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"
Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
Scripture Reference: John 6:15-21
Preached at Mount Zion Baptist Church on April 28, 2019
Delivered by Rev. John Daniel Johnson
Opening Prayer
“Open our eyes so we can see Your truth.
Open our ears so we can hear Your voice.
Open our mind so we can understand Your Word.
And open our heart so we may receive all that You want us to receive.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Read Text and Explain:
Illustration—
I heard the story of a boy trying to learn how to ice-skate. He had fallen so many times that his face was cut, and the blood and tears ran together. Out of sympathy, a man skated over to the boy, picked him up and said, "Son, why don't you quit before you kill yourself?"
He wiped the tears from his face and told the man, "I didn't buy these skates to learn how to quit; I bought them to learn how to skate."
Illustration—
I remember when I tried out for my high school baseball team. I really didn’t think I was that good, but I made the team. A lot of boys didn’t make it, but I did. I thought I had really accomplished something, but I was wrong. I wanted to play, but I didn’t fully understand all the hard work and exercise that was required of me. I remember after a couple weeks of practice, I told my dad that I was thinking of quitting the baseball team. I told him that the all the running, and practicing, and the time was getting to me. His advice was to stay at least until the first game. The first game came and we lost. I struck out twice, and didn’t even get a hit. I came home that afternoon and told my dad how bad I did during the game and that I wanted to quit. His response was quite simple. You can quit if you want, but at least hit at least one homerun before you do. I decided to stick it out till the next game. By a stroke of luck, I did hit my very first homerun. I came home and was so excited to tell my parents about my very first homerun. When I told them the news, my dad asked, “Are you going to quit now.” I didn’t even have to answer, because he already knew it. I hit a homerun. The practice and hard work had paid off. There was no way I was going to quit.
Opening—
Every day people go through the toughest of situations and every day people have to decide if they are going to throw in the towel and give up or if they are going to stand up and take the victory. Married couples giving up on their spouse. Parents giving up on their children. Employees giving up on the job.
The common denominator in any situation when a person is ready to completely throw in the towel is that they have lost hope. They feel as if the situation is never going to get any better. Hopelessness always breeds the temptation to give up and quit. In the most extreme cases of hopelessness people succumb to suicide, hurting others, murder, divorce, or running away.
For those of you who feel like that, you need to know that God has a Word you for today… It may not make you feel good, but it’s the Word that’s for you… It may not feel good to you, but it’s good for you… For those of you ready to throw in the towel and give up, the Lord would have me to tell you today simply this:
QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION…!
I know you’re tired…
You’re ready to give up…
You’re discouraged…
It doesn’t seem like God hears you…
You can’t get a prayer through…
You can’t get a breakthrough…
But Holy Spirit says: QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION…!
Transitional Sentence—
This morning I want to grow in our hope. I want us to be assured that God still cares and is concerned about. He’s not give up on us and He doesn’t want us to give up on ourselves either.
I was hearing an older sermon by John MacArthur a few days ago on the Book of First Peter. He stated that the theme of the entire book is “You Are What You Think.” He states, “…thinking appropriately about yourself as a Christian is essential if you’re going to be what God wants you to be.”
Throughout First Peter we see how we are to think of ourselves…
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, His own special people, that you may
proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but
are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy
but now have obtained mercy.”
(First Peter 2:9-10)
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon
Him, for He cares for you.”
First Peter 5:6-7)
Talk about never giving up and never going to quit, look at Paul. The Roman and Jewish leaders said, “Paul, if you don’t quit preaching, we are gonna stone you!” “Well, that’s been done before!” They said, “Look, Paul, if you don’t quit preaching we are gonna throw you in jail!” “Hey, guys, could you send me back to Rome. They let me out of jail last time right before I could get the jailer saved! If you could just send me back there…” “Paul if you don’t quit preaching, we’re gonna kill you.!” “Could you please? I’ve been in this dilemma for a long time: To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord!
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will
reap if we do not grow weary.” (NASB)
Galatians 6:9
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a
man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his
flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to
the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us
not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall
reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the
household of faith.” (NKJV)
Galatians 6:7-10
Army of Gideon - Easy to Give up when your outnumber 100,000 to 300.
In 2 Kings 6, we learn that Israel was at war with Syria. The prophet, Elisha, continually told Israel when and where the people of Aram would attach, which infurated the king of Syria. The king sent his armies to find Elisha and kill him. They found him in the city of Dothan. Scripture tells us that early in the morning the armies surrounded the town of Dothan. Horses and chariots, men of war ready to capture and kill this prophet of God. Elisha's servant awoke and saw the huge army that was seeking their blood and cried out of fear. Elisha however didn't worry; he only prayed. He prayed, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Scripture states
“Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.
And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots
of fire all around Elisha.”
(2 Kings 6:17)
There is also a little known story found in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 11 that deal with Abraham’s father.
This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor,
and Haran. Haran begot Lot. 28 And Haran died before his
father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans…
31And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot,
the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai,
his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from
Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they
came to Haran and dwelt there. 32 So the days of Terah
were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
(Genesis 11:27-32)
If you remember, God called Abraham in Genesis 12, out of the land of his father and was told to go to Canaan. There God would bless him, make him a great name and a father of many nations. I’ve always wondered if God first gave this instruction to Abraham’s father. Terah left home and set out for Canaan, the land of milk and honey…the Promised Land. However, along the way he came to the city of Haran and stopped. Maybe the name of the city reminded him of his son that had died. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he couldn’t go on any longer. Maybe he was depressed. We don’t know, but we know that he did not make it to Canaan and missed out on the Promised Land because he quit before he got there.
Lessons to Remember Before Giving Up
1. No Effort Will Result in No Return
(You reap what you sow)
2. Start Keeping Hope Alive
(Remember all the miracles of Jesus. This was not the first time the disciples had been in a storm at sea. The other time, Jesus was fast asleep in the boat. Also, the disciples still had the bread in the boat with them from the feeding of the 5000)
3. Stop Keeping Track of Time
(They had rowed 3 or 4 miles // in due season God will bring the harvest)
4. Quitting Contaminates Your Character
Closing:
When these things happen, Jesus will show up and get you through.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.”
(2 Timothy 4:7)
