"Not to Faint"
Text: Luke 18:1-8
Introduction:
-The title of our study comes from verse 1 of our passage, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;"
-We want in our study to look at some things that the Christian is "not to faint", give up or quit doing.
I. PRAYER
-Luke 18:1 - Tells us that men ought always to "pray", and not to faint.
-The Christian is to never quit praying.
-Real prayer takes effort.
-Did you ever notice when you get on your knees and begin to prayer that your minds starts wandering, or the phone rings, the baby starts crying, kids start fighting, or someone comes to the door.
-The reason for this is that the flesh and devil hates it when the Christian gets down on his knees and means business with God.
-We know that the devil trembles when he sees the child of God on his knees.
-Man’s army travels on its stomach but God’s army is to travel on its knees.
-Over in Ephesians 6, where the Apostle Paul lists the armor of God that the Christian is to put on to stand against the wiles of the devil.
-At the very end of the list, Paul instructs us in verse 18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,...".
-Prayer is along with the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit are our weapons to use in the spiritual battle.
-My dear friend if we are going to accomplish anything for God.
-If we are going to fight the spiritual battle and be victorious then everything we do must be bathed in prayer.
-Whether it be witnessing, teaching, preaching, singing, studying the Bible, bathe it in prayer. Amen!!!
-Paul tells us to pray about "everything".
-That is why so many Christians are full of worry because they have not taken the problem to the Lord.
-Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
-Notice the results if we prayer about "every thing".
- "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7).
-My dear friend if you are feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and fear, don’t pop a pill, get down on your knees and turn whatever is troubling you over to the Lord and He promises to give you the "peace that passeth all understanding."
-Paul tells us the Christian’s attitude should be one of constant prayer.
-1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."
-Much can be accomplished by prayer.
-In James 5:16-18, we are told the results of Elijah’s prayer life.
-"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
-We are told in James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
-In other words, the child of God that means business with God in prayer gets results.
-Then in James 5:17, Elijah is given as an example of this.
-But notice in verse 17, something interesting it says about Elijah.
-The Word of God says that Elijah was "...a man subject to like passions"
-In other words, he was human being.
-If you cut him, he would bled.
-He was subject to all the illnesses that we are.
-He was subject to headaches, stomach aches, tooth aches.
-But because he was a child of God who meant business with God, he got results.
-Elijah through prayer was able to turn off and on the water from heaven. Amen!!!
-As we go back to our passage in Luke 18, Jesus reminds us sometimes it takes awhile to get a hold of God.
-Luke 18:7 - "which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?"
-Sometimes, God wants to see if you really mean business about a thing.
-But Jesus says, if the unjust judge heard the woman in Luke 18:1-5, because he knew she would keep after him.
-So, God will hear his children, if we keep after Him on a thing.
-We may not get an answer right away from God.
-We are not to faint, not to quit, not to throw in the towel. Amen!!!
-But to keep on keeping on until he says, yes or no.
II. WELL-DOING
-Galatians 6:9 - "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
-Witnessing.
-Passing out gospel tracts.
-Living for the Lord.
-Keeping a good testimony.
-Being faithful to the things of God.
-The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:1, we are to be stewards of the mysteries of God.
-As stewards of the things of God:
-Paul says the #1 requirement is not to be smart.
-Not to be nice looking.
-Not to be well spoken.
-Not to be charming.
-Not to have a lot of money.
-Not to be friendly.
No! the # 1 requirement of a steward Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:2 is "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
-Most Christians flunk that requirement.
-They cannot be faithful to the simple things.
-The basic things of God.
*Attending church.
*Tithing.
*Praying.
*Reading & Studying the Word of God.
-However, Christians can be faithful to their:
*Favorite TV Program.
*Favorite TV Preacher.
*Favorite Sport Teams.
*Favorite So-Called Christian Rock Group.
*Favorite Hobby.
*Favorite Exercise Program.
*Favorite Cause, i.e "Walk For Hunger"
-Christians are faithful to just about anything but the things of God.
-Then they wonder why the Lord isn’t blessing them.
-Why their church is not growing and souls are not being saved.
-In other words, why they are not reaping any spiritual benefits.
-I believe the reason is pretty obvious.
-Because they are sowing to the flesh and not the spirit.
-We find the biblical principle of reaping and sowing in Galatians 6:7-8.
-"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
-The Word of God promises in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
-In other words, if we continue to sow to the spirit in well doing.
-If we do not give up, grow weary, no matter how tough it gets.
-No, matter how alone that you may feel because you are separated from the world and the majority of saved folk for that matter.
-Then God promises you will reap!!!
-In other words, see souls saved, see the church grow, see the Lord work mightily in your life.
-And finally someday receive your rewards in heaven.
-But this is only if we faint not in well doing.
III. IN THE CHRISTIAN RACE
-Hebrews 12:1-3 - "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."
-Notice in verse 3, "faint in your minds"
-The mind controls the body.
-Therefore, when a Christian quits the race in his mind, then the outward manifestation or physical actions performed by the body is soon to follow.
-i.e., You stop witnessing for Christ (your mouth develops a case of lock jaw).
-Your feet no longer want to carry you to church.
-Your knees no longer support your body in prayer.
-Your eyes are no longer eager to read the Word of God.
-Your ears are longer desire to hear the Word of God because they have grown dull of hearing.
-Overall, your heart has waxed gross!!!
-To help us not to faint in the Christian race we given some guidelines to follow.
-Verse 1 - "let us lay aside every weight"
-Get rid of the things that is going to hinder or weigh you down.
i.e. Bad habits, still hanging around with the wrong crowd, Television, Spending to much time on the computer and not enough with God.
-Verse 2 - "the sin which doth so easily beset us,"
-Each one of us has at least one particular sin, which keeps tripping us up.
-We need to pray for God to gives us the victory over that sin.
-You know what it is.
-You know for example what keeps you out church.
-You need to lay it aside and get rid of it! Amen!!!
-Verse 1 - "Run with patience the race"
-The Christian race is not a sprint or a 100 yard dash but a marathon.
-You must be patience.
-There will be some flat ground, hills, valleys, mountains, etc.
-But you have to hang in there and be committed for the long haul.
-Verse 2 - "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
-Verse 2, tells us that our focus in the Christian race is to be Jesus.
-Jesus knew great shame and suffering but also knew the great joy that was before him.
-The Cross - great shame and suffering
-The Great Joy - Jesus was set down at the right hand of the Father and
someday will rule and reign on this earth.
-Remember as you run the Christian race what the Apostle Paul said, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ" (Phil. 3:13-14).
-Christian we must remember as we run the Christian race that is the cross now and the crown later on.
-The problem today is the average Christian wants the crown now with no cross.
-Imagine if Jesus had the same attitude.
-We would all be lost and on our way to hell.
-Again, Paul reminds us where our focus should be as we run the Christian race.
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
-Verse 3 - "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."
-Verse 3 of Hebrews 12, tells us that we need to consider what Jesus went through before we faint and give up the race.
-We need to compare what Jesus went through to what you are going through as a Christian.
-There is no comparison! Amen!
-We got it made! Amen!
-So, we have seen so far that we are "not to faint"
-I. Prayer
-II. Well-Doing
-III. In the Christian Race
IV. IN GOD’S CHASTENING
-Hebrews 12:5-6, "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
-When God chastens you, don’t get anger at God.
-Don’t quit or faint.
-Remember, you deserve it!
-Don’t groan through it, grow through it! Amen!
-Don’t get bitter get bitter!
-Be grateful.
-Why?
-You know not to do what you did again.
-Chastening shows sonship, that you belong to God (Hebrews 12:6-9).
-Chastening is for our profit or benefit - (Hebrews 12:10)
-"We might be partakers of his holiness" (vs. 10)
-"Yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (vs. 11)
-We have the expression today "No pain, no gain"
-This can apply to the chastening of the Lord.
-For the Christian there is pain involved with chastening of the Lord but as a result what great gains there are to be received outweigh any pain.
Conclusion:
-We have seen from our study of the word of God that as Christians.
-We are "not to faint"
*In Prayer
*In Well-Doing
*In the Christian Race
*In the God’s Chastening
