, was asked this startling question by a young girl, "Sir, I should like to know how we can be Christians, and have our own way." Perhaps many of us have either consciously or unconsciously asked this same question. We have sought, in a measure at least, to do God's will, but we have reserved the right to have our own way whenever it pleases us. This is not God's plan for Christian living and service, however, and it always brings conflict, and unrest, and lack of joy and power.—John W. Lane, Jr., in the Sunday School Times and Christian Youth.
IV. God doesn’t give up on us when we forget His blessings
A. Psalm 103:1-5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
B. Psalm 106:7-8a “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea -- the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them”
C. Someone has said that when we forget His blessings, His power, His grace and His goodness, we are in terrible shape spiritually.
D. Lamentations 3:22-26 “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
E. God loves us even when we forget all that God has done for us.
F. Isaiah 49:16 “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...”
G. 1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Conclusion: George Foster wrote these encouraging words:
“God has never given up on His plan for my life and I know He never will.
Because God is good, He wants what is best for me.
Because God has infinite wisdom and knowledge, He knows what is best for me.
Because God is all powerful, He can do what is best for me.
Because God is purposeful, He works in me even when I don’t understand.
Because God is faithful He keeps the promises He makes concerning His best for me.
Because God is merciful, He forgives me and directs me to what is best for me.
Because God is patient, He prepares me to embrace what is best for me.” -www.bethanyinternational.org
