Why Quiting Is Not An Option - part #1
July 13, 2003 AM
Matthew 14:22-26 Mark 4:36-39
This morning I want to deal with the spiritual implications of quiting --
Or giving up in times of difficulty.
Tonight I want to look at the everyday realities of what happens when we quit --
But this morning let me read two different stories -- two different scenarios with similar circumstances -- but with different reactions;
Mark 4:36-39 (NKJV)
Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
39Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Matthew 14:22-26 (NKJV)
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
23And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
24But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
25Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
What I want you to see this morning is that so much of the answer to our circumstances,
So much of the answer to our difficult situations,
So much of the answer to our hardships is directly related to our response to those circumstances, difficulties and hardships.
The point I want you to go home with is this;
There is a limit as to how far the enemy can go in harrassing us.
There is a limit as to how far the enemy can go in destroying our life.
What he hopes for is that our reaction to his attacks will be what hurts us the most --
For instance in Zimbabwe all of our rooms had a few spiders.
And some of them were pretty good size spiders.
Now we come from a culture which says "the only good spider is a dead spider"
And so we proceded to slap, smash, squesh, stomp and eradicate every spider we saw.
But the Africans told us "no, no, no -- those are good spiders -- they eat flies, mosquitos and other bugs
They are harmless to humans -- they don’t bite, and they are certainly not poisonous, leave them alone"
But -- many of our group were actually hurt by those spiders --
Not by the spiders themselves -- but we hurt ourselves trying to get away from the spiders.
That is what the enemy hopes for.
He attacks -- and the actual attack cannot destroy us -- God won’t let him do that,
But our reaction to the attack is what gets us.
The first story I read to you -- the disciples are in the boat and the storm comes up.
They were afraid -- their reactions were not perfect --
But they ultimately responded by calling on Jesus.
And at their call, he responded by stopping the pending disaster.
Hear me -- the devil had permission to get them wet -- but he didn’t have permission kill them.
The devil had permission to blow the wind all he wanted to -- but he didn’t have permission to blow them away completely.
The devil had permission to fill the boat with water -- but he he didn’t have permission to sink them.
Are you hearing me today?
There is a limit as to what the devil can do in your life --
What makes it life threatening -- is not what Satan does -- but how you react.
For instance -- do you remember the story of the three hebrew men that the king threw in to the furnace?
There was a king named Nebechudnezzer who built a statue of himself that he wanted people to worship.
And these three men from the land of the hebrews, who had been kidnapped, and who were now on the kings staff -- refused to bow down.
They would not worship a statue of the king.
So the king ordered them bound and thrown into a furnace.
I want you to see this -- the devil had permission to cause them to fall into disfavor with the king,
The devil had permission to bring harassment on their lives,
The devil had permission to tie them up --
The devil even had permission to throw them into a fire --
But he did not have permission to burn them.
Their reaction to the attack is what completed the miracle
At any time they could have quit and worshipped the statue of the king.
But that would have created the results that Satan was hoping for.
Their fear of burning would have been the determining factor giving Satan the victory.
But as it was -- the devil was not even allowed to let the smoke get on them, not just the flames, he couldn’t even let the smoke get on them.
Their reaction secured their miracle.
Let me show what I’m talking about --
The book of Job chapter 1, verse 8 (NRSV) The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil."
(Job 1:9 NRSV) Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
(Job 1:10 NRSV) Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
(Job 1:11 NRSV) But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."
(Job 1:12 NRSV) The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!" So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
so ..... Now, Satan had permission to attack everything around Job -- but not Job personally
Have you ever felt like that?
Satan is attacking everything around you?
Your family, your finances, your job, your friends, your house, --- your dog
That may well be -- but notice please -- God did not give permission to attack Job --
He could attack his stuff -- but not him.
Why? Because most people define their life by their stuff.
And if people lose their stuff -- they give up on God.
Job’s reaction set the stage for two things -- another attack, and a miracle.
Job lost everything, possessions and family.
Yet Job said -- (Job 1:21 NRSV) "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
(Job 1:22 NRSV) In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.
He said "I started with nothing -- and even if I wind up with nothing -- It all belongs to God any way.
So bless the name of the Lord !"
But that wasn’t the end of the story --
(Job 2:1 NRSV) One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD.
(Job 2:2 NRSV) The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it."
(Job 2:3 NRSV) The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason."
Notice that -- "for no reason"
Everybody likes to find the reason that things happen in their life --
Sometimes there’s not a reason.
It’s nothing more than the fact that Satan can’t stand you.
He doesn’t like you, he doesn’t like what you stand for, he doesn’t like what you do,
He doesn’t like how you live, he doesn’t like anything about you.
Everytime he looks at you he sees the blood of Jesus and it makes him so angry .... he can’t stand it!
So stop trying to figure out why things happen and get on with it.
Sometimes there is no other reason than Satan doesn’t like you.
Let’s read on ... (Job 2:4 NRSV) Then Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives.
(Job 2:5 NRSV) But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face."
(Job 2:6 NRSV) The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life."
(Job 2:7 NRSV) So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
God said -- "You can afflict him, you make him sick, you can cause him pain, you can deform him, you can hurt him, but you cannot kill him"
And so that’s what the devil did -
He attacked him physically every way he could --
But what was Job’s reaction?
-- it was summed up in the first chapter -- "Job did not sin nor did he blame God"
Job’s reaction determined his miracle --
Look at chapter 42 of Job -- (Job 42:2 NRSV) Job says ... "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Look at verse 10 -- (Job 42:10 NRSV) And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
(Job 42:12 NRSV) The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning ....
Why -- because of the way he reacted to the attack that Satan meant to destroy him with.
Now from our text of the disciples in the boat during a storm --
the disciples could have abandoned ship,they could have given up, they could have made a swim for it.
But they chose to react by calling on Jesus.
Now in the second story I read the scenario is close to the same --
except this time they did not have Jesus in the boat with them.
But still the permission Satan had did not include taking their lives,
He only had permission to get them wet, shake them up, and scare them real good.
Only this time -- the word says when they saw Jesus -- it only added to their fear.
They thought he was a ghost -- they thought Jesus was part of the problem -- not the answer.
How often do we see the answer to our delimna as simply more of the problem
We know what God says -- we know what God says to do --
But we see God’s answer as adding more problems rather than supplying the answer.
For instance -- when we struggle financially, and we cut back by withholding our tithes,
To us it seems like a perfectly logical solution --
But then we read the word, we hear a message, and the Spirit speaks to us and says "if you will honor God first -- He will honor you".
But rather than see that as part of the solution -- we react in fear -- and we see God’s answer as simply creating more problem.
Our reaction determines the success of Satan’s attack.
God is our supply -- yet when we cut him off -- we tie His hands to bless us, and the problem gets worse.
Our reaction determines the success of Satan’s attack.
Or, we know God’s word says that believers are to worship together every week,
We know that we are to give God one day out of every seven --
Yet when we run short on time -- we short change God -
Then when the Word or the Spirit reminds us to take a day and spend it with God --
We react in fear --
We’re afraid we won’t get everything done, or that our family time will suffer,
And we view God’s answer to our time problems as simply creating more problem.
Our reaction determines the success of Satan’s attack.
When our day is already packed, and our day-timer is over booked --
We see God’s answer of time management by giving Him the first fruits in Bible study and prayer, as simply more problem, not a solution.
Our reaction determines the success of Satan’s attack.
I am reminded of another story we find in the book of Acts in the New Testament.
It’s the story of Paul and Silas and their ministry.
The enemy was given permission to attack them --
They were arrested, beaten, and imprisoned.
But please understand -- Satan did not have permission to kill them.
Now -- for most of us, me included, a good swift beating would pretty much steal all of my victory.
But reactions determine affects
Paul and Silas did not lash out, did not get angry, did not get depressed, did not give up, quit, stop, explode, or lose their faith.
What they did do was to worship in the middle of the most adverse of circumstances imaginable.
They sang !!
I promise you - that is not the reaction the devil was hoping for.
His plan did not include a jailhouse revival.
His plan was for the two most influential believers to be so abused, and so hurt, and so offended, and so broken --
That they would make a pact together to never preach again.
"It’s too painful, it’s too dangerous, it’s too hard on my body, it’s too hard on my family,
And besides, nobody seems to give a hoot anyway --"
That’s what the devil hoped for --
What he got was two guys in too much pain to sleep,
So at midnight they started singing -- "I sing praises to your name, oh lord, praises to your name, oh Lord,....."
The devil was furious --
He had one last trick, one last shot -- he couldn’t kill them out right,
But if they had a heart attack in the middle of say .... an earthquake -- well that would be just fine,
So he shook the place real hard -- so hard that the cell doors all flew open.
The walls cracked and crumbled, the chains all broke loose from their pins --
But instead of heart attacks, Paul and Silas had church.
And instead of two great preachers destroyed, every prisoner and the warden got saved.
But it was because of their reaction to the adversity planned by Satan.
Friends if everytime there is a struggle in your life,
if everytime there is a glitch in your routine,
If everytime there is a speed-bump on your highway --
If everytime the devil throws a rock and hits you square between the eyes --
If you buckle under, panic, quit church, get mad, throw a hissy, have a tantrum,
Then you can count on it sweet heart --
The devil has a whole array of things for you to go through!
If everytime things don’t go your way -- you blame, ridicule, scold and rebuke --
Then hang on partner -- cause most of your life is going to be spent in a really foul mood.
But when you realize that even if nobody else likes you,
Even if nobody is doing anything the way you think it should be done,
Even if every day you wake up and something else has gone wrong,
Even if your life looks like you are the poster child for the "life isn’t fair foundation",
If you can keep your eyes on the prize and your soul on the goal,
Satan will be defeated and his plan will fail.
I used to have book markers that said "Satan can’t win unless you quit"
If you don’t quit -- he cannot win.
I’ll never forget we were driving through a city and there was a car in the turn lane in front of us that was broken down.
And so I got out and went to try and help the lady.
She wasn’t distraught or even upset.
In fact when she saw me she got excited --
I got in her car and was going to try and start it --
And there, taped on the steering wheel was one of my book markers --
"Satan can’t win unless you quit."
I had at some time been in this ladies church for a revival.
She recognized me -- I can’t say that I ever really figured out who she was --
But it didn’t matter to her --
She had refused to get upset, discouraged, depressed, angry, or mad at her car not running,
And she was excited that the Lord sent me by to fix it!
To her that was greatest thing she could have hoped for.
I hated to tell her that she would have been much better off praying for a good mechanic to come along instead of me -
But that wasn’t the point,
The car running was not the point at this particular moment.
The point was -- what Satan meant to tear her down with was turned into a blessing in her eyes !
What you’re going through right now cannot destroy you --
It may look like it can, it may seem like it is going to --
But God hasn’t given Satan the permission to destroy you -- only scare you.
And how you react -- determines the severity and the final affect that Satan’s attack has.
So here’s some guidelines:
1) Satan cannot destroy you -- just make you think he can
2) Not everything has a reason -- stop trying to find out the why
3) Understand Satan does not like you -- not anything about you
4) Realize that nothing happens to you that God isn’t aware of -- He didn’t plan it or design it, but it didn’t catch him off guard
5) How you react to the attack will determine how much affect the Devil has on your life.
6) Recognize and acknowledge God’s answer as the solution -- not more of the problem
7) Before, during and after every problem -- give God praise. Not for the problem -- but for God being God!
This sermon may be p[reached in part or in whole without permission or acknowledgement
