Too Soon To Quit
Reading: Acts 18:1-11 Text: Acts 18:9-10
After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; [2] And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. [3] And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. [4] And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. [5] And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. [6] And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
[7] And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. [8] And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. [9] Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: [10] For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. [11] And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
For the time that is ours to share, I want to speak, as the Lord shall guide, with this thought in mind:
TOO SOON TO QUIT
This passage or paragraph records the last events in Paul’s second missionary journey. His journey is coming to a close. And the text begins by saying, after departing from Athens, he now comes to Corinth. Corinth was proverbial for its debauchery; which is to say, when the men who lived during that time, wanted to describe utter corruption, they said, “they live as they do in Corinth.” One writer seeking to capture the depravity of this ancient city of Corinth said that the Corinthians loved money. They drank deep from the wells and fountains of pleasure. They wallowed in the mire of vice. They rocked in the chair of voluptuous of luxury. And they lived for things seen and temporal. So it was this kind of city into which Paul arrived to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. But we notice a different kind of Paul in Corinth than had arrived in Athens. In Athens you will remember that Paul’s spirit was provoked. Because he arrived in a city filled with idols and idolatry. But upon arriving in Corinth, he discovered a city not filled with idolatry but a city filled with immorality. The great tragedy was their religion was leading the way. The temple of Aphrodite was where thousand of prostitutes practiced their trade. And so when Paul arrived in Corinth, we noticed here in the text that he was depressed. You can find that in verses 9 and 10. He was discouraged. In other words, Paul had the blues. He’s a different Paul in Corinth than he was in Athens. {He had the blues}.
One thing that I like about the bible, parenthetically speaking, is that it is ruggedly honest about its heroes. And it always presents both sides; when they’re right and wrong, and when they’re up or down. And I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of glad to run up on verse 9, because when I find that I am discouraged, it helps me to identify with folk like Paul, and realize that all hope is not lost.
And so Paul had the blues. As a matter of fact you can read it in Paul’s own words over in 1 Cor. 2:3. In his own words, Paul says, “…I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” And so the question comes to me, what happened to cause Paul to have the blues. {If you help me I won’t have to work to hard.} What happened from Athens to Corinth that caused this great man of God to become dejected, discouraged, dispirited and down in the dust. Well when you search Acts chapter 17, and first ten verses of this 18th chapter, you can up with three or four things that could have caused Paul to be down in the dust.
First of all I believe Paul had the blues and was down in the dust because Paul had a SENSE OF FAILURE. You remember he had preached in Athens in the synagogues, he had preached in the market place, he had been invited upon the Areopagus, to stand on the stone of imprudence and argue his case among the philosophers and the Athenians. But you will also remember that they laughed at him. They said the resurrection was religious. They mocked at him and accused him of being crazy; they called him such names as an idle babbler. So Paul left Mars’ hill, I believe with a sense of failure. I preached the word and they laughed at me. I believe Paul said on his way from Athens to Corinth, “The stones I felt Lystra, were nowhere as painful as the mocking and the laughter I received at Athens.” If you ever try to win somebody to Christ, and they turn Him down, if you’re serious about Jesus, and if you know that if that soul dies, it will go to hell, you can identify with how Paul must have felt. As he left Mars’ hill, I believe he had a sense of failure.
But not only that, there was something else that contributed to his being discouraged; I believe that SIMPLE FATIGUE… the man was tired. If you’ll remember, he went to Athens; he preached on Saturday in the synagogue, he was in the market place on Sunday, he was making tents from Monday to Friday with no day off. And then he had journeyed some 200-300 miles from Berea to Athens, and another 100 or so miles from Athens to Corinth, and when he got in Corinth, he left his companions behind and with Aquila and Priscilla he had to again start making tents. I believe the man was just tired. Now hear me well, somebody has said that our bodies and our souls, live so very close to each other that they tend to catch one another’s disease. In other words when the body is worn out, when the body is weary, then you will discover that you’re not able to mentally and emotionally make the best decisions and be your better self. Have you ever noticed that when you’re tired, it’s so easy for folk to get on your nerves? Have you ever noticed that when you’re tired it so easy for you to get on other folks nerves? Have you ever discovered that it is better to keep your mouth shut when you’re physically tired? Because, you don’t usually do your best thinking; and you’ll say something that you really didn’t mean to say? So you’ve got to be careful about the fact that the soul and body live so close to one another. The man was tired.
But not only that; I believe that he was FRUSTRATED. And I believe his frustration was twofold. Number one, I think he was frustrated because the Jews continued to hound his heels. Everywhere he went on his first missionary journey he ran into opposition from the Jews. And everywhere on this second journey he ran into opposition from the Jews. Now I can tell you from personal experience that when your enemies relentlessly hound you heels, they can sometimes wear you down. You can stay prayed up and handle most situations, but every now and then, if they stay relentlessly on your heels, they’ll catch you one day when you didn’t pray that morning. And most of the time, you are able to control yourself, but every now and then your frustration will overflow. The man was tired and frustrated; everywhere I go these Judaizers hound my heels.
But then I think his frustration was heightened by the challenge of overwhelming odds. Paul was one man, and he didn’t have (according to this text), but two or three people to help him. And there Paul is in a city of more than 700,000 people. And I would imagine that that seemed like invincible odds; to overcome, 700,000 to 3. All I’ve got is Aquila and Priscilla. Let me tell you, it can get frustrating when the odds seem overwhelming. When the odds are 200 to 1, that can cause you to have the blues. And so Paul here had the blues.
But I think you can identify with Paul, because depression, dejection and discouragement, comes to all of us. There’s somebody looking at me right now, your problems, are so difficult that you’re wondering, right now, how long you can bear the load. Somebody, looking at me right now, you’ve already asked the question: am I able to keep on fighting this fight.
So, there Paul was in Corinth; and this text says in essence, he almost quit. He almost quit, because he had the blues. I want you to know that even God’s people can get the blues. And I want you to know that even God’s leaders; and the truth is especially God’s leaders will get the blues, because it’s lonely at the top. You’ve got to stand there by yourself; it’s lonely at the top, therefore it’s easier to get the blues. Paul had the blues.
Elijah got the blues one day. You remember the Lord’s great prophet Elijah. After winning the contest upon Mt. Carmel, he ran from that experience until he stopped under a Juniper tree. {Somebody here reads the bible, don’t they?} Stopped under a Juniper tree, started praying a prayer that he really didn’t mean. He said Lord; kill me, because he had the blues. You know the blues will make you pray stuff you really don’t mean. He said Lord: kill me, but he really didn’t mean that. I know he didn’t mean it because Jezebel was looking for him to kill him then. He didn’t mean it because he was running. And if he really meant, all he had to do was stand still, she would’ve taken care of that part. When you get the blues, it anesthetizes your spiritual understanding; you say and you do things that you really don’t mean. He had the blues. And I want you to know that if you haven’t come to that point; you keep on living. Just keep on living and you’ll come to that point.
Just about the time Paul was ready to throw up his hands and quit, the Lord broke in and said hush Paul, I know what you’re going to say; I want to speak first. I know that you’re planning to resign, but I want to tell you “IT’S TOO SOON TO QUIT.” And the bible says that God came to him in a vision. You know what the old folk used to say; the old folk used to say “the Lord doesn’t come when you want him, but He’s always on time.” You know He came to Moses on the backside of the desert. He came to Isaiah when Isaiah’s hero king died. He came to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. And now He comes to Paul at Corinth. And somebody, looking at me right now, came to church with your mind already made up; “I’m going to quit.” But, the Lord told me to tell you “IT’S TOO SOON TO QUIT.” It’s too soon to quit, because He’ll come to you in your time of need. Just like Jesus, you’re going to have a Garden of Gethsemane; that’s where you’re going to have to drink a bitter cup. Like Jesus, when you stand for right, you’re going to have to face your Calvary. But, I want to tell you that you don’t have to be afraid, He’ll come to you. When you face overwhelming odds at your Corinth, He’ll come to you. IT’S TOO SOON TO QUIT.
Somebody looking at me, you got some position in church and you haven’t gotten any help from above, and you haven’t gotten any from below; you’ve been thinking about quitting. Can’t get no support; nobody appreciates what I’m doing; I believe I’ll quit. I want you to know that anybody can quit. It doesn’t take a whole lot of anything to quit. Nobody’s ever been immortalized who was known for quitting. And some folks, that’s all they’re known for; how many times they have resigned. When you think about certain folks, all you can think about is how many times they have quit. They quit everything; just let it get tough. Let the road get a little rough; you can bet on it, they’re going to quit. Well, THE LORD SENT ME TO TELL YOU, IF YOU HOLD ON, HE’LL HELP YOU TO CARRY ON. Somebody said, “Hard times are not times to quit. But hard times are times to try harder.” Hang in there. Do you know that if you belong to God, you are fighting a fixed fight? Now, you know what a fixed fight is. That means that you are assured of victory before you ever step in the ring. The child of God is fighting a fixed fight. How do you know preacher? Because, when Jesus died on Calvary, He fixed the fight. He defeated every enemy including death. He took the sting out of death and the victory away from the grave. It’s a fixed fight. And all you need to do to win is just stay in the ring. If you just hold on victory is already yours. I’m determined today that I’m not going to throw in the towel.
Now, look at this text, in verse 9, the Lord came to him and spoke to him in a night vision, “Be not afraid…” I believe Paul needed that word. He needed that word, “be not afraid, but speak, (because Paul was tempted to hold his peace) and hold not thy peace.” Now listen, not only does God tell us to keep on speaking and letting your life speak. In other words have some stick-to-it-tiveness. Develop some stay-with-it-tiveness; hold on.
But then He turns around and gives us reasons why. He doesn’t say stay wit-it and then go on about His business, but He gives three (3) reasons why you need to stay where you are. And there are three (3) reasons why it’s too soon to quit. And all three are in verse 10.
First of all, He says, “For I am with thee…” The first reason why “IT’S TOO SOON TO QUIT” is the promise of God’s presence. Now the promise He makes to Paul, He also makes to every child of God. And He makes that promise to every child of God in Matt. 28:20, “…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” And I believe it’s in Heb. 13:5, where He says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Well, why does He want us to know about His presence preacher? Well, I know that some of you are young, but if you live long enough, you may run into a situation where a husband or a wife may forsake you. You may run into a situation where a mother of father may forsake you. You may run into a situation where a child may turn his or her back on you. You may run into a situation where your friends will ostracize you. And I want you to know that those situations will defy human sanity if you don’t know that there is one who sits high and looks low. There is one, of whom David said in Ps. 27:10, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” And let me tell you, God’s presence is not based on how I feel. Sometimes I don’t feel His presence. But His presence is not based on how I feel; His presence is based on His promise. He said I’d be there.
Verse 10, He says, “IT’S TOO SOON TO QUIT,” because you haven’t taken into consideration the promise of my presence. The reason you need his presence in the midst of problems is because Jesus is the interpreter of our problems. You need His presence in order to rightly interpret the problem. You can’t always say, as a child of God that a problem is just Satan coming at me. You’ve got to look above that and see that God has allowed it for a purpose. You need that problem rightly interpreted. And that interpretation comes from above.
And the He says, “…and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee…” It’s too soon to quit, because of the promise of His protection. He promises His presence, and then He says until I’m ready, no man can hurt you. Paul was afraid of the danger of physical pain. Some people have a hard time thinking that Paul was scared, but he said he was. 1 Cor. 2:3, he said, “I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling,” because of the overwhelming odds. And God never say to a man be not afraid, unless God already knows that the man is scared. Does that make sense? I mean God is not going to tell a man don’t be scared unless that man is scared. And then He comes and says be not afraid, for no man shall hurt you. Now when you know and have known hurt, you could have the mind set, I don’t want to get hurt. And that’s why some folk scared to get married, or get back into a meaningful relationship. I’ve been hurt, and I’m determined not going to get hurt any more. So when you’ve been hurt, you’re much more aware of the danger and the problem and the pain of hurt. Paul had been hurt. Paul had felt the whip on his back, he had been hurt. Paul felt the stones ripping his flesh and crushing his bones; he had been hurt. And there are things that we face that can hurt, but you are immortal until God says that your work is done. Did you hear what I said? I said you are immortal until God says that your work is done.
Check out the life of Paul; and I’ll be through in a moment. Paul was told that he was going to preach in Roman, but he had a shipwreck on the way and the whole ship went down. And I know Paul must have said, how, can I get to Rome when I’m out here in the middle of the sea and all we have is a few planks and broken pieces. But the bible says nobody was lost and they all made on planks, boards and broken pieces. God can help you make it on broken pieces. He can let your salary be cut in half, but he can help you make it on broken pieces. After the ship broke, he made it to an island, and when he got to the island, he got bit by a snake. It was enough for the ship to break, but now a snake has bitten me, I wonder will I get to Rome. But the bible says he shook off the snake and he had no harm. Until God says your work is done you are immortal. It’s too soon to quit; you can’t quit now; hang in there.
And then He says, “…For I have much people in this city.” He talked about the promise of His presence, then He talked about the promise of His protection, and now he talks about the promise of possibility. “…For I have much people in this city.” Now the reason why it’s the promise of possibility is because when God said to Paul“…I have much people in this city,” there wasn’t but three folks, known to Paul, to be there, so He couldn’t be talking about present reality, He had to be talking about future possibility. “…I have much people in this city.” In other words, if you could just hold on and believe in the possibilities, I can bring something out of nothing. He says just believe in the promise of my power and my possibilities. {Oh, that’s good news!} He wasn’t talking about I have 100 Baptist churches over in Corinth. He wasn’t saying I have ten thousands of secret worshipers. Do you know what He was telling Paul? He was saying; you can’t measure my victory by what you see. God was telling Paul, I don’t always work on the level of seeing. Many times I work behind the scenes. And Paul I’m doing some things in the hearts of some of those Corinthians that you can’t see. And you can’t measure my victory by numbers. Some people look out and see three people and they decide God can’t do it. That’s why a whole lot of people don’t tithe; they look in their pocket books and at their bills and decide God can’t do it. And God says you can’t measure my power and my victory by what you have in your pocket book. God is saying I really don’t even need your money; I’m trying to bless you. And if you would have the faith to invest in my kingdom that’s how you put into motion my miraculous power of my economy and aim it toward your pocket-book. You are trying to measure God by what you see. God says you can’t follow me by sight; you’ve got to follow me by faith.
Well, I’m almost through here. I want to say to that teenager, hang in there; it’s working. You can’t quit now. I want to say to that single parent, hang in there; you don’t know; who God’s got in that child. You may have a preacher, who will touch thousands of souls. You may have a missionary. You don’t know; you might have the next president. You don’t know; who God’s got in that child. You hang in there. I want to say to that disturbed wife, you hang in there. You see, because, God’s has got some possibilities that He has placed in that marriage. And God is waiting for the right time to bring those possibilities to the surface. Hang in there. I want to say to that brother that is having a tough time at home; hang in there, God’s got some possibilities you can’t see. And I want to say to that person that’s getting old; hang in there. For if you keep on walking with Him; He keeping on walking with you.
As I close, I just want to tell you that I’m so glad troubles don’t last always. And then I want to tell you that I’m so glad, I got my religion in time. And most of all, I’m so glad that Jesus didn’t quit while hanging on a cross. Somebody said come down. But I’m so glad; He would not come down just to save Himself. But He hung there; He would not quit. Had He quit, we would not be here. Hold on to God’s unchanging hand; it’s too soon to quit.
