Are You a Quitter or a Winner?

It's easy for us humans to boast. I will do this. I will prevail. I will succeed. You know, sometimes we feel a conviction, we feel a resolve, and we want to express that. We become determined. I will do this. I will be victorious. You know, Jesus chose valiant men to be his disciples. These were not wimpy men. Some of them were professional fishermen with skill and resolve, who faced weather and certain danger as being professional fishermen. Others worked for the Roman Empire as tax collectors, and they too had to be rather bold and also worked in a very difficult job. These disciples, Peter and the others, were brave men and men of conviction. In Matthew chapter 26 in verse 33, Peter answered and said to Jesus Christ, even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble. You could see his conviction. You could see his resolve.

He was not going to be a coward. In the next verse, verse 34, Jesus said to him, assuredly I say to you that this night before the rooster crows, it's heading towards morning here, while it's still dark here in just a little while, you will deny me three times. Peter said to him, wait a minute, even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And so said all the disciples, we will not deny, even if we have to die with you. That's conviction based on three years with Jesus Christ, based on them being disciples and followers and believers and his influence and the miracles that they saw. In verse 69, it says, and the servant girl saw Peter again and said to those who stood by, this is one of them, but he denied it again.

It's still dark.

From brave men to quitters in just minutes or hours, what happened? And will that happen to you? Will that happen to me?

That's a very good question for us. You and I can sit here all full of resolve and all full of conviction and we can say, oh yeah, that's Satan ain't gonna get me.

The times ahead, they're not going to knock me down. The trials and what people can say and do against me, that won't hurt me. You know, sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me. And so it is from the comfort of where we are at the moment, we can have a lot of resolve for things that are in the future. In Matthew chapter 25 verses 23 through 27, this is what you want said to you. Not that you'll deny me in a few hours, but this well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things and I will make you ruler over many things.

Enter into the joy of your Lord. And then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, gathering where you have not scattered seed. Yes, I came along on this journey, but you know, I didn't sign on for this.

What, the reaping where you didn't sow, gathering where you didn't even scatter seed? Verse 25, And I was afraid of what I had gotten myself into, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.

Just like the disciples, fear shuts this man down. He says, I was afraid. Peter was afraid. The disciples were afraid. One of them ran away and somebody grabbed his tunic and he left it and ran naked. They were so afraid. They didn't sign on for this. Jesus tells us that not all who begin the journey to the kingdom are going to prevail. They're not going to finish the journey. Why is that?

In 1 John 2, verses 17-19, we find that this environment, this life that you and I have, isn't going to last forever. We really need to be in God's kingdom. We need to be successful.

And yet, we're warned so many times that not everyone will be. 1 John 2, verse 17, it says, And the world is passing away, and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever. The will of God. 2 John 3, verse 18, loving God with all your heart, soul, and might, loving your neighbor as yourself in all situations, in every situation that comes on. Now, today it's easy.

And we'll go back. We'll have a little bit to eat. Would you like some? Would you like to get in line? That's fine. But there are other circumstances we can get into when it's not so fine. When people are trying to hurt you, harm you, even kill you. God tells you to love them as well. Love your enemies. Pray for them. Bless them. That's when it gets a little hard. He who does the will of God abides forever. Little children, it's the last hour. And as you have heard, the antichrist is coming. Uh-oh! It's not just sitting here, is it? It's somebody coming to deceive with lying signs and wonders who could deceive possibly even the very elect. It's all kind of turmoil and people turning each other in. The antichrist is coming. Even now, many antichrists have come, by which we know that it's the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us. Uh-oh! There's going to be this contention and pushing and pulling. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out. Some in the church quit. To get that? They didn't continue. They went out. They went from us. They started with us, but they caved in to carnal nature. They gave up when the going got tough, when it got difficult, when it got challenging, when it was hard to see people act the way they did or think the way they did or do the things they did. And they just shut down.

They just said, I don't know, I'm just going to hide my Holy Spirit in this napkin and bury it. I'm going to shift into neutral. I'm just going to go away. I'm just going to give up.

There's a sign that sits on my desk that says, Quitters Never Win.

You know, those individuals we just read about here in 1 John that didn't continue, they went out.

They don't win. Win is an important thing. Winning is everything because the term winning in the Greek translates to an overcomer. An overcomer is just a military term. It's the one who won. It's the guy who ended up on top. An overcomer is the one Paul is referring to where he says, you know what, in the race there's only one winner. So run in a way that you can obtain that crown. It's important that you be a winner, that you don't let Satan defeat you.

We are called to be firstfruits. The firstfruits are the ones resurrected with Jesus Christ, and they will reign with Him. In the Bible there are terms like race, fight, battle, and the victors gain entry. The righteous take the kingdom by force, not that they storm the doors.

They are strong in the power of God's might in wrestling against the wiles of the devil in themselves. So the question I'd like to ask all of us, including myself, will you be a winner or will you be a quitter? Now we can all say, yeah, I'm going to be a winner!

We could have a little cheer. We could get some of the ladies to lead us in a cheer, and we could get all emotional. Just like the disciples said, no, we'll never die before we forsake you. A couple or three hours later, where are they? It's not about emotions.

It's not about coming to church and getting all jazzed up. That was a great sermon, and now I'm all confused. It's not emotion. The question is a real one. Will you be a winner or a quitter? It really speaks to who you and I are now. The title of the sermon today is, Are You a Winner or a Quitter? This doesn't pigeonhole you anywhere. It's kind of a working question. I've been a quitter in my life. I've been a quitter to say, I see those things over there, but I'm not going to deal with those. I'm not going to deal with sins. I'm not going to deal with problems. I'm going to quit to that. I'm going to take this Holy Spirit. I'm just going to sort of keep it over here. I'm not going to look at that stuff.

I'm going to be a quitter, and I'm going to follow human nature, and I'm going to enhance myself, and I'm going to do those things that make me feel good and nice, and blah, blah, blah. That's a quitter. At some point, God has shaken me at many points, in fact, and said, you know what? You're a quitter. Wake up! Mr. Armstrong used to yell that during church.

Wake up! He'd yell. Wow! We need to wake up and get going here. Some of you people, half of you people, just don't get it. Maybe we do need to wake up. Maybe we do need to start winning this battle. In other words, maybe we do start need to be overcoming our sins, which doesn't sort of mean just working with it. It means to win, to be the victor.

So the question is a good one for us every day. Am I a winner? Am I an overcomer?

Or am I a quitter? Do I run away?

It's easy to sign on for the benefits. I think everyone's seen those free vacation offers.

Free week in Cancun. Hey, sounds good to me. All you got to do is stop in for a 90-minute presentation. Everybody wants the freebies, don't they? Everybody wants to sign on for the benefits. Lots of takers. But how many actually belly up to pay the $20,000 for the timeshare?

See? Same with the Kingdom of God. Everybody wants the live forever part.

Everybody wants the no sorrow, no tears aspect. Everybody wants the no pain.

But who wants to be a fighter? Who wants to be a victor? Who wants to get in there and run the race, fight the battle, and actually win?

In Matthew 22, verse 11, there's a story about me. In Matthew 22, verse 11, the king came in to see the guest. He saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. That would be me. I am not perfect. Or that could be Paul, who said, oh, wretched man that I am. Or if you pray, or you fast, or you meditate, you may realize, you know what? I've kind of got the wrong outfit on. I don't have the white, clean lace purified that the bride of Christ has. I've got some spots on me. And I need to get that spot, that uncleanliness out of me. Will I be a winner or a quitter when Christ returns? Well, you see, now there's time. Speaking to somebody as we came in the door today, my friend said, yeah, it's good that we have time to change. That's a good way to look at it.

We are here. We have time left to change, to change our situation, to change from this individual here who didn't have a wedding garment on. It's not a place you get stuck in in life. It's not, oh, God created me a sinner, and I'm just bound to be in the lake of fire. That's just what I was created to be. 2 Peter 3, verse 9, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So let's get going. That's the idea here today, is let's stop and find out if we're quitters and change that into being winners, the overcomers, the ones who win. In verse 12, Jesus said, friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. He had some other garments on. Maybe he had the doctrine garment on or the prophecy garment. Maybe he had the new moon garment or the Passover on the right day garment or the right leader garment or the right government garment. He had something on, but he didn't have on the wedding garment. And that's what we have to have on.

So you see, we can all sort of be quitters and yet say, well, I got something else over here.

How about a peanut butter sandwich? You know, I may not have a bunch of minas, but I've got a bunch of peanut butter, let work, and crisis. Come on.

You're here to develop something that I've told you to develop. And so the king says to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him in outer darkness, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. Many will sign up to receive salvation, but few will endure the criterion for producing the fruit that God wants.

We'll give him something else.

You know, we can be opportunists. We can say, I know the truth and I know what the result is of the faithful, and that's the kingdom of God. That's the place of safety. That's the harvest of the first fruits. That's reigning with Christ. It's all the wonderful things. It's like hanging around a rich person. Rich, it says in Proverbs 14, 20, have many friends, as long as they're rich, because some of that's liable to rub off. However, Jesus Christ is rich. God the Father is rich, and if we are opportunists, we want to hang around. I'll do what I have to here. I want some of this to rub off. I want blessings. I want good health. I want money. I want this to rub off. And then I want to be in the kingdom. But opportunists are uncommitted.

They're fair-weather friends, and that's what the disciples were to Jesus. They were fair-weather friends. As long as the times were good, as long as the miracles were rolling, the wine barrels were coming, and you're kind of heroes every town you come to, because you're just so happy. People are so happy with you because you're healing them and feeding them fish and everything.

Everything's great. But the disciples were opportunists. When things went a different way, they scattered, just like fair-weather friends. They're your friends as long as things are okay, but when things turn sour, I know people whose lives really go under, they say, where did everybody go? Where is everybody? There's nobody here in my time of trouble.

Scatter when the storm comes. They're flighty. And it's exactly what we read about people in the church. John says, they were of us, or they were with us, but they weren't really of us, because then they left. And they would leave, typically, when persecution came on the church, and sometimes they caused the persecution. In Proverbs 24, verse 10, it says this, If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

Now, that's a powerful statement. If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

Your commitment is small. Maybe your resolve isn't so small, and your intentions aren't so small, like the disciples, but you've really got nothing to back it up. There's no strength. There's no power. It's like in John 10, verse 12. Here's what Jesus says about those of us who are in the ministry. And pastoring. Pasturing is what the term pastor just means to pasture someone. It's a sheep term. It's like David said, I am a sheep in the 23rd Psalm. You're the shepherd. I'm the sheep. Well, the great shepherd is Jesus Christ, and he has brought some to work for him, supposedly like he does. But some are hirelings. It says in John 10, verse 12, but a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming. And what's a wolf to him? Well, it's danger. I mean, a wolf usually comes in a pack. And we're not talking about foxes here. We're talking about wolves with big teeth.

And the wolves come, see, kind of like the Roman centurions came. And what happens? The hireling leaves the sheep and flees because he's afraid, because he doesn't have the strength. He doesn't have the fortitude. He says, I didn't sign on for this. I'm supposed to move these sheep from the grass to the water and get back. But wolves? Uh-uh. Nobody told me about wolves. Nobody told me that I could get eaten. And the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. And the hireling flees because he's a hireling and does not care about the sheep. See, now we begin to get into some issues about self-promotion, self-protection, self-concern, and a lack of concern for others. Not really loving your neighbor as much as yourself. In other words, if the wolf's going to eat you and eat me, well, we're kind of in this together, aren't we? Because I love you like myself. No, we don't think like that. You think like the three guys that are out hunting and they see a bear. And the one says, hey, I don't know what we're going to do. Because if you run, a bear will chase you. And no man can run faster than a bear. And the one hunter says to the other ones, he says, oh, I don't have to worry about how fast a bear can run. I just have to outrun you. You know, that is not loving your neighbor as yourself, is it? It's looking out after your own skin. That's what the disciples did. That's what the people in the church that John talks about did. That's what the hireling did. The one who's not truly a shepherd. Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. And I'll tell you right now, I take the responsibility given me very seriously, but there is one shepherd with a capital S, and that is Jesus Christ. And anyone else that he is appointed, called, whatever, we are imperfect. Though I hope and trust that we are convicted and would give our lives to the sheep as well, only because of God's spirit in us. But he says, I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep and I am known by my own. What's important here is Jesus Christ's commitment to you gives you strength. He is not going to run away from you. He's not going to take off when the going gets tough. He promotes courage. He says, you know, he encourages us through the scriptures to rely on the power of his might. We don't have it in us. The disciples didn't have it in them. See, they weren't even baptized at the time. They didn't even have God's Holy Spirit. And when tough times came, they just didn't have anything. Somebody took Jesus away from them and their source was gone.

Their source of power had left until the Holy Spirit came later on. And that infused them with power from God.

We can find that once God becomes committed to us, we can then begin to not only have human resolve and human conviction, but we can take on the faith of God, the power of God, that even if we're not delivered in this lifetime like the faithful did in Hebrews 11, we can just step forward and we can win. We can endure to our end. In Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verse 6, we find that an individual, Moses, who had in his lifetime been a real frady cat, you know, God says, I'm going to have you go down to Pharaoh. He says, not me, Lord. No, no, no, no, no, no, thank you. But these are your people. Oh, well, that's, you know, not my problem. I ran away from them quite a while ago and was tending sheep for 40 years, staying nice and safe. You know, here's this Moses who wouldn't just refuse and beg God, don't make me do anything. And now we find later, once the odds are raised, once we now have literal armies and with pointed spears and horses in huge numbers in the promised land that Israel is supposed to go into, notice what Moses says to them. Deuteronomy 31.6. To Israel, Moses says, you be strong and of good courage. Do not fear nor be afraid of them. For the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you and He will not leave or forsake you. Now, you see, this is where you and I can ultimately become winners. It's through God's help. It's through God living in us.

It's through being imbued with the power to face anything and keep being godly. God will support that. It doesn't mean He's going to put a magic bubble around you. God doesn't do that. But He will continue to help you be enduring in godliness in any situation.

In Hebrews 13, verses 5-8, God speaks to us in similar terms that Moses spoke to Israel, God spoke to Joshua. Now, Paul is going to quote some of that and tell you and I to be strong and courageous in all situations. Hebrews 13, beginning in verse 5, Let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you had, for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Therefore, verse 6, so we may boldly say, we, you and I, can boldly say, the Lord is my helper.

He said that, or David said that, in Psalm 54 and verse 4, the Lord is my helper. God says that to David. God says that to you and me. This is David who could go on and develop a confidence in God's help from his youth. Fight lion, Goliath, enemies, be inspired to write in the Bible.

God doesn't put us in a bubble whereby he prevents harm from coming to us. If you consider that for a minute, when you get in a bad situation, that's normal. You think, well, why did God let me be here? Oh, really? Hey, just a minute. Why did God let Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be inside the fiery furnace? Why didn't he protect them and keep them outside? Why did Daniel go inside the lion's den? See, there are many examples in the Bible that show us that God goes with us into trouble and delivers us out of trouble. He doesn't usually prevent us from going into trouble. What he wants us to do is to develop confidence in being godly.

Develop a resolve that becomes a winning resolve. He doesn't say, pray that I will keep Satan from ever bothering you. No, he says, take on the armor of God. Get it all harnessed up here. Now, let's go into battle and let's fight and let's war and let's chop with Satan's nature inside you.

We're going to be involved in this. He didn't keep the apostles from going to prison. He had the angels come and release them out of prison. And it just goes that way. So going on here, verse 6, so we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what can man do to me that will make me fail. Well, man's going to do some things to you.

And I'm sure he or she already is. But what can man do to you that will cause you to quit?

Without God, I'm sure we all have our quitting points where we just say, you know, I'm done with this. I can't take this anymore. I'm mad as all get out and I ain't going to take it anymore. And you pull the chute and the door opens and down the slide of the airplane you go and you walk away. Now, as the Proverb said, if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Well, you and I know our strength is small, but God's strength in you is small. Something's not right. We have an adversary, therefore there will be adversity.

I remember Israel stuck under Philistine rule, and David walks up and says, who's this uncircumcised gentile that blasphemes the Lord?

It is a conviction based on the power of God. And defying God wasn't right, and David had faith that God would support him. Not that he had real good aim against a giant and full armor, but that God would just see that through.

An example, the Apostle Paul with the Holy Spirit and the relationship that comes out of that in Acts 21, verses 11 through 13.

Acts 21 will begin in verse 11.

The Brethren here, this is being written by Luke, and he said, when Paul had come to us, or when he had come to us, I'm sorry, this is another individual, when he had come to us, he took Paul's belt. This is an individual that had a vision, and this individual came to them.

He knew what was going to happen, and he walked up, he took Paul's own belt, and he bound his own hands and feet with that belt. And he said, Thus says the Holy Spirit, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles? That's pretty scary. That's a pretty scary thing. Just imagine somebody standing there with your belt all tied up and saying, You're going to get delivered to a foreign land, a foreign nation, and they're going to do you harm if you go to Jerusalem.

In verse 12, Luke and the other church members, when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. And Paul answered, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart?

For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

See, Paul had the Holy Spirit now. Paul was one of the apostles. He was empowered with the trust in God, the faith of Jesus Christ, and the conviction of doing what's right. And when God told him to go to Jerusalem, he was going to Jerusalem.

Likewise, your and my personal resolve has little effect whatsoever in a day of adversity. It really means nothing.

We can just run up there and punch that old giant in the knee. And that's about it. Satan is huge. And the emissaries and the powers of darkness, they just squash us like an ant. So don't rely on those things of, Oh, I'll never do this, I'll never do that, or this is never going to happen, or I'll always be this, or, you know, I endured the last cuts in the church, and I'll always be here, or whatever. Well, that's a nice idea, but where does the power come from to make it happen? You've got to have a relationship with God. That's what fasting helps us with. If we're just sailing along, Oh, a good guy, and all my stuff in my life is going well, and everything's great, and therefore God's got to love me, and I'll never, you know, leave him, blah, blah, blah. Well, you know, Satan's listening to all that bravado, and God might just allow something like what happened to Job, and situations come that, you know, when you lose your children, your children, and maybe your grandchildren with them, and the next writer comes up to tell you, now you've lost all your possessions, and now you're covered in boils. At what point do you say, I quit, I'm done, you know, this is it, I'm done, I'm out of here. Job had God's Holy Spirit, didn't he?

Job was able to see a little bit more, but Job was the most righteous man on earth at that time, according to what God said. Job was able to win. He won in the physical life. I believe he'll probably win in the resurrection as well. We don't have a whole lot about those details, but it certainly would seem that way, that he was not a quitter.

Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10 tells us where to get the power, the strength, because our own human resolve of and by itself is just, you know, it's a nice thought. It's a good intention.

Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10 through 18. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, God's might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers and the rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, all of it, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand.

See, that is not, that does not have a quitting point. There's no point where, you know, you're overrun and so you're done and you're down for the count and you're out. It doesn't mean here you're always going to be on top. Battles don't work that way. But you've got to withstand and having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, you may get knocked down, but stand.

Having girded your waist with truth, not anything other than truth, not your own ideas, not tradition, not even church tradition, things that you've always believed in or felt or hoped or thought, but on truth. God's Word is truth. You know what? We need to feed on this every day.

Jesus asks us to pray, give us this day our daily bread. He is the bread. He's got the power. He's got the truth. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, it's not sort of a badge you put on. Okay, I've got it on there. No, breastplate of righteousness means your heart and your heart and your mind, you are pursuing loving God with your heart, soul and might, loving your neighbor as yourself to everyone all the time in every situation. And nothing's going to stop that. You've got this this breastplate on that prevents you from ceasing to love in any situation. Arrows bounce off. Hopefully bullets bounce off. You just keep on loving.

Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace and harmony, feet and shoes that are moving, you're moving forward. You're not sitting, giving up. Above all, take the shield of faith, deep trust in God with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. You know, when the fiery darts are coming in and they hurt and they burn and they're uncomfortable and you say, you know what, I didn't sign on for fiery darts. You quench those, but trust in God.

You know what? It's not about this life. It's not about me. It's not about being exalted in this lifetime. It's not about having my name and my image shined and everybody likes and respects it.

No, that would be the next life, not this one. And so going on, no matter what, you'll be one who died in faith, not having received the promises like those in Hebrews 11. But you quench those darts and you keep moving. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication and the Spirit being watchful to this end. Now are we done? That's a lot. Nope. Three more words. With all perseverance, you keep going. You keep going. You keep going. You just keep on going. Winners never quit.

That's what it means to win. The sign on my desk has the second statement, that winners never quit. Quitters will never win. There's never a time when you can say, it's not my fault, I'm done. You can't win in that situation. But winners never quit. It's not that you win 99% of the time and then you say, oh, I've won enough, but I won't finish. You know, the old rabbit in the, what is it, the tortoise in the hair, tortoise in the rabbit, and the rabbit just races around the court. I'm going to win, I'm not going to win. This little tortoise, he's like, one step at a time, it's so difficult and it's hot. Tortoise zings around close to the finish line, I think it was. He took a nap.

No problem. Just kicked up his little toes and took a nap. You know, the tortoise didn't quit.

He shouldn't have won. He shouldn't have even finished. He's just a slow tortoise. I don't know if you've ever seen a tortoise in a yard, but they move so slow, you tend to just look away and go somewhere else and you come back and say, where is that guy? You know, I thought there's a big yard and there's no tortoise. And you keep moving like we do in this life slowly towards righteousness and you keep going and you don't quit and with all perseverance, we'll make it. We'll be victorious.

In the world, we have to watch out. Mark 13, verses 9 through 13, Jesus warns us to watch out for ourselves. Mark 13, verse 9. But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. Did you sign up for that?

Beaten in the synagogues. Well, you see, what could make you quit? What is it that could make me quit?

If we quit, we don't win. We're not overcomers. We're cowards. Jesus is telling us up front, if you start in this quest to be in the kingdom and my family, you will be beaten. You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. That's what happened to the Apostle Paul, and he was beaten. The gospel must first be preached to all nations, but when they arrest you and deliver you up, you're going to be arrested.

They're going to deliver you up. Don't worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak, but whatever is given you in that hour, speak that. For it's not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

If you want an example of this, you can look in the book of Acts. I think it was about the sixth chapter where Stephen was inspired by God. The Holy Spirit came on him, and he really delivered a sermon. Got him killed in the end, but there's a time that some individuals will be delivered up to the council like he was, and they will speak because, as it says, God will have something to say. Verse 12, now brother will be betrayed brother to death. Did you and I sign on for that? It wasn't in our literature, was it? You know, when you first heard about the church, some of this stuff just wasn't there. You know, if there was some struggle or trial or problem or people did you wrong or whatever, you're like, I am out of here, because it wasn't in the lit.

But look here. Father, his child, children will rise up against parents and be a part of the church. You will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death, and you will be hated by all for my namesake. Now we should put that one right at the front of our literature. Please come to our church so that you can be hated by everyone on earth and just despise and thought evil of.

You know, kind of the phone wouldn't ring very often, would it? But this is the first time that we've ever seen a church that has been put to death. Now notice what he says in the next phrase. Jesus says, But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Do you want to be saved? Will you be a winner or a quitter?

These are things for us to really, really knuckle down. You know, today, the Russians' nuclear generator, the Russians are fitting them in today. And from now on, it's a different world out there. You know, we have an enriched enemy of the western world with, at least to a certain degree, nuclear capability. And a stated intention, not only an intention, but workings and laboratories to enrich uranium up to weapons great.

And some bravado to say that countries in the west are going to be taken out in the future. So, you know, we are entering into times that certainly would be similar to, or at least have the potential to what Jesus Christ said would be ahead. And in whatever the situation, he says, he who endures to the end, endures to the end doing what?

Staying alive? No. Endures to the end living godliness, loving God, loving the neighbor. Now, if it's bad enough out there in the world, getting hauled in and beaten up and killed and whatever, what about in the church? Matthew 24, verses 10-13. Jesus here tells us about problems among our own who attend with us. Matthew 24 and verse 10. Talking about the church.

Then many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another. Wow! Myself would say, wrong church. I'm out of here. This is not my group. I know a bunch of people who observe a different day and some different customs who are really sweet. I'm going to go somewhere else. Wait a minute. In the church, they're going to betray, offend, and hate you. And then many false teachers will rise up and deceive many. Wow! This is coming at us from all angles. You see, adversity is coming.

If it's not already here in your life, adversity is coming. Are you a winner or a quitter? Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Not a few, not some, not nobody. Many. And because lawlessness, which is a lack of love, will abound. The love of many will grow cold. Now, wouldn't you say at this point, this is not true religion, this is not the true church, this is not where I want to be? And then he makes that statement again.

He who endures to the end shall be saved. See, God needs to know some things about you and me. He needs to know whether we really like his nature and that loving of others in any situation, or whether we have a limit.

He wants to know if we are fully involved or we're just partially involved. He who endures to the end will be saved. Again, God doesn't protect us from these problems. Not from trials, not from tests, not from persecution, not even from harm. He helps us through those situations. See, God's love can help you through anything that he described.

God's power, his spirit, his ability to keep you loving and serving and giving, that's more powerful than anything there, if that's what you and I really want. Let's look in Acts 14 and verse 19. Here's a brother of ours who shows us a very good example. It's easy when it's somebody else, you know? You kind of hear the word, oh, that's too bad.

Sorry about that. But imagine you're in this situation. And then some religious people from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuade the multitudes, get the crowds all persuaded. Here you come, you got the message, you got the truth, you got the gospel, you're expecting a nice crowd, you know? But suddenly, everybody's turned. Somebody got to them, somebody poisoned them, and you say, no, no, no, no, I'm not that way. This truth really is, it's good.

And that's when the rocks start flying. And they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city. Supposing he was dead, they left him there. And that's what it'll be like. See, God doesn't come, protect you, and you write off as the great champion. And yes, your honor was defended after all. It doesn't work that way, does it? Sometimes you're just dumped as a pile of dead meat, and people just walk off and they don't even bother to bury you.

That's how little they think of you. Well, there it is. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. See? God healed him. God may have resurrected him. We don't know. God brought him up for another round. Oh, joy! In verse 21, when they had preached the gospel to the city of Derby and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, now get this, we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.

When did we get the idea that this was some sort of a cakewalk, that the people of God were in the perfect group, the perfect environment, would always be blessed, and then would have a little fairy tale escape to a place of safety and be taught for three and a half years while the rest of the world went to hell?

And ain't what the Bible says! We, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. Are you a winner? Are you victorious? Are you an overcomer? Are you a fighter or a quitter? Staying the course at all times is very important in our testing. God needs to know. We need to stay the course. No matter what happens, we keep going forward. Our faith in God, our righteousness. Paul was an example of the real deal.

He was fully committed. He was enduring. He said in Romans 8, verse 36, As it is written, for your sake we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, and yet in all these things we are more than conquerors.

Through Him who loved us, not by ourselves, but through Christ who loves us, we are conquerors of anything that Satan throws against us. We're winners. We'd be sliding the faithful if we didn't remember those who gave their all and stuck. Not the ones who gave, maybe got taken and died, but the ones who really stuck.

Hebrews 11, 35. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Oh, that's good. That's encouraging. Well, that's the true church. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. They didn't quit. They didn't give in. That they might obtain a better resurrection.

Still others had a trial of mockings and scourgings. You know, scourgings is not a good deal. Yes, chains and imprisonment. They were stones, sawn in two. I would not like sawn in two. Shot in the head, I can deal with that one. It's the sawn in two that bothers me. Were tempted, were slain with the sword, wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.

They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. And these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. They didn't receive it yet. And those are the ones who are the winners. They're the overcomers. Revelation 21, verse 7, says this to the winners, He who overcomes, all it means is He who is a winner, He who is victorious, shall inherit all things.

And I will be His God, and He shall be my Son. But notice how verse 8 starts out. But the cowardly, the quitters, they're cowards. You see, they wouldn't fight against their human nature. It says, going on in verse 8, they wouldn't fight against sin. They wouldn't put it out. They wouldn't rise up and take on the armor of God. They wouldn't fight it. They would just go with the course of this world into sin. They wouldn't push against it. They were cowards. So you have right here in verse 7 the winners, in verse 8 the quitters.

Let me ask you a question. Are you a chicken or a pig? Maybe you don't. You've got to be one or the other here. Come on. Are you a chicken or a pig? Now, a little background. The stereotypical American breakfast is bacon and eggs. And so here's where the question comes in. Are you a chicken or a pig? The chicken is associated with breakfast, but the pig is committed.

Are you associated with godliness and God's kingdom? I mean, are you in the right church? Do you like the Bible and the truth? Are you associated with God's kingdom? Do you pray for it to come? Or are you committed to God's kingdom and His righteousness? In John 16, verse 32, Jesus said, Indeed, the hour is coming.

Yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and you will leave me alone. Why? Why did he say that to the disciples? Well, they were partially committed. They had that bravado. Remember? They had those statements, but they were powerless on their own. They were helpless on their own. But Jesus goes on here and gives us an indication that you and I don't have to be like that, because he had the Holy Spirit from birth. He said, You will be scattered and will leave me alone, but yet I am not alone. He had the Father in him.

And he said, Because the Father is with me. The Holy Spirit is our helper. We don't have to be chickens. We don't have to be lightly associated. We don't have to run away. Jesus didn't, and he set us that example. These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. Are you still committed to that tribulation part?

But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world, and I will be living in you. You will have me as your power is what he's saying. The helper will not leave or forsake you. And the big question that remains, then, is, will I leave or forsake God? That's the only variable. Will I quit God because he will not quit on me? In conclusion, brethren, Jesus the Christ was fully committed. Fully committed to the point of everything he did, his entire life, even his blood.

He went to the wall for truth. He went to the wall for righteousness. He went to the wall for you and me. He went to the wall for the family of God, for the kingdom of God. And he lives in you, and he's fighting with you, for you, to win your battle, to overcome the adversary, and to be successful in being part of his family. The winners, the overcomers, who will become the firstfruits, these are committed, and they have the helper, the strength, and the power to endure. These are the ones who are dying to carnality.

They're fighting for righteousness. They are fighting for truth and love. And God is their strength. They are loving God and loving fellow humans in all situations. And anything that's thrown against them, they are able to continue to endure in that love because of God's power and strength. This weekend, the church is fasting. The fast involves a search for sin. And replacing it with the righteous deeds of loving in a godly way. Let's look in 1 Timothy 6. I'll finish with some statements that Paul made to Timothy.

Selfishness, disobedience to God's law, creates fractions. It breaks apart. That's called sin. It causes division, fractured relationships, including our relationship with God. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, verse 3, If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, to love your neighbor as yourself, to love as I have loved you, this new commandment going on, and the doctrine which accords to godliness.

That individual is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words from which come envy and strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the troop, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain for oneself. From such, withdraw yourself. But you, O man of God, flee these carnal things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

That is what we're supposed to be waging war on in ourself. Get out that selfishness and that self-elevating mentality and replace it with righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness for all. This love of God and the selflessness of God, that's His law.

It causes harmony. It causes joy. And it perseveres in all situations. It creates ties that bind. And so, by being godly, we solve any problems that come in our lives between us and others, so much as it depends on you or me. Verse 12. So fight the good fight of faith. Hold on to eternal life. It means, hold on, don't let go. Don't quit. No matter what comes along, don't let go of eternal life to which you are also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you, verse 14, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless, until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing. If we do that, brethren, we will be winners, not quitters.