TOPIC: NO REASON TO QUIT
Text: Galatians 6:9-10, “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.”
Introduction:
(ILL. When we ask God...) (Show pictures of family and church.) (ILL. Last Friday when coming here, we are all excited because it was our first time to come although I’ve been five years ago in Banaue. When we started to climbed up its okay enjoying the view but when the climbing seems never end and the road became more stiffer and the fog started to set in having a hard time to see the road I started to think, “Balik na lang kaya muna at bukas na lang.”) What happen to me is I am on the point actually of quitting our journey that day. This is true with our Christian life, sometimes if not many times we are at the point of quitting the journey that our God set before us. Today as you celebrate the 24th year of God’s faithfulness and goodness I would like to bring you to what Paul said in his writings in relation to your theme: No Reason to Quit. Let’s open our Bible in Galatians 6:9-10 (read). I would like to propose that We can avoid quitting by intentionally growing in the Lord.
A. The REASON of Quitting
Galatians 6:9, “9 Let us not become weary in doing good…” Here we can see the clear reason why people quit of doing good: WEARINESS!!! We become weary doing good. What sometimes are the areas of our weariness? We become weary of our…
1. WORSHIP to the Lord
Every good thing we do is our worship to the Lord. That should be our mindset. When we use what we have (time, treasure, talent, etc.) to do good then we honor and worship the Lord. But many times come to a point that we don’t want to do good anymore because of the response of people as do them good. People we help seems do not care. We think that what we do is not helping, useless, unproductive. We feel that people don’t appreciate what we do, etc. Romans 12:1-2, “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
2. WALK with the Lord
How we live is also a way of doing good. How we live our life differently from this different world sometimes weary us because we thought that we are not really making difference after all. Or we see that those who live in sins prospers than us who live right before God. So instead of walking with God we become weary and start to walk as the world does. (ILL. A Christian confronted by his Pastor for having an affair.) (ILL. Enoch & Noah – “He walked with the Lord.”)
3. WORK for the Lord
(ILL. Missionary in Cambodia teaching English as strategy to win the Cambodians but later on leave her post and put an English School to earn.) That missionary become weary to the work of the Lord entrusted to her, because of pressures and temptations this world are offering. 2 Timothy 4:9-10, “9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me…” One day it is good to hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
B. The RESULTS of Quitting
What is the results when we quit according to Paul. We will miss...
1. God’s PERFECT Timing
The phrase Paul used here is, “...proper time...” What does that mean? God has a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 “1 There is a time for everything… 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.”) When we quit or give up we miss God’s timing. God’s time is different from us, 1000 years is just 1 day for Him. (ILL. Age 16-24 “God’s divine perfect will”, age 25-30 “God’s perfect will”, age 31-40 “God’s will”, age 41-onwards “My will”.) That is the problem with the new generation now we are in the time now of “instant” “quick fix” “fastfood” “fastbanking” “e-mail”, etc. (ILL. Marriage naghiwalay din a nakapaghintay.) Remember the wedding in Cana (John 2:10) where Jesus turned the water into wine where the person responsible for the fest taste it and said, “"Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." Jesus always reserved the best in the last. God’s timing is always the best.
2. God’s PRODUCTIVE (fruitful) Harvest
Paul used the picture here of a farmer who faithfully waiting for the harvest, “...we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” There is a different between a proper time harvest and not proper time. If we pick a mango not on the proper time because we do not know if it is already ripe then you will end up a sour mango but if it is ripe one then you will get a sweet one. This is true to everything not only that when you cannot proper time harvest then you will sell not a productive harvest because some of it are not yet ripe or others are still coming. (ILL. Livingston experience in India – for many years he work at the people there until he gave up because of no fruit, he couldn’t wait so he leaved India with a heavy heart but after that his only converts a young boy started to share to others what Livingston shared to him and many souls are being harvested.)
3. God’s PROVIDED Opportunity
God is the one who always gives us a door of opportunity and many times we miss that simply because we already quit. When the Lord shut one door, He at the same time open one. (ILL. Mr. Opportunity have hair on the front but no hair at the back so when you miss grabbing him when he pass then you do not have anymore the opportunity to grab him at the back.) (ILL. My wife’s cousin husband dying.)
C. The REMEDY for not Quitting
What should we do so that we will avoid quitting and missing what the Lord stored for us? I would like to connect our text to another’s Paul letter in Philippians 3:12-14, “12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” The book of Philippians is one of Paul’s letter written inside the prison, where he is experiencing hardships, difficulties, & trouble in life and yet the main theme of this book is JOY. Paul has all the reasons to quit, to give up and yet he is not. What is Paul’s secret to keep on going and not quitting, to keep on moving forward and not backing up? I would like to give you at least three principles here. Paul was able to continue because of his...
1. DESIRE – Philippians 3:12a, 13a, “12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect…13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” Paul is general in his faith to God and yet we can see his desires to keep on knowing God, he never stops.
2. DETERMINATION – Philippians 3:12b, 13b, ““12 …but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” Paul always pictures Christian life in the Bible as farmer, soldier and an athlete all have one thing in common, DETERMINATION (ILL. John Akwari’s Determination)
3. DEVOTION – Philippians 3:14, “14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s devotion, his loyalty is God. Let’s “Set our mind above.”” Let’s focus on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.” What do we need to do? Revelation 2:4-5a, “4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (ILL. Martha & Mary the issue is not work the issue is the heart, attitude.) Our devotion to the Lord will determine our dedication for the Lord.
Conclusion:
You Have To Keep On Going: One step won't take you very far. You've got to keep on walking. One word won't tell folks who you are, You have to keep on talking. One foot won't make you very tall, You have to keep on growing One trip to church won't tell you all, You Have To Keep On Going.
We can avoid quitting by intentionally growing in the Lord. Let’s continue to have the DESIRE to Know Christ more in our life a desire to grow, and let’s have the DETERMINATION even in the midst of trying times and let’s continue and nurture our DEVOTION to the Lord & it’s a DECISION you need to make. (ILL. Airplane vs. Other means of transport)
