Why quitting is not an option -
part #2
July 13, 2003
John 21:1-3
This morning we dealt with the spiritual side of being attacked by satan and our reactions determining the long lasting affects of those attacks.
Tonight I want to deal specifically with one of the reactions we have that creates the longest lasting success that satan can enjoy --
And that is quitting, or giving up.
There are two aspects of quiting that I want to share with you -
One is how it affects others,
And second is how it affects you.
Look at John chapter, begining with verse 1:1 (NIV):
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way:
(John 21:2 NIV) Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
(John 21:3 NIV) "I’m going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We’ll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Now I want you to understand somethings about Peter.
He is a natural born leader,
I don’t know if it was his size, smarts, personality, or what --
But people were willing to follow Peter.
People looked to Peter as the thermometer of what should be done next.
If there was an unusual situation or circumstance that happened --
People looked to Peter to see how he would react -- and they would base their reactions on his.
Now sometimes this is a good thing -- natural leaders can be a good thing,
But sometimes it can be a bad thing -- sometimes it creates a problem --
If that leader is emotionally unstable, or has hidden issues, or is spiritually unreliable --
It can be a problem.
Peter had some issues, Peter wasn’t the "rock" his name implies.
He actually acted and reacted based more on how he felt than on anything else.
How many of you know that a leader doesn’t have the option of leading based on just feelings?
I have to confess there are times I would really like to sleep in on Sunday,
Or skip out and go to the lake some week-end
There are even times I would like to just stand up here and say "I didn’t feel like studying this week, so let’s just go eat pizza!"
But how many of you know that we wouldn’t have a church very long if I did those things?
Well, Peter was like that -- at least initially -- everything he said or did was based on feelings
Now, he was very close to Jesus
One of the inner circle of three that Jesus considered his close friends.
He experienced what most of the other disciples did not.
But I want you to see something --
Peter was so easily swayed by what he felt.
First -- Peter walked on water, honey ain’t nobody done that before or since!
Yet, he sank -- he couldn’t maintain it.
Then He is walking with Jesus, and as if by devine revelation he declares that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God.
But in only a few short verses -- he is rebuking Jesus,
And Jesus says "get behind me you devil" -
Then, Peter is with Jesus on the mountain top when there is a transfiguration --
Moses and Elijah and Jesus stand there glowing in there heavenly bodies --
Yet in minutes Peter has to be rebuked -- this time by God himself -- because Peter wants to build three musuems -- memorials to this glorious event.
Then Peter declares before all the disciples that he is willing to go to the cross with Jesus --
Yet within hours he denied Christ and cursed his name.
Then we have the text I read -- Peter quits completely.
No more discipleship, no more fishing for men, no more crusades, no more miracles,
That’s it -- it’s back to fishing.
But because Peter is the emotional thermometer for the rest of the disciples -- they all quit too.
Hear me -- the world says "if the one who supposedly knows Jesus the best can quit --
Then I don’t even need to try."
"If the one who has been around Jesus the longest says it’s over --
No need for me to even bother."
If the one who led me to Christ says it’s finished --
Then how can I make it?
Do we realize how much influence we have on people?
In just a few weeks I’m going to begin a series on the "power of influence"
I want us to see the impact we have, and the impact we could have.
But your reactions to the difficulties of life leave an impression on people around us.
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty --
You lose your temper -- you may not cuss, you may not use profanity,
You may simply use your favorite wholesome expletive.
Mine is "dear gussy" -- that’s about as racey as my language gets.
But even "dear gussy" if spoken with the right tone of voice can communicate the idea that I’m really ticked.
I may not mean anything wrong by it --
I may not even be that upset --
But if it appears to others that I am -- then I have impacted them
And the impact I make is -- that I can get upset, and that gives them the right to get upset too.
Only they may not be as wholesome nor as restrained.
I am diverging from the main thought here -- but if you can’t do something without reacting inappropriately --
Then don’t do the something.
Some people can’’t go to a ball game without either getting angry or loud or both.
If that’s the case -- then you need to stop going to ball games.
If after every game your mad at the ref’s or the coaches, or the players --
Then you need to just give it up for the sake of your testimony.
I don’t if it’s yatzee, golf, fishing, or chinese checkers --
If you can’t do it without hurting your testimony -- you need to give it up.
Jesus said "if your right hand keeps offending -- then cut it off -- it’s better to make heaven one handed than to miss heaven with two hands."
Translation: "If your backswing offends you -- stop golfing before you backslide or cause someone else to backslide"
Back to the message --
We need to realize the impact we have on people around us.
When Satan throws an attack at us -- our reaction affects the final results of that attack,
But our reaction also affects the spiritual walk of those around us.
When we quit -- others will quit as well.
When we get upset at the church -- others will get upset as well.
When we get mad at God -- others will get angry as well.
Our reactions affect the well being of many around us.
The second thing I want you to see about quiting is that when we quit --
We cut off our source of supply.
All to often when people get hurt, or angry, or over-whelmed --
The first thing they want to do is pull back from church and the things of God.
And that is the number one goal Satan has.
If he can get someone to pull back from God then his attack has been a success.
If people in the middle of a struggle start dropping our of church --
Then Satan has been successful at what he wanted to do.
Because when you pull back -- you reduce the influence that the things of God, God’s people, and God’s spirit has on your situation.
I see it so often -- people get into a struggle --
Spiritually, or financially, or in their family, or their job --
And the first thing they do is start disconnecting from church.
They don’t participate like they used to, they stop all the extra functions,
The first to go is Wednesday night, then Sunday night, then Sunday school,
Then it’s skipping one Sunday a month, then it becomes two, finally three,
And if you talk to them it’s "well, we’ve been busy,
We needed more family time, we’re just to tired any more,"
But then the influence of the spiritual begins to slip,
Their dissatisfaction with the church and with life begins to grow --
And what could have been a short, minor attack of the enemy,
Becomes a life threatening event.
It’s life threatening because of the impact on their life, their family, and those around them,
The impact on their spiritual well-being is catastrophic.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to end that way,
Even though Peter was headed in the wrong direction --
God allowed two things to happen;
First -- he caught no fish.
Life did not get better by leaving Jesus out.
You may think that dropping out of church will give you more time --
It won’t -- come Monday you’ll still be just as over-booked as you were on Friday.
You may think your family life will improve --
It won’t -- because you just destroyed part of the foundation up on which families are built --
You may think you’re building a better relationship with your kids --
But you’re not -- because you’re creating a void in their life that cannot be filled by anything else.
You may think you’ll be more rested --
But you won’t be -- you’ll wake up Monday just as exhausted as you were Saturday night.
The joy of the Lord is our strength -- and that is replenished in the house of God -- not at the pool.
So Peter caught no fish -- his life did not get better without Jesus, it got worse.
It was worse because now they had been up all night,
And they were hungry -- since they had caught nothing to eat.
The second thing God did was to give him one more encounter with Jesus.
When they got near the shore Jesus called out to them -- "Catch anything?"
To which Peter replied -- "naw -- nothings biting"
To which Jesus replied with his famous solution for having no fish -- "try the other side of the boat"
The other disciples did -- but Peter just kept staring at the shore ...
When they brought up the net with a 153 fish in it --
Peter grinned -- he knew who it was --
He said "it’s Jesus" --
He wanted to get back to Jesus as fast as he could --
The boat was too slow --
so he jumped in an swam the last hundred yards.
And that’s the real solution --
When the enemy attacks -- we don’t quit -- we get to Jesus as fast as we can.
Even if it means getting a little wet.
See -- getting wet is one of those embarrassing things --
It persecutes the flesh to be sopping wet when everyone else is dry.
But Peter had to get to Jesus.
Friends -- some of you are going through or are about to go through some things that will make you want to quit.
Just give up --
maybe to give up on your self.
It may be to give up on your family,
It maybe to give up on this church,
It may be to give up on God --
This morning I said victory depends on us "Keeping our eyes on the prize, and our soul on goal --
Don’t let Satan win -- he only wins when you quit.
(Heb 12:2 NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Heb 12:3 NIV) Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Don’t be a quitter!
This sermon may be preached in part or in whole without permission or acknowledgement
