Quitting On God

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN

AUGUST 15, 2001

SERMON TITLE: QUITTING ON GOD

“FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. FOR GOD SENT NOT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD; BUT THAT THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED. HE THAT BELIEVETH ON HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED: BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, BECAUSE HE HATH NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD.” JOHN 3:16-18

TURN IN YOUR BIBLES TO PSALMS 73:2 “BUT AS FOR ME, MY FEET WERE ALMOST GONE; MY STEPS HAD WELL NIGH SLIPPED.”

THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TODAY THAT ARE NOT JUST SLIPPING, THEY’VE ALREADY SLIPPED. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE’RE LIVING IN A WORLD TODAY THAT’S FULL OF QUITTERS. THEIR GOOD ABOUT STARTING BUT THEIR NOT GOOD ABOUT FINISHING. THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO DO THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE LORD. THEY ALWAYS WANT TO DO THINGS RIGHT, DO IT GODS WAY AND THEY WANT IT TO LAST, THEY WANT TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AND THEIR CONCERNED AND THAT’S THE WAY THEY NEED TO BE BUT WE DON’T NEED TO JUST START SOMEWHERE WITH THE LORD AND STOP SOMEWHERE ELSE. THE BIBLE SAYS IF YOU CONTINUE IN MY WORD, THEN ARE YOU MY DISCIPLES INDEED. YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.

PEOPLE HAVE QUIT GOING TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. I PRAISE GOD, IT WAS AT THE HOUSE OF GOD WHEN I FOUND JESUS. I REMEMBER DEAR OLD MOM AND DEAR OLD DADDY THERE AT THE HOUSE OF GOD. THERE IN ONE MIND AND ONE ACCORD TO WORSHIP GOD. BUT WE’RE LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE HAVE JUST QUIT COMING TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. I’LL SAY THIS: IF YOU CAN’T GET CHRIST IN THE HOUSE OF GOD, DON’T EXPECT TO GET HIM OUTSIDE THE HOUSE OF GOD. WHILE I’M PREACHING THIS COULD BE THE VERY HOUR, THE VERY DAY THAT JESUS COMES TO GET HIS CHILDREN. I’D RATHER BE IN THE CENTER OF GOD’S WILL WHEN HE COMES THAN I HAD BE ANY WHERE ELSE. THE CHURCH PEWS OUGHT TO BE FILLED UP, NOT WITH CHRISTIANS ONLY BUT BE FILLED WITH THE SAINTS OF GOD AND THE SINNERS, WHICH CHRIST CAME TO SAVE. IT’S NOT GOD’S FAULT, IT’S OUR FAULT. PEOPLE HAVE QUIT ON GOD. IF YOU CAN’T GET FROM GOD WHAT IT TAKES TO MOTIVATE YOU TO COME TO THE LORDS HOUSE YOU WON’T GET IT NO WHERE ELSE. CHURCH ONLY LASTS TWO DAYS A WEEK. GOD GIVES YOU FIVE OTHER DAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS. GOD SAID IN HIS OWN WORD TO RENDER UNTO CAESAR THE THINGS THAT ARE CAESARS BUT RENDER UNTO GOD THE THINGS THAT ARE GOD. WE CAN’T QUIT ON GOD BUT THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE. IT DON’T MATTER TO ME IF IT’S WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH OR ROSWELL STREET BAPTIST OR SMYRNA FIRST METHODIST; WHERE EVER THE LORD IS, THAT’S WHERE WE NEED TO BE. THAT’S WHERE YOU GET THE PREACHED WORD. YOU CAN’T GET IT STANDING OUT ON THE GOLF COURSE. YOU CAN’T GET IT SITTING DOWN ON THE FISHING BANK. CAST SOMETHING IN ON JESUS AND THEN YOU’LL REEL IN A BIG ONE. GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU TONIGHT. PEOPLE AREN’T GETTING BLESSED TODAY BECAUSE THEY’VE QUIT ON GOD. IT’S A SHAME; MOM AND DADS NOT BRINGING THEIR LITTLE ONES TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. THEIR LOST AND ON THEIR WAY TO HELL AND MOM AND DAD DON’T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT THEM TO BRING THEM TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. IF I HAVE TO DRAG MINE UNTIL THEIR EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD, I’LL DRAG THEM. BECAUSE IF I DON’T, SATAN WILL DRAG THEM DOWN. I DON’T DESPISE THEM, NOR AM I PUTTING THEM DOWN. I’M TRYING TO HELP US TO HELP THEM. THEY’VE QUIT COMING TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. THE HOUSE OF GOD NEEDS YOU, GOD NEEDS YOU AND WE NEED GOD. MAKES ME SICK TO SEE THEM GOING UP AND DOWN THE STREETS ON SUNDAY. THEY SLEEP UNTIL TWELVE O’CLOCK ON SATURDAYS BUT THEY GET UP EARLY ON SUNDAYS TO GET THEIR WORK OR THEIR FUN DONE. THEIRS SIN ON SUNDAY JUST LIKE THEIR IS ON MONDAY. PEOPLE AREN’T CONCERNED. I WONDER HAVE YOU QUIT. DO YOU SOMEBODY THAT’S QUIT COMING TO THE HOUSE OF GOD? IF YOU’VE QUIT ON GOD HE’LL NEVER QUIT ON YOU. THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU’RE NOT ATTENDING THE HOUSE OF GOD. YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION. LET GOD CHECK YOU OUT. HE’LL LET YOU KNOW.

I’M SERVING THE SAME GOD AS I WAS WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS OLD. MY DADDY RAISED FOUR GIRLS AND FOUR BOYS AND HE WAS JUST AN OLD COUNTRY BOY HIMSELF. I WATCHED MY DADDY GROW OLD OVER THE YEARS AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS, HE NEVER EVER, NEVER EVER, NEVER EVER QUIT ON GOD! HE HAD THE WORD OF GOD EVERY WHERE HE WENT. READING IT AND SHARING IT WITH HIS CHILDREN.