“DON’T GIVE UP!”
Psalm 27:1-6
David P. Nolte
There are some things in life that attack us: wasps (ask Lonnie or me about that); injuries and illnesses; false accusations; enemies of the church, the Bible and God; an unresolved guilty conscience, temptations fitted to our own desires, to name a few. Never give up to those antagonists!
There is nothing, or no one, against you that is as great as the Lord who is for you! Never Give up!
We sometimes find ourselves in a predicament from which it is difficult to extricate ourselves. We tell a lie and are caught in it; we make a bad decision and have experienced negative consequences; we enter into an unwholesome relationship and don’t know how to rid ourselves of it. Hang in there doing the thing you know to be right and call our to the Lord for deliverance. Never Give Up!
We have lost some of our energy, zeal and enthusiasm for serving Jesus. Oh, come on – we have all been so tired we are tempted to let someone else do it while we sit on the sidelines. But press on and go for the gold for God. Never Give Up!
David faced many things that distressed him body, mind and soul. But to the end, David never gave up! Listen to him, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.” Psalm 27:1-6 (NASB).
In, and in spite of, what should we persevere? NEVER GIVE UP
I. DESPITE THE OPPOSITION OF THE DEVIL:
A. “Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.”
1. Your host of opponents – people or things that keep after you relentlessly – may be vastly different than mine. But we all face daily opposition and attacks from Satan.
a. He tempts us with some lust or attraction to what would be sin for us.
b. He discourages us in our Christian walk: “You are such a loser!” “You won’t be forgiven for that!” There is no hope for you to improve.”
c. He lies to us about God: “He isn’t real!” “He doesn’t love you.” “He isn’t going to hear or help you!”
2. Every one of us experiences personal, spiritual opposition. We may be conflicted by::
a. Doubt opposed to faith.
b. Self-control opposed to self-indulgence.
c. The desire of the fleshly appetites opposed to the desires of the spirit.
d. Fear opposed go courage.
B. We may fear opposition but that kind of fear is not part of God’s agenda.
1. Someone said that there are 365 “fear not” passages in the New Testament. If you want to count them, go ahead. One statement by Jesus should suffice.
2. If we properly fear God we will not fear opposition.You may remember the Winston Churchill quote from last week. Britain was being savagely attacked by German bombers. In a commencement speech he said, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
C. When we go forward in faith, the opposition falls away and in Jesus’ Name we are more than conquerors.
D. Perhaps you have heard one or another of the legends about John Henry. It illustrates never giving up to any opposition.
John Henry went to work rebuilding the Southern states whose territory had been ravaged by the Civil War.
One story says that he was a steel-driver for the C&O Railroad which was extending its line. Steel drivers spent their workdays driving holes into rock by hitting thick steel drills or spikes.
The C&O's new line was moving along quickly, until Big Bend Mountain stubbornly blocked its path. The mountain was too vast to build around. So the men were told they had to tunnel through it.
It took 1,000 men three years to finish. The work was treacherous. The air inside the developing tunnel was thick and noxious with black smoke and dust. Hundreds of men would lose their lives to Big Bend before it was over.
As the story goes, John Henry was the strongest, fastest, most powerful man working on the rails. He used a 14-pound hammer to drill, some historians believe, 10 to 20 feet in a 12-hour day - the best of any man on the rails.
One day, a salesman came to camp, boasting that his steam-powered machine could out-drill any man. A race was set: man against machine. John Henry won, the legend says, driving 14 feet to the drill's nine. He died shortly after, some say from exhaustion, some say from a stroke. But he didn’t give up!
Don’t Give Up Despite The Opposition and NEVER GIVE UP
II. DESPITE THE TROUBLES OF THE WORLD:
A. “For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”
1. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NASB).
2. Make no mistake about this: though God does limit the test or trial or temptation to our ability, He does not put an invisible force field around us to ward off troubles; He does not enclose us in a big plastic ball to keep us trouble free.
3. In the worst of troubles the Spirit of God enables us to carry on with boldness, courage and hope. ‘
4. Don’t give up!
B. Troubles are sometimes caused by
1. Other people’s hostility or carelessness or ignorance.
2. The accidents of life where we are in the wrong place at the wrong time and a tree falls on our car.
3. Us! More often than not, we cause our own troubles. Someone said, “If you could kick the person responsible for most of your troubles in the backside, you wouldn't be able to sit down for two weeks.
a. We over extend our time and energies by too many involvements and find we have neglected family, friends and time with Jesus.
b. We make bad decisions and get bad results.
c. We get ourselves into a financial hole.
d. We overeat, over do, and oversleep.
C. Trouble is sure to come!
1. Some will face it with pessimism and defeat.
2. Some will try to escape through drugs or alcohol.
3. Some will face them with courage and will grow through them.
D. James wrote,
1. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:2-3 (NASB).
2. “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 (NASB).
3. “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” James 5:11 (NASB).
E. I found this humorous but instructive story: “The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. He asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, ‘Let's go! Let's go!’ The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air.
‘Fly over the north side of the fire,’ yelled the photographer, ‘and make three or four low level passes.’
‘Why?’ asked the pilot.
‘Because I'm going to take pictures,’ cried the photographer. ‘I'm a photographer and photographers take pictures!’
After a pause the pilot said, ‘You mean you're not the instructor?’” Trouble!
The point is; You will never fly your plane without your instructor; in other words, you won’t ever face trouble without God. NEVER GIVE UP:
III. DESPITE THE DARKNESS OF THE WAY:
A. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?”
1. When we are far from God we are far from light.
2. The Bible says:
a. “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:4-5 (NASB).
b. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:19-21 (NASB).
B. What constitutes darkness?
1. A feeling of despair and hopelessness: “For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart is appalled within me.” Psalm 143:3-4 (NASB).
2. The preference for evil. John wrote, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” John 3:19 (NASB).
3. Claiming a relationship to God that we don’t really have: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;” 1 John 1:6 (NASB).
4. Hating one another. John wrote, “The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.” 1 John 2:9 (NASB).
5. Sorrow and grief. The Israelites were in captivity and “they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Psalm 107:13-14 (NIV).
C. Regardless of how dark your life or situation seems to be, light always, 100% of the time, without single exception dispels darkness.
1. The smallest light can be seen for miles if it is not occluded by some obstacle.
2. I recall when I was a boy in Colorado we had frequent blackouts – times when we were not permitted to have any lights on lest the German bombers would see the light and bomb us. Heavy curtains were pulled across the windows, and it was even forbidden for smokers to light up outdoors, as the light of their match or the glow of the cigarette might alert the enemy.
D. In this context, however, light is not visible radiance, and darkness is not absence of visible radiance.
1. Light refers to truth, wisdom, morality, genuineness, goodness, and the embodiment of light, Jesus.
2. Darkness refers to ignorance, evil, superstition, selfishness, Godlessness and the personification of darkness, Satan.
E. Sometimes when it is dark we feel cut off from God and His love. It reminds me of Amy, a little girl. Who was at home alone with her dad while her mother recuperated at the local hospital. At bedtime, she seemed overly quiet and sad. Her dad asked her if she didn’t feel good. She said, “I feel good, Daddy, but I miss mommy.” Daddy said, “She will be home in a few days, but it’s time for bed now.” Tucking her in and prayer accomplished, Daddy turned off the light and started out the door.
She called out, “Daddy, will your love reach me, even in the dark?” He assured her that his love would reach her all the time – any time – day or night. Assured and confident Amy dropped off to sleep.
In your darkness, know this – God’s love reaches you through the dark - and in His time His light will dispel the darkness.
God has promised everlasting love, tender mercies, gentle kindness, unfailing grace, power to perform, and ultimate victory for those who follow, trust and obey Jesus Christ.
God promises, Satan protests. From the Every Day with Jesus Daily Bible, I read, “He says to us: ‘Just look around you at the state of the world. God seems powerless to put things right. He has given lots of promises that things will one day get better, but none has come to pass. Hadn't you better give up this foolish idea that it's all going to work out right?’”
NEVER! “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” Romans 8:31 (NASB).
If you believe, you can claim, these promises and then you won’t give up.
Trust and obey.
