The Christian that wont quit
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Good morning, turn with me in your Bible to the book of we will be starting in verse 11. I wanna talk to you this morning on this subject, THE CHRISTIAN THAT WONT QUIT. (repeat) We have alot of starters but we have very little finishers. Paul his entire life as a christian had wanted to get to Rome, why?
To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead. Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed three days. From there, after making a circuit along the coast, we reached Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days.
And so we came to Rome. Now the believers from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. When we entered Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them: “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since I had not committed a capital offense. Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; it was not as though I had any accusation against my nation. For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.”
Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you. But we would like to hear from you what you think. For concerning this sect, we are aware that it is spoken against everywhere.”
After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and witnessed about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.
Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit correctly spoke through the prophet Isaiah to your ancestors when He said,
Go to these people and say:
You will listen and listen,
yet never understand;
and you will look and look,
yet never perceive.
For the hearts of these people
have grown callous,
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted,
and I would heal them.
Therefore, let it be known to you that this saving work of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen!” [After he said these things, the Jews departed, while engaging in a prolonged debate among themselves.]
Then he stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with full boldness and without hindrance.
Acts 28:11-
It is my prayer that you catch the spirit of the apostle Paul, he was someone who got knocked down pushed down, but he wouldnt stay down. I want to encourage you to be a Christian that wont quit. Should the Lord allow you to live, I pray that no matter what this world or life throws at you that you will not quit seeking to follow Jesus.
I say this because every year people make this resolution I am going to be more obedient to the Lord this year, or I want to be closer to God, or something to that effect but then life hits and it hits hard and people just throw in the towel way too son, and never experiencethe joy of serving the Lord they way God desires for us to.
How can we be the Christian who doesnt quit?
3 simple things from this passage.
If you want to be the Christian who doesnt quit, you have got to develop the pattern of
FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
I cannot tell you how important it is for you to be around other Christians who love the Lord. you are going to be influenced by the people around you. So if you are going to be influenced by the people around you, get some people around you that love the Lord Jesus.
After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead.
They had been stranded on the Island of Malta for about 90 days because their ship had wrecked and was scattered all along the reef. Luke was still with Paul, Luke was a physical doctor but he was more than a physical doctor he was a friend of Paul. We know that Paul had some sort of physical disease, something was apprently wrong with his eyes.
you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a physical illness.
You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.
What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
Something was wrong with Pauls eyesight maybe he had been affected by the blinding vision he had of the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. But something was wrong with his eyes, and luke would minister to him physically but even more than that he would minister to Paul with fellowship.
He was probably the best friend Paul really had. So even Paul the great Godly Apostle Paul he needed other Christians.
After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead.
Who are the twin brothers and why are they on the ship?
They were a carved like image of two Greek mythology figures who were the sons of zeus, and their names were castor and pollux they were thought to be the gods of navigation. the Greeks believed that if you saw their constellation which was gemeni they thought if you looked up in the sky and saw gemeni which was the mark of Castor and polux it was a sign of good luck and you would make it through the storm.
Now why am I telling you all of that I dont know why Luke put it there I dont know, but if its there I will tell you about it. Alright Luke and Paul then continued
Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed three days.
From there, after making a circuit along the coast, we reached Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and the second day we came to Puteoli.
Puteoli was on the eastern shore of Italy it was the place where all the big grain ships like Paul was sailing on, were coming in to port at alexandria and the Bible says for 7 days Paul and Luke under house arrest stayed with the believers there.
There we found believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days.
And so we came to Rome.
Finally we get to Rome we came from Jerusalem where the church started we went Antioch where missions started we have gone all over the world but NOW finally we come to Rome. It is here where Paul would take foot and eventually walk into Rome.
Notice what happened
Now the believers from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
Some of the Roman Christians heard that Paul was there, he had arrived and they ran from Rome to meet him. They came and met him at the market of Appius, that was 43 miles from Rome. Others met him at the three taverns which was 31 miles from Rome.
The excitement the people had to meet Paul and encourage him strengthened him. As he fellow shipped with people who were new to the faith, he realized his work was not in vain. Finally Paul arrived in Rome and was able to have visitors since he was under house arrest.
When we entered Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
PAUL NEEDED THE FELLOWSHIP OF OTHER BELIEVERS
Christians that dont quit understand the need for fellowshipping with other believers.
How many of you have ever grilled out, I aint talking about gas grilling either Im talking about charcoal grilling. You got a charcoal chimney that you stack all your coals in, its gotta handle on it so you dont burn your hand. If your a baptist you dont put a little lighter fluid on that thing, you coer that bad boy up with lighter fluid, and then you take a match and then you get back a little bit and you throw it at it...
then bussh it blows upand then after awhile the black coals are turning white and you look and you say yeah baby time to put that meat on… you then pour those hot coals into the grill and what happens?
burning good hot ready to cook, but you always have one or two coals falls away from the others and what happens? It gets hard and it gets cold right?
It makes no real difference, it just lays there wasted
Thats what is gonna happen to your life if you pull away from the fire of fellowship of other believers. Thats what happens when you think church is not a priority.
it doesnt take long for a briquette to fall away and get hard and cold, and brother and sister it doesnt take long, for you to get and cold towards the things of God if you get away from the people of God.
I thank God for the brotherhood and sisterhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we perfect far from it, but have you ever wondered why relationships can get so easily strained at church? Could it be that Satan knows that a unified loving church is a dangerous church and he is doing everything in his might to prevent that from happening?
DONT LET THE FIRE GO OUT
And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
HOW MANY OF YOU NEED ENCOURAGEMENT
ANYBODY OUT THERE?
HOW MANY OF YOU NEED TO BE STIMULATED ANYBODY OUT THERE?
Heres a challenge church member be a catalyst for Jesus Christ, stir someone up to good works, rather than stirring them up by telling them the latest gossip, stir someone up by telling them how good God is and what He has done in your life this week.
Be a catalyst for change!
Maybe your on the fence and you have wanted to join but you are test driving the church, can I just say you can come here and get us warts and all and we will love you and try our hardest to help you grow in godliness or you can head somewhere else where they fake it and they dont know whether you are there from one week to the next.
Either way GOD COMMANDS YOU DONT LET THE FIRE GO OUT BY BEING AWAY FROM OTHER CHRISTIANS!
As we approach the day of Jesus Christ its not going to get better in this world its going to get WORSE but the good thing about it is, we have the Lord and we have each other. LETS STICK TOGETHER.
Look at me, lets not get divided over petty thing that don’t really matter,WERE ALL CREATED BY GOD IN THE IMAGE OF GOD AND LETS LOVE EVERYBODY!
If you see someone and they look down and depressed don’t just sit there in your own little world you be as Christlike to them as you can be. FIND YOURSELF A SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
A CHRISTIAN THAT WONT QUIT SURROUNDS THEMSELVES WITH PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE LORD AND IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THEIR AGE IS, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE OR TALK LIKE, DO THEY LOVE JESUS? DO THEY STRIVE FOR GODLINESS THEN SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT!
I want my heart to stay burning for Jesus, i don’t want to burn out, but I have to have fellowship with those who will stir me up to be the best I can be for the Lord.
If you wanna be a Christian that don’t quit then make church a non-negotiable.
Faithfully share the gospel
Faithfully share the gospel
Something happens to you when you share the gospel, that will not happen to you any other way. There is just something about sharing the gospel faithfully. Paul was faithful in this.
Acts 28
After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them: “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Paul waited as long as he could he made it three days and he said I gotta tell someone about Jesus so after three days He started sharing the gospel. He started with the Jews which was his custom.
I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. So I am eager to preach the good news to you also who are in Rome.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
So he starts with the Jews.
After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them: “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
Sounds alot like what happened to Jesus. Jesus said im gonna be delivered by the Jews to the Romans and now Paul is saying i have been delivered by the Jews to the Romans. Paul was putting himself in a Christlike manner, and following the steps of his Lord.
After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since I had not committed a capital offense.
Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; it was not as though I had any accusation against my nation. For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.”
Acts
now how did these leaders of the Jews respond? they played it cool. they acted as though they had never heard of Paul which is highly unlikely, Pauls conversion to Christ was known abroad as well as it was in Jerusalem.
Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you.
that doesnt mean that they dont know him but they are saying they dont have any bad info about him. but you know they had to have heard otherwise, you know they had heard that Paul had converted from Judaism to Christinity.
They are just telling a lie.
But we would like to hear from you what you think. For concerning this sect, we are aware that it is spoken against everywhere.”
Now the meeting with the Jewish leadership was over. soon they would reconvene, and they would bring not only the leaders who were there but they would bring many other Jews to Pauls rented residence and he would give them from morning to night one of the greatest sermons it wasnt just a sermon it was a dialogue, he preached and he taught them the gospel of Jesus.
After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and witnessed about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets.
Now if you wanna know what a preacher ought to be thats what a preacher ought to be right there. he ought to be preaching the kingdom, and showing the connection between the prophets and the OT to the NT and Jesus.
He was testifying about the kingdom of god it was persuasive preaching, he was trying to persuade them to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus and to recieve Him it was Christ centered preaching, it was about the virgin birth of Jesus, the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus, the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
That Jesus is the Messiah crucified but raised from the dead and took away our curse and our sin. It was Biblical preaching nothing more nothing less, and if you think I am long winded you wouldnt have lasted long with Jesus and Paul, Paul once preached so long someone fell out of the window from a couple stories up and he died and then Paul went downstairs and raised him back to life.
LESSON?
DONT FALL ASLEEP IN CHURCH LOL
Its our job to deliver the sermon but we cant make anybody eat it
Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.
Acts
Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit correctly spoke through the prophet Isaiah to your ancestors
when He said,
Go to these people and say:
You will listen and listen,
yet never understand;
and you will look and look,
yet never perceive.
For the hearts of these people
have grown callous,
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted,
and I would heal them.
God did not shut their eyes and their ears they did, you have a choice when you sit in this sanctuary to listen for the voice of God speaking through His word or you can shut your heart off to it!
Gods word will wound you spiritually that He might heal you spiritually. But when your wounded by the word dont draw away from it and reject it, draw near and let God heal you on the inside.
If you reject the word of God there comes a point we dont know when its for each indiidual there comes a point where you reject the word of God your heart will become calloused and you will never hear the voice of God again.
this is exactly what God was saying through Isaiah, He saw the Lord high and lifted up and He said woe is me for i am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord.
He touched his lips with a burning coal to cleanse him, and the Lord said whom shall I send and who will go for me, and Isaiah said here I am send me!
God said ok you go but I want you to know that I am sending you to a people who wont listen to you!
this same text Jesus took it and rebuked the Jewish leaders and thats exactly what Paul did here. He said hey I just want you to know God wrote something about you, you have hardened your heart, you have refused to listen to God, you have refused to see the word of God. You think you know everything God tried to save you, god wanted to turn you around Isaiah said your forefathers did this and guess what like father like son.
He says you turned away from this but the gentiles will listen.
You may think you may stop Christianty Paul is saying here, but he says NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP THE PLANS OF GOD NOT EVEN THE REJECTION BY HIS OWN PEOPLE!
Therefore, let it be known to you that this saving work of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen!”
For the most part were the Gentiles he was talking about amen
the Gentiles they will listen!
[After he said these things, the Jews departed, while engaging in a prolonged debate among themselves.]
He was faithfully sharing the gospel, something happens to you when you share the gospel. I get to preach and thats great but something happens to me when I share the gospel one on one no sermon just me and the other person.
YOU NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING HERE THIS MORNING GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO SHARE JESUS NOT JUST GIVE AN INVITATION TO CHURCH!!!
THAT GREAT BUT INVITING PEOPLE TO CHURCH MAYBE A STARTING POINT BUT JESUS SAYS DONT BE ASHAMED OF ME!! TELL THEM YOUR MINE AND TELL THEM HOW I CHANGED YOU HE CAN THEM!
THATS WHAT PLEASES THE HEART OF GOD
I AM TELLING YOU GOD IS MORE HAPPY WHEN HIS CHILD IS OBEDIENT NO MATTER HOW IT TURNS OUT THAN HE IS WHEN WE ARE AFRAID AND ASHAMED!
Dont you understand sharing the gospel does something inside of you?
When you talk about someone you talk about them, if you dont talk about them maybe you dont love them as much as you think you do.
(AMY)
If you love Jesus with your heart he is gonna come out of your mouth!
(Mike Edmonson)
I dont want to fizzle out
Fellowship
Share my faith
Focus my life on the Kingdom of God
Focus my life on the Kingdom of God
Im not gonna focus my life on money, I am not going to focus my life on what other people think of me, things, houses, careers, family.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
Im gonna be a Kingdom man
Acts 28:
Then he stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him,
WATCH OUT HE IS GONNA TELL YOU ABOUT JESUS!
I hope that can be said of me,
Better watch out if you go see Kyle he is gonna tell you about Jesus!
Examples JAN, DANNY, EDDIE, MIKE, CORY, SCOTTIE,
I hope thats said of me
proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with full boldness and without hindrance.
Paul died sharing the gospel! \
His lazer focus was on the kingdom of God and since he was spurred on by other believers, since he shared his faith, since Christianty was a lifestyle not a belief system he ste his eyes on the kingdom of Heaven where he would go when he died he was a CHristian that would not quit.
WHO WILL YOU BE?
WILL YOU BE A LONG LASTING CHRISTIAN, OR WILL YOUR FIRE FIZZLE OUT WILL YOU BECOME HARD AND COLD?
WILL YOU STAY HARD AND COLD?
(Heart of stone)
(let’s pray)