HOW NOT TO QUIT!!!
Titus 1:9-16
Introduction: Titus was in a hard place. It was a place that was given to paganism. It was not a real favorable place to start and maintain a church.
In verse ten Paul warns of those who would not submit themselves to authority. Not being submissive to earthly authority is a good sign that you are not submissive to the Lord’s authority.
In that same verse he mentions vain talkers. This are those who talk a good game but basically are not doing the work of God. James warns of this also.
James 1:22
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Then Paul gives this warning in verse eleven- “Whose mouths must be stopped”. What does Paul mean here? He is meaning that properly, to check, or curb, as with a bridle; to restrain, or bridle in; and then, to put to silence. Why is this important? The ones who run from house to house are trying to cause trouble in the church. They did this so they could control the ministry.
Paul’s advice was to preach hard. Hard preaching in that day was not anymore acceptable than it is today. People don’t like to be reminded of their sin. This is one reason why teaching ministries have become so popular. Teaching simply informs. Preaching challenges and demands a response.
By the reading of the letter to Titus, it is very possible he was ready to throw in the towel when he received this letter. I have seen many things that will discourage you in the life of a pastor. I have seen a huge decrease in interest in the things of God by the people who should be some of the most spiritual. I see more people sleeping in services. It seems that very few care if they even come.
It bothers me in that some have quit Freedom Baptist church even though they have not left. I am bothered worse by those folks than the ones who just leave. I remember a time in my ministry here that I ran into this same problem. At that time I had planned to resign. In fact I have already drafted the letter in my mind and my wife knew that I was going to do so. I had planned to come back to the church after I had preached my home church’s homecoming.
Then I ran into some roadblocks so to speak. Every song I heard on the radio seemed to have the theme of not quitting. Each preacher seemed to be preaching on the subject. But I am stubborn at times. I was not interested in hearing what the Lord had to say.
Then on the Thursday morning I was to start my vacation, I had a 30-minute break at the nursing home. I opened my briefcase looking for something to read when I ran across a newspaper that I had throw to the back of my briefcase. I was flipping through it when I found an article that was entitled "How not to quit". When I saw the title, I said to the Lord, "Okay, Lord, you have my complete attention." That sermon by a missionary changed my mind, challenged my heart and charged my soul.
Now not everyone who quits a ministry or church is wrong. There are doctrinal reasons for doing so. There may be some morality reasons. But to quit because their feelings are hurt is wrong.
Everyone wants to quit at times. This illustrates good. A husband and his wife arose one Sunday morning and the wife dressed for church. It was just about time for the service when she noticed her husband hadn’t moved a finger toward getting dressed. Perplexed, she asked, "Why aren’t you getting dressed for church?" He said, "Cause I don’t want to go." She asked, "Do you have any reason?" He said, "Yes, I have three good reasons. First, the congregation is cold. Second, no one likes me. And third, I just don’t want to go." The wife replied, wisely, "Well, honey, I have three reasons why you should go. First, the congregation is warm. Second, there are a few people there who like you. And third, you’re the pastor! So get dressed!"
I know that some of you are in the same boat I have been in. You have decided to quit and cannot find a gracious way to do so. So I want to give you fourteen reasons why I cannot quit.
1. I’M AFRAID OF WHAT GOD WOULD DO TO ME.
A. I fear God and his chastening. (I have BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND DON’T EVER WANT TO GO BACK.) It is not that the Lord is a big bully waiting to wail the daylights out of me. But I made a commitment to the Lord to serve Him the rest of my life. I know what He is able to do to chasten His children.
B. I’m responsible for my call of life.
Psalm 118:18
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”
It is not my wife’s responsibility to remind me of the calling of God on my life. It is my responsibility to do those functions and activities that are required of me.
C. There is a sin unto death and quitting could be my sin unto death. 1st John 5:16
“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”
There is a part of me that wants to go to heaven but I don’t feel that it is now. I have a lot more of work for the Lord that needs to be done for the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. I CAN’T QUIT BECAUSE I’LL BE MAD AT MYSELF IN A FEW DAYS.
Luke 15:17
“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”
A. My decision to quit may be a decision of impulse. Impulse is a sign of immaturity. It is a sign of not praying honestly over a situation.
B. My decision to quit may be a decision of instability.
James 1:8
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
One of the greatest problems that churches are having today is the tenure of their pastor. I am told that the average pastor is staying an average of eighteen months. There is a lot of instability in the ministry today.
C. My decision to quit may be a decision of insincerity.
3. I BELIEVE IN HELL.
If I would quit, there will be lots of people who would go to hell who would not have to go there if I didn’t quit. Do you realize how many people died each and every day? Here is a few alarming statistics about dying people. 3 souls die each second, 180 souls die each minute, 10800 souls die each hour, and 260,000 souls die each day. If I am able to reach a few that a few that will not be in hell.
How does the Bible describe Hell? It is called the place of outer darkness. It is the place of the bottomless pit. It is a place of fire that is never quenched. It is the place of screams of pain and torment forever.
Why would I want someone to go to this place? Even that person who may hurt me the most physically should be given the opportunity to get saved.
4. I DON’T WANT TO DISAPPOINT OTHER PEOPLE.
A. I would not want to disappoint my Pastor.
2nd Timothy 4:10
“For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world”
My pastor was more than a pastor. He is like a dad to me. He helped me in more ways than I could tell. If I need him, I can pick up the telephone and call him and he would do his best to help me.
B. I would not want to disappoint those pastors in this area who have helped me.
C. I would not want to disappoint my family. Most of my boys’ lives have been spent in this church. It would disappoint them if I quit. In fact, the time I had planned to quit, two of them was planning to stay here. But that would not be right.
5. I DON’T WANT TO BE UNGRATEFUL TO CHRIST
A. He has given me salvation. I did not deserve to be saved. I did not get saved by default. I am not saved because my grandmother and mother were Christians. I was saved when I turned from my sin and turned to the Saviour.
B. He has given me a home in heaven. Heaven will be a great place. It is the place of eternal worship and joy. The singing will be nothing like we never heard before in this life.
C. He has given me the best wife in the world.
D. He has given me a ministry.
1st Timothy 1:12
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry”
6. I DON’T WANT TO QUIT BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO BE UNGRATEFUL TO THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED ME.
A. That includes many folks at this church. I have been given many books and such and these have been a blessing to me.
B. There has been other folk also. Mrs. Corbett’s daughter (Lizzie) gave me the first computer in which I could use windows. That gift started down the path of better Bible study. My pastor’s son Duane has upgraded my computers many times.
7. I DON’T WANT TO TAKE OTHERS OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD.
Romans 14:7
“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”
A. Someone always falls with you.
B. It could be a family member.
C. It could be one of you.
8. I DON’T WANT TO LOSE MY REWARD IN HEAVEN. 1st Corinthians 3:11-15
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
A. No matter how small of a reward it is. Any reward will be more than I deserve. Any reward will be more than I can comprehend. We will be rewarded in regards to the sort of our works and not the size of works.
B. I want to cast crowns at the feet of Jesus.
Those crowns will be as follows.
1. The Incorruptible Crown
2. The Crown of Righteousness
3. The Crown of Joy
4. The Crown of Life
5. The Crown of Glory
9. I DON’T LIKE THE FEELING OF BEING A BACKSLIDER.
What causes backsliding? These are causes that tend to produce backsliding. I just want to give them but will not have the time to explore them.
1. Absence of Spiritual Leaders
2. Evil Associations
3. Worldly Success
4. Shallowness
5. Emptiness of Life
6. Lack of Spiritual Insight
7. Love of the World
A. We are not as spiritual as we should be at all times. We are carnal in our actions. We act like babes in Christ instead spiritual adults.
B. We will be miserable. The backslider is always and I repeat, always miserable. Misery loves company.
C. Conviction will be a harder burden to carry. It is like a ton weigh around your neck. It is better to get right with God than have conviction.
D. You won’t want to be around Christians who are right with God. Neither would the worldly crowd want you around. So you are up the creek without a paddle. That is the life of a backslider. When there is not godly reason to quit, then you are a backslider.
10. I DON’T LIKE TO BE IN A POSITION WHERE IT IS HARD TO BE CLOSE TO GOD.
A. It is hard to read God’s word. No golden nugget to pull out of the book. No joy in the pages in the book that usually picks you up. In my case it is the books of Psalms and Proverbs. You are not close to God when you have quit God’s will for your life.
B. It is hard and seemingly impossible to pray. The heavens seem to be brass.
C. I can’t have the fellowship of God that I once had.
11. I DON’T WANT TO RUIN MY CHANCE TO DO GOD’S PERFECT WILL.
Being in God’s perfect will is the only place:
A. Of joy;
B. Of glory
C. Of true happiness.
12. I DON’T WANT TO PUT MYSELF IN THE POSITION OF BEING TEMPTED TO GET INTO DEEPER SIN.
It is easier to go into sin when you leave the protection of God’s will. I have been there and done that. Those years I spent in the police department in Petersburg were the door to deeper sin. I did not go to church like I should. I did not witness to folks. I think of the opportunities I had to witness to the lost and did not. How many of those drunks that I arrested time and time again could I have lead to Christ? Only eternity will answer that question?
13. I DON’T WANT TO QUIT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT JESUS IS WITH ME MOST WHEN I AM DISCOURAGED, WHEN I’M DOWN AND WHEN I AM HAVING A TRIAL.
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”
A. Discouragement should cause us to draw closer to God. But we seem to go in the opposite direction.
B. Trials should remind us that Jesus is not far off. But we are forgetful people.
One of the greatest illustration of this is when disciples were in the in a storm when Jesus came walking on the water. He knew their fear and came to calm them and the storm.
Let me give you a few quick encouragements about storms.
1. God’s Word Assures Us of a Safe Landing. No matter what the storm is our life, the ultimate safe landing is going home with Jesus.
2. God’s Word Alerts Us to Some Stormy Seas. We will all have these stormy times in our lives.
3. God’s Word Announces That the Savior is on Board. He has not left us or forsaken us.
4. God’s Word Affirms to Us That the Ship is in Good Hands. My Lord knows the way through the storm and all I have do is follow Him.
Psalm 89:9
“Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.”
Psalm 107:29
“He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”
5. God’s Word Allows Us a Glimpse at the Master Plan. Psalm 119:67, 71, 75
“Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”
God’s plan for my life even in the tough time as best for me and those around me.
14. I DON’T WANT TO QUIT BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO MISS THE BLESSINGS THAT FOLLOW PROBLEMS AND OBSTACLES.
A. I am selfish for the blessings of God. I want them and desire them in my life. Anyone that does needs to have his or her head examined.
B. I believe that God has a great work for this church and will reward us if we are faithful hold on longer.
This thought brings me to something I heard on the radio this past week that really pushed me over the edge to preach this message. A preacher was having a difficult time in his church. It seemed that the harder he worker, the harder it got. He was ready to quit. That night he dreamed that he was trying to break a might piece of granite with a pickax. He hit it and hit but nothing happened. He decided to quit. Then he heard a voice that asked him who gave him permission to quit and leave the work. He had to answer, “No one”. “Take that pickax and go back to work.” The man did that with a greater determination. He hit the piece of granite with a great blow and it broke into lots of small pieces. He was only one blow from true success. If we quit God and this church, it may be that we were only one blow from true success.
Conclusion: Have you ever thought of quitting? It is not unnatural to do so. But we cannot quit. I gave fourteen reasons why I cannot.
Let me end this with one more poem.
Don’t Quit
By Clinton Howell
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twist and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst,
that you must not quit.
Freedom Baptist Church Sunday Morning
6/27/04
