Do me a favor this morning. Listen. Listen on purpose. Amen? Don't just tune in, tune out, go here, go there, go the other direction. Listen. Listen. I come here every week, every Wednesday night, and I'm convinced that if they will just listen to me, This will change your life. All right? And then I'm done, and it's, okay, what's next? You know, in my mind, what's going on in your mind? Do you really listen to what is going on? That'll stop in a minute. You don't have to listen to the fan. You can listen to me. What was I saying? Listen. Listen I tell the young people in my class what the best thing you can do the smartest thing you can do is listen The old Quaker put it this way you have been given two ears and one mouth to be used in that quantity We listen twice as much as we talk amen Someone said I've never learned anything while I was talking You know that's a fact So listen to me Not because it's me, I'm just the messenger. I'm here this morning to preach what God has to say. To tell you the truth from God's word. And please, just listen. And apply it to your lives, listen to the Holy Spirit of God who will apply it to your lives. Do you remember the old saying, I know you do, winners never quit and quitters never lose. There's a lot of truth to that. How about this one? You're not a failure when you fail. You're a failure when you quit. The sad fact is people do quit. Christians quit. It's easy to quit. And generally, the only thing you learn by quitting is how to quit. That's it. You don't learn anything else by quitting, you simply learn how to quit. Why does quitting look like an option at times? Why in our lives does quitting look like an easy out? Why does that happen? Why do people quit? Let's look at a couple of examples from God's word as to why People quit Christianity, quit on God, quit doing what they're supposed to be doing. Let's look at Acts chapter 15 and find the first one. Acts chapter 15 verse number 36. And some days after, Paul said unto Barnabas, let us again visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren under the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. Our Father, I pray that you would bless us today as we study your word, guide and direct us as we look at it, and help us be determined we're not gonna be quitters. Lord, bless us in Jesus' name, amen. The first one here is John Mark. We'll call him the struggling saint, the struggling saint. His background, Acts chapter 12, verse number 12, tells us that the early church met in his mother's house for prayer. So this was a young man who grew up around Christians. This was a young man who grew up in the early church where his mother gave everybody a place that they could pray. A place where they could gather together to pray. Now understand, in that day, they did not have buildings. They did not have a church house that they could go to. They didn't have something like that. So his mother opened up the house and they were able to meet there for prayer. In Acts chapter 12, verse number 29, Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch. They left the thriving church at Jerusalem and were hearing about some good things taking place in Antioch. So they went up there to find out what was going on and to help this new church continue growing in grace, continue growing in the word of God, and they knew what to do. They were being wise in their growth in the word of God. And guess who they took with them? John Mark. They took John Mark with them. They thought he was that mature. They thought he was that strong a Christian. They thought the things were going so well for him. He had grown up in the faith. He was doing so well hanging around them that they thought he'd be an asset to them, to the ministry, and they took him with them. Acts chapter number 13. Go back there. Acts chapter number 13. They were at the church at Antioch for a while and in verse number one we read, now there was in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene and Manian which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch and Saul. And they ministered to the Lord and fasted. The Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them and they sent them away. So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed into Seleucia and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and they had also John to their minister. Okay, they bring him again. This is the first missionary trip ever. The first time that the church sent out missionaries by the hand of God, they sent out Barnabas and Saul to go into different parts of the world and preach the gospel and establish churches in the places that they went. Now, Barnabas and Saul took John Mark with them. Again, this is a high compliment on this young man's character. This is a high compliment on what this young man had been doing. And he begins to continue to grow in Christ, help other believers, and go. He'd been doing that for the couple of years they were in Antioch. Now it's time to go to the rest of the world. And they decide, mistake John Mark, somewhere along the way, we don't know when, We don't know where. We don't know what might have happened. We don't know what was going on. But somewhere along the way, a struggle started in John Mark's heart. We've got no inkling as to when, where, why. But somewhere there started something in his heart. Hardships, adversities, problems came to him. Yes. smack dab in the center of God's will. Right where God wanted him to be, doing what was right. Right where he was supposed to be, following God, encouraging Christians, teaching the word of God, good things were happening, something happened in the center of God's will. Wow. Don't let that surprise you. Because the word of God warns us that will happen. Okay, false teachers will say, come to Jesus and something good is gonna happen. What did Jesus say? Let's look at it. Go to John chapter number 16. John chapter number 16. Look at verse number 33. John chapter 16, verse number 33. Jesus said, these things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world, ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. What did Jesus said while you live this life, while you are here, there will be problems. How many have noticed that? Okay, if your hand's not up, something's wrong. Okay, Jesus said, beware, there'll be problems. He'll go on to say, and he's already said, they hated me. Guess what, boys? They're gonna hate you, too. Things are not always gonna be easy. Things are not always gonna be good. Things are not always gonna be great. I will take care of you every step of the way. I can give you peace through it all, but understand, tribulations will come. Go to 2 Timothy, chapter number three. 2 Timothy, chapter number three. 2 Timothy chapter number three, look at verse number 12. This is the apostle Paul's version of live your best life now. He says in 2 Timothy chapter three, verse number 12, yea and all. that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Did you get the positivity there? By that I mean he doesn't say it might. By that I didn't say it could happen. By that I mean he said it's positively going to happen. If you decide you're gonna live for God, if you decide you're gonna do what's right, if you decide you're gonna go ahead and not care what anybody thinks, you're gonna live for God, there's gonna be persecutions that arise. They will happen. Look at 1 Peter chapter number four. 1 Peter chapter number four. 1 Peter chapter four. Verse number 12. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you. What are you saying? When things go wrong, don't be shocked. When things don't turn out the way you want them to every single time, don't be shocked. All right, it is going to happen. Sometimes things will get tough in this life. Understand they are coming. Go to the book of James. Chapter number one, James chapter number one. Verse number two, my brethren, Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith work of patience, but let patience have a perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Once you tell us there, sometimes bad things will happen. Wow. The words of Jesus, the words of Paul, the words of Peter, the words of James, we could go on. There are more. They are all inspired by the Holy Spirit to say what they said and to write it down in the book that God has given to us. So understand, don't be shocked when hardships, adversities, problems, tribulation, persecution comes. Okay, listen to me. John Mark was. He was surprised. Somewhere he missed them saying it's not always gonna be rosy. It's not always gonna be comfortable. It's not always gonna be easy. Sometimes life gets hard, especially when you're living life for Christ. People don't get mad at you. Sometimes life gets hard. Don't be shocked. Well, what did John Mark do? He quit. In the middle of this first missionary trip, he says, I'm going home, guys. I can't take it anymore, I can't handle it anymore, I don't wanna do this anymore, I am out of here. And John Mark quits, he goes home. Okay, just like that, he quits. So much so that if we read in John chapter, excuse me, Acts chapter 15, when they started to go back again and check out the churches, see how they were doing. Barnabas says, let's take John and then Paul says, not a chance, he's a quitter. We're not taking him, not gonna happen. And they were in such a disagreement over this that they departed each other and didn't go with each other anymore. What effect that has. So what should we do? How should that affect us? What should that teach us? Well, first of all, know that struggles will come. Understand that. Get that down. If you've been living a painless life, if you've been living a problem-free life, that is great. I got good news for you. It's not gonna last. I'm just trying to be a blessing. When they come, understand that they said they, Jesus said they'd come. Bible says, They could come. But when struggles invade the mind with thoughts like, why me? What now? Quitting looks pretty good. That's the problem. When we allow those thoughts to invade our thinking, instead of allowing the word of God to impact our thinking, then quitting looks good. It is here when the mind starts saying, why me, what now, that pastors change churches, that church members change churches, that husbands walk out, that wives walk out, that people throw in the towel on a job without thinking because it's all why me, what now, and they just stop or People just quit on God. I don't wanna do this anymore. I'm tired of all of this. That's when we gotta get our head together and get it into the word of God and better yet, get the word of God into our head. And understand, God knows. He's there. And he promised if we don't do wrong, he would work everything out for good. If we're not rash in our decisions, if we don't make bad choices at the wrong time, at the worst time, we'll quit. We'll be gone. And there'll be a mess in our wake. We need to do what is right. Go to Psalm 55, Psalm 55. Psalm 55, verse number one, David writes, excuse me, verse number five, Psalm 55, oh, verse number one, I'm sorry. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me and hear me. I mourn in my complaint and make a noise because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me, and the terrors of death are falling upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. Does it sound like David's in a pretty good place? No, this is David, a man after God's own heart. The sweet psalmist of Israel is now saying, God, I'm in a mess. Everything is falling apart around me. Everything is going crazy around me. Will you help me in this condition? You see, he runs to the place where he can truly find help. Where's he run? God. He runs to God. and he finds help there. Jump down to verse number 22. Look at his advice after it's all done. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Oh, hallelujah. He says, I've learned through good times and I've learned through bad times that my God will sustain me when I cast everything on him. And so he does the first five verses of this psalm. God, I'm a mess. It's all yours. You take care of it. And he says he did. He took care of it all. God never said life would be easy. God never said it'd be a bed of roses. God never said every step you took would be soft and easy and wonderful. No, he never said that. He said, in fact, sometimes it's going to get tough, but I'm here every step of the way. Cast your care upon me. I care for you. And the cross proves it. Amen. So know that struggles will come. And while you're doing that, remember the blessings of faithfulness. Remember that God blesses, what? Faithfulness. Faithfulness. Go in your Bibles to the New Testament, 1 Corinthians chapter number four. 1 Corinthians chapter number four. 1 Corinthians chapter four, verse number two. Paul writes, moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found successful. No, he doesn't say that. Comfortable. No, he doesn't say that. Easygoing. No, he doesn't say that. It's required that a man be found, what's the word? Faithful. Faithful. Now, I could stand here this morning and rattle off a million things that only some of us could do. And when I say some of us, I'm not including me in saying I'm kind of super Christian, because I'm not. Only a few could do so many things that are out there that could be required of us. But how many of us can be faithful? Let's try that again, because I want it to sink in deep. How many of us can be faithful? Every single one of us. And that is what God has called you to be, faithful. Not quitters. He's called you to be faithful. Go to Matthew chapter number 25, Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. Verse number 21, his Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant, thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Verse 23, his Lord said unto him, well done, good and faithful servant, thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. You know what took place here. The master went away, he gave his, servants, his goods to be invested for him. And then he leaves for a far country. He comes back, he brings them into account, three of them. One he gave five talents, one he gave two talents, and he gives the same reward to both of them. He doesn't tell the one, how come you didn't do this? He knew what he could do, and he gave that to him according to his ability. And he tells the other one the same thing. They both get the exact same reward. Why? God blessed their faithfulness. They did what they could with what they had for their master. That is exactly what you have been called to do every single day of your life. You're to do what you can do today with what God has given you today for God's honor and glory. Amen. What more can you do? Nothing. What else can you do? You can quit. You can quit. But quitting should never be a part of our vocabulary. We need to move forward for a God who has never quit on us. Wow. What a God we serve. What a savior we have. Amen. Take your Bible, go to 2 Timothy chapter number four. Let's look at another example. 2 Timothy chapter number four. Verse number 10, 2 Timothy 4, verse number 10. For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Demas, we'll call him the sinning saint. The sinning saint. We read about him. basically only in Paul's sign-offs to the letters he's written to the churches. All we know about this young man by the name of Demas is that he served God faithfully for a while and then decided he loved this present world and quit on God. Go back to Colossians chapter number four, Colossians chapter number four. Colossians chapter four, verse number 14. This is Paul's sign off to the church at Colossae. He writes, Luke, the beloved physician and Demas greet you. Okay, Demas is with me, he's serving with me and he says to say hi. Okay, that means he's doing well. Go to the book of Philemon. Verse 24, again he's signing off to Philemon. In verse 24 he writes, Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers. Okay, so we know about him. We know that he was a companion of the Apostle Paul. He didn't quit on John Mark, excuse me, like John Mark, didn't quit like John Mark right away. He continues on with Paul for a while. A fellow laborer, a minister, a servant. These are the words Paul gave to him. This was a good guy. This was a guy seeking to do what was right outwardly. Seeking to follow the Lord, follow Paul's example, and do what God would have him do. He served God faithfully. For a time. For a time. And then, again, something happens in his heart. Something happens on the inside where he decides things going on around me look better than things that I'm involved in. and he loved this present world. Contrast his choices to the choices that Moses made, Hebrews chapter 11, where Moses would rather endure suffering with the people of God than the pleasures of sin. That he would rather see the God who is invisible than sit on the next throne of Egypt. Contrast those choices. Demas, having loved this present world, quit. He fixed his eyes and heart on things here and now instead of the eternal. Paul will write in Colossians chapter three, verse number two, set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth. And Demas sets his affection here, he loved this present world. Understand that the lie that comes your way at this point is, I'm missing out. I'm missing out. Look what they get to do, look how they get to live, look what they're having, look what they're doing, look what's happening all around me, but not me. I am missing out. Go to 1 John chapter number two. 1 John chapter number two. Verse 15 says, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. I'm missing out. Look what's out there. Look what the whole world does. I am missing out. I'm missing out on the pleasures of life. Sins that this world thinks are fun. Oh, they are fun. Don't get me wrong. They're fun, otherwise no one would be doing them. They're fun. But as Moses understood, the pleasures of sin are but for a season. And that season is the shortest for someone who's saved. I think of David and Bathsheba and this got stuck in his brain and time when he should have been serving God, time when he should have been doing what's right, he stayed home. He ends up sinning with Bathsheba and the consequences follow him for the rest of his life. God used him in spite of that, but they followed him. And he suffered the consequences and he lived with those consequences for the rest of his life. Did he find out what he was missing? Living without those consequences would have been a whole lot better off. I'm missing out on the possessions of life. If I would quit tithing, I could afford this. If I would quit giving to God, I could afford this. I'm missing out on the possessions of life. Serving God doesn't pay is the lie. Jesus Christ said, a man's life does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth. Amen. head runs right back to a Old Testament character by the name of Gehazi. Gehazi was Elisha's servant. Naaman, a captain of the army of Syria had come down with leprosy. And a little Jewish servant girl that had been taken captive by him on one of his excursions into Israel said, You know, if my master would go find the prophet of God in Israel, he could be healed of this leprosy. And so they all think she's nuts, but Naaman eventually goes. He goes and he meets with Elisha, and he's not impressed by Elisha at all. Elisha says, go wash in the river Jordan. And Naaman's response is, Jordan? To heal me? We get cleaner rivers in our country. And he leaves, and the men say, look, if he asked you to do some big thing, would you do it? It's worth a try. So he washes, as he is told, in the River Jordan. He comes up the seventh time, and he's clean. He's cleansed of his leprosy. It is gone. He gets up, he goes back to Elisha, and he says, let me pay you. Let me go ahead and give you all of this stuff for healing me. And Elisha says, I don't want that stuff. I don't need that stuff. Gehazi relays the message and Naaman takes off for home. Naaman gets a short way off and Gehazi says, Elisha may not want them, but I do. And he runs after him and says, my master changed his mind. Did Elisha change his mind? No. We'll take some of your stuff. And Gehazi picks out some of the stuff and goes back. Now let me ask you the question. There were clothes involved, there was money involved. Where was Gehazi gonna wear the clothes? Where was he gonna spend the money? Okay, it was foolish, it was futile. He gets back after hiding the stuff and Elijah says, where you been? He said, well, yeah, I've been serving the Lord. He said, I know what you've been doing. God pays better than Naaman does. Trust God. He said, because you did this and you lied about it, the leprosy of Naaman, you now have. Wow. And those consequences would follow him the rest of his life. Wow. You see, consequences are like that. We have to understand that before going into what we think we're missing out on. It's not true. And Demas looks around him one day and says, I'm missing out on something. And having loved this present world, He quits. He quits. Wow. So again, we ask the question now, what should we do? What should we do as we've seen the story of Demas and his love for the present world? First of all, know that temptations will come. Just like hardships, Temptations are going to come as well. Go to 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. Excuse me, 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse number 13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." Okay, what's he saying there? Every temptation that you face, everybody else has faced it as well. You're not the only one. Other people have faced it also. They faced it and done what's right. They faced it and done what's wrong. Learn from them. Those who face temptation and done right, they've done well. Those who have faced temptation and succumbed to it, they've done wrong. They've got consequences that will follow them for the rest of their life. There is no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man, but God is faithful. Circle it, underline it, highlight it, put an asterisk there, whatever you want to do. Mark it out in your Bible, God is faithful. Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with a temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. God's faithful. And God said there would be an escape route, an escape hatch, an escape plan. In every temptation, it is there. We talked about this on Wednesday night. It's there. God said, and teaching us how to pray, lead us not into temptation. The word is leave us not into temptation. Don't leave us there. God says, I'm not. You got an escape route. It is there. You need to pray, Lord, help me find it. Help me see it and take it. And many times that escape route is simply run, run, but get away from that temptation. It's there. You see, God is faithful. Amen. Amen. We need to know that temptations will come. Don't be shocked. Don't be surprised. They will come. But also, remember the word consequences. Remember the word consequences. How many decisions have consequences? All of them. How many choices have consequences? All of them. You see, while we said earlier that sin was fun, we have to say it again that sin really does pay. Ask David, ask a hazy. One day, I think you'll be able to ask Demas. Consequences of sin are not good. Don't go there. Go to Galatians chapter number six. Galatians chapter six, verse number seven. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. Paul says right here in these verses, you're not the one who'll get away with it. When you think of consequences, remind yourself of that. You're not the one who'll get away with it. because God sees and God knows. I gotta quickly go to verse number nine. And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. You know what that word faint means? Quit. Don't get tired of doing right, because if you don't quit, good things will happen. Hallelujah. Don't quit on God. Oh, I got good news for you as we finish the message. John Mark got it right with God. Second Timothy chapter four, verse number 11, the last words that the Apostle Paul will ever write, he says, bring John Mark. He's profitable unto me for the ministry. He's in prison. He said, I'd like to see John Mark again. It was Paul who said, don't take him, he's a quitter. Now he says he's profitable, bring him. He got right with God, hallelujah. But I got bad news. As far as we know, Demas did not. At the judgment seat of Christ, all of us will stand before God and give account of our lives. John Mark will have some regrets from his time of quitting. Demas will have regrets from a lifetime of quitting. What about you? What about you? Today, we can learn. from these men who made it into the word of God for not a good reason. But one got right. And one did not. So there's hope. Wherever you are today, wherever you might be in your relationship with God, in your relationship with this old world. You can get it right with God today. Amen. And he's always there. like a loving father waiting to welcome you home. Amen. Right now, where are you? What are you gonna do? Our heavenly father, thank you for Christ. Thank you for salvation. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness. I pray that we would remain faithful at all times. Help us to understand hardships do come, temptation comes, but you're faithful. You made promises in your word that you'd take care of us every step of the way. If we do what is right, find that escape route and take it. Guide, direct, bless as we make decisions. And I pray that we would be determined today, we're not gonna quit. Or if we have in any area of life, we'd come running back to you right now. Guide and direct every decision that we make. Help us all to be drawn closer to you because we listen today. Bless now. In Jesus name we ask it. Amen. With every head bowed, every eye closed, no one looking around. What does God want you to do today? Where are you? Say, Pastor, I'm nowhere near quitting. That's good. Draw close to God and stay there. Pastor, I've contemplated it lately. Don't go there. Draw close to God. He'll sustain you. Pastor, I have quit. I don't even know why I'm here. Draw close to God. He will draw close to you. He is always faithful. Pastor, I'm heading in a direction that may cause me to quit because I'm making some choices that I don't even like. Draw close to God, make right choices, and you'll never regret those consequences. You say, pastor, I'm saved. I've trusted Jesus Christ as my savior. I know beyond any shadow of a doubt I'm going to heaven. Pastor, I'm saved, I know it. Put your hand up. It's just more than that fact. You're saved, you know, put your hand up. Amen. God bless you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. That's great. Amen. Amen. Christian. God has never quit on you. God will never quit on you. But Satan makes it look like an option. Sometimes our own foolishness makes it look like an option in our minds when it isn't. When it isn't. We just need to draw closer to God. You say pastor. Pray for me. God has spoken to my heart. I want to draw even closer to him than I am right now. Pastor, pray for me. Just slip your hand and put it back down. Amen. God bless you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. God bless you. Amen. Maybe you're here. You've never been saved. You've never trusted Jesus Christ as your savior. You don't know you're going to heaven. You don't know your sins are forgiven. You don't know Christ. You say, Pastor, I don't know. I'm not sure. Would you pray for me? Anyone like that, put your hand up, put it back down. God has never quit on you. He wants you to be saved. He sent his son to pay your sin penalty in full. He went to the cross to die in your place that you might be saved. He didn't quit. He went all the way for your sake. You say, Pastor, I don't know. I'm not sure about my salvation. Would you pray for me? Anyone like that, put your hand up, put it back down. Our Father, I pray that you'd bless now as we make decisions. Lord, we have decisions to make. We're all faced with quitting. We're all faced with silly things that go on in our heads. Help us, Lord, to understand you're right. You are faithful. You love us, and you will work everything out for good as long as we make right decisions. guide and direct us into those right decisions, and I pray that we would fortify them in our lives and in our hearts right now during this invitation. If there's anyone in here who is not saved, show them their need for Christ and draw them to you today. Blessed now in every decision that we make, we'll thank you and we'll praise you for it. In Christ's name we ask it, amen. Let's all stand, grab a hymn book right in front of you, and turn to page 319. 319, as we sing this hymn of invitation, we invite you to make a decision, one that the Holy Spirit has laid upon your heart. What does he want you to do? What does he want you to do? If you need to be saved, you come from where you're sitting to the front. I'll have someone show you from the Bible how you can know that you're saved. And you talk about baptism, talk about church membership. I'll be waiting for you right down front. Anything you need to talk to me about right now, as we sing on this first verse, you talk to God. Talk to me if you want right now. Come to Christ.