"don't Give Up!"

“DON’T GIVE UP!”

Psalm 27:1-6

David P. Nolte

There are some things in life that attack us: wasps (ask Lonnie or me about that); injuries and illnesses; false accusations; enemies of the church, the Bible and God; an unresolved guilty conscience, temptations fitted to our own desires, to name a few. Never give up to those antagonists!

There is nothing, or no one, against you that is as great as the Lord who is for you! Never Give up!

We sometimes find ourselves in a predicament from which it is difficult to extricate ourselves. We tell a lie and are caught in it; we make a bad decision and have experienced negative consequences; we enter into an unwholesome relationship and don’t know how to rid ourselves of it. Hang in there doing the thing you know to be right and call our to the Lord for deliverance. Never Give Up!

We have lost some of our energy, zeal and enthusiasm for serving Jesus. Oh, come on – we have all been so tired we are tempted to let someone else do it while we sit on the sidelines. But press on and go for the gold for God. Never Give Up!

David faced many things that distressed him body, mind and soul. But to the end, David never gave up! Listen to him, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.” Psalm 27:1-6 (NASB).

In, and in spite of, what should we persevere? NEVER GIVE UP

I. DESPITE THE OPPOSITION OF THE DEVIL:

A. “Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.”

1. Your host of opponents – people or things that keep after you relentlessly – may be vastly different than mine. But we all face daily opposition and attacks from Satan.

a. He tempts us with some lust or attraction to what would be sin for us.

b. He discourages us in our Christian walk: “You are such a loser!” “You won’t be forgiven for that!” There is no hope for you to improve.”

c. He lies to us about God: “He isn’t real!” “He doesn’t love you.” “He isn’t going to hear or help you!”

2. Every one of us experiences personal, spiritual opposition. We may be conflicted by::

a. Doubt opposed to faith.

b. Self-control opposed to self-indulgence.

c. The desire of the fleshly appetites opposed to the desires of the spirit.

d. Fear opposed go courage.

B. We may fear opposition but that kind of fear is not part of God’s agenda.

1. Someone said that there are 365 “fear not” passages in the New Testament. If you want to count them, go ahead. One statement by Jesus should suffice.

2. If we properly fear God we will not fear opposition.You may remember the Winston Churchill quote from last week. Britain was being savagely attacked by German bombers. In a commencement speech he said, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

C. When we go forward in faith, the opposition falls away and in Jesus’ Name we are more than conquerors.

D. Perhaps you have heard one or another of the legends about John Henry. It illustrates never giving up to any opposition.

John Henry went to work rebuilding the Southern states whose territory had been ravaged by the Civil War.

One story says that he was a steel-driver for the C&O Railroad which was extending its line. Steel drivers spent their workdays driving holes into rock by hitting thick steel drills or spikes.

The C&O's new line was moving along quickly, until Big Bend Mountain stubbornly blocked its path. The mountain was too vast to build around. So the men were told they had to tunnel through it.