DON'T QUIT
TEXT: 2 Corinthians 4:1 - "Therefore, since we have this ministry,
as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart."
INTRODUCTION: 9/11 is symbolic of the setbacks that can occur in our lives
through any number of avenues. A divorce, a job loss, a sickness, a death,
a tragedy; these hold the potential of blind-siding us and knocking us
off course. Where there were once ambitions and dreams there remains charred
ruins of a life derailed and a goal unreached. Surely Solomon knew of
this pain for he writes in Proverbs 13:12 - "Hope deferred makes
the heart sick…" How many people will you pass this week that
look physically healthy but inwardly they need to be hospitalized? The
ability of this body to mask pain and hurt and disappointment deserves
theatrical acclaim. Yet, let's get a little more personal. How many people
will pass you this week thinking everything is okay when you know that
something is wrong. You've been disappointed, let down, discouraged, depressed.
There's no excitement, nothing to look forward to. The wind has been knocked
out of your sails, yet you keep gliding along the waters of life waving
to other boaters. How long do you intend to do that? How long will you
live in defeat and despair? How long will you pretend? You've given up
and decided just to maintain. Well, I have a message for you today and
it's simply this, "Don't Quit."
Paul gives us some key ingredients we must possess if we are not going
to quit. Get a grip on these today and let today be the day your life
turns around.
PURPOSE
2 Corinthians 4:1 - "Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we
have received mercy, we do not lose heart."
What are you supposed to do when you see "therefore" in scripture?
You back up and read prior to what you've just read. When you do you will
find out what kind of ministry Paul has received. It is being contrasted
with the Old Testament ministry. Paul is focusing on his purpose, which
is a reason for him "not to lose heart." You see if you focus
on your problem you will lose your purpose. When you do you will be tempted
to quit. People who are ready to quit have lost their purpose. You need
to help them discover their purpose again. I'm not going to spend much
time on this particular point because I will be addressing purpose again
next week more extensively.
POWER
2 Corinthians 4:7 - "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
What is happening inside of you is infinitely more important than what
happening outside of you. Paul realizes the weakness of humanity, thus
comparing us to "earthen vessels." These are vessels that are
subject to breaking and cracking and leaking. Nevertheless, God has deposited
a "treasure" inside of us. This treasure excels in power. The
word "power" in this verse is the Greek word "dunamis,"
which is transliterated in the English as dynamite. Friend, if you will
receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God will deposit in you
a dynamite that will expel and explode the disappointment and discouragement
off of your heart and mind. That power will cause you to excel and have
a "don't quit" attitude to help you persevere through the most
difficult trials. It is a power that originates with God and is from Him.
You will come to experience a strength that is motivating you to go on
when everything else around you is screaming, "give up."
PASSION
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not
crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed-always carrying about in the body the dying
of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
body."
To be able to overcome obstacles of the magnitude Paul faced, you must
have passion. That passion must be directed in the right place. Psalm
73:25,26 - "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none on earth
that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail;(in other words,
there are times I am ready to quit) But God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."
When I was growing up the Cincinnati Reds was a team to be reckoned with
in Baseball. They had great players such as Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, and
Johnny Bench, just to name a few. There was another player on the team
who provided them with a spark that helped the Reds to win the pennant
and also the World Series. He gave it his all on the field and was nicknamed
"Charley Hustle." He was once asked which goes first on a player:
his eyes, his legs, or his arm. Rose said, "None of these things.
Its when his enthusiasm goes that he's through as a player."
You must have a passion in life that causes you to carry on when everything
else is failing. Passion will make you stay up a little later, get up
a little earlier, stay a little longer, practice beyond quitting time,
study a little more, pray a little longer, believe when circumstances
say not to, love when people are difficult, forgive when others don't
deserve it, serve when others are selfish. You can exist without passion
but you can't really live without it.
PERSPECTIVE
2 Corinthians 4:16,17 - "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though
our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed say
by day. For out light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
Paul's perspective is a unique one. Things are happening around him that
are not pleasant, but he realizes they have the potential to benefit him
in the long run. Please hear this today. You can't possibly see any benefit
to what you're going through or what you've been through. That's why you're
tempted to quit. But you need a new perspective on things today. God wants
to anoint your eyes to see differently. You're waiting for things to change
and God wants to give you a new pair of glasses so you can see better.
You say, "Pastor, what good could possible come out of this?"
Let's go back to the beginning of 2 Corinthians to get some perspective.
Chapter 1 beginning at verse 3…
PICTURE
2 Corinthians 4:18 - "While we do not look at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
What we need is a new picture. You've been looking at the same old Polaroid
too long. God has a new picture for you. Quit looking at the things that
are and start looking at the things that are not. You need a picture of
the eternal. As long as you look at the temporary you will be frustrated,
disappointed, and ready to quit. But focusing on the eternal makes living
worthwhile.
Psalm 40:12 says, "For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities
have overtaken me so that I am not able to look up…" When your
difficulties are to the place you are unable to look up, we have problems.
What we need to do is what David points out in the first three verses,
"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard
my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new
song in my mouth-Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will
trust in the Lord."
After 9/11 this nation could have rolled over and died….
Is it easy? No. Is there pain? Yes. But there is a mission to accomplish.
There are people that need help. There are lives that need to be rescued.
It's time to move on, dear friend. And God is here to help you today.
