Title: Never Give Up
Contents
Word: Hebrews 13:5
Title: Never Give Up.
Pastor Schuller stopped by the hospital shortly after he was admitted. And while trying to bring a word of consolation to an elder who was in a coma, Dr. Smiley Branton, a famous neurosurgeon whom I met before, said, “Even people with serious diseases of the skull still have a lot of normal parts in their brains.” I said this with the assumption that the elder who was in a coma could hear him after thinking and believing his words. “Elder, this is Pastor Schuler. You said you would recover.” Then tears flowed from his eyes. It was the first sign of hope. And even though he was in a coma, he was able to have a dream, a dream that he could recover.
The pastor and elder, who believed in the miracle of God's healing and did not give up, did not give up on their dream that they could be healed, so God healed him and he was able to regain his health according to his dream.
If we make it clear what to give up and what not to give up in life, we will surely achieve beautiful life results. We must completely renounce sin-related things and live our lives. But never give up on being on God's side.
In today's text, God promises that He will never forsake us or leave us. In other words, it is the promise of never giving up on me and us. Hallelujah!
These words are the words of Deuteronomy 31:6, which God gave to Joshua, the next leader of Israel after Moses, ahead of the conquest of Canaan, “Be strong and courageous, and do not be afraid of them, and do not tremble before them, for the LORD your God will go with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Even if it's a useless human figure like a bruised reed, even if it's a dying life like a dying wick, just as God the Creator never gives up on us, it's not a life we and I give up easily, but a persistent life with God on God's side until the end. In the end, I want to share the word with you, earnestly wishing that all of us would enjoy abundant blessings in God's abundant grace.
1. You must not give up on Jesus.
In Luke 18:18 and below, a rich man, a ruler, came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him to keep all the commandments. He replied that he had kept all the commandments from a young age, and Jesus said to him, “I have one less thing to keep.” He told him to sell his possessions and give it to the poor, and follow him. These words of Jesus are keeping the commandment to “renounce greed.” Who Can Follow Jesus? He is the one who gives up greed for himself This rich ruler did not obey Jesus' teachings to share his wealth. He did not give up his lust for himself. As a result, he gave up Jesus, who could receive eternal life, and took possession of the property to enjoy temporary pleasures. That's why Jesus pointed out that people's greed cannot be cast away, saying in Luke 18:25, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."
There are many things that are truly precious to me in my life in this world. So, sometimes everyone is precious, but when you can't get all of them and you have to give up some of them, it's really regrettable amidst a lot of hesitation. As there is a saying, ‘Someone else’s rice cakes look bigger and tastier’, it is probably in the minds of most people that when they have no choice but to give up one, they feel too bad about giving up.
If we set the criteria for success in ‘Who leads a successful life?’, one of the criteria is “What did you give up and what didn’t you give up?” would. In our life like this, there are times when we have to give up a lot. There are regrets and regrets, but to give up, you have to give up quickly. Moreover, the saints who came to the church with a promise to follow Jesus should give up sin-related things without any regrets. The sooner this is, the better.
However, in any case, in any circumstance, there is something that believers should never give up on. That is life with Jesus.
To give up on Jesus is to give up all of me and is the road to destruction. It is the way to give up on the way of eternal life and the way to guarantee the eternal life you do not want in hell.
Therefore, under no circumstances should we ever give up on Jesus Christ, who is the only way to eternal life, the only truth that guarantees the kingdom of heaven, and the life of resurrection that has changed the direction of our lives from death to life.
2. Don't give up on praying.
This is the story of the inventor, Edison, whom we all know very well. He repeated a whopping 110 thousand failures to make a filament that can withstand a certain voltage. This made Edison very tired. A disciple who was sadly watching from the side said, “Teacher, you have failed 100,000 times, but now give up.” Edison replied, "No, I learned, through 100,000 failures, 100,000 ways not to do this." Edison, who did not give up even after one hundred thousand failures, eventually made the filament he wanted in the first ten thousand. Thanks to Edison who never gave up, we are enjoying the benefits of electricity today and living day and night as brightly as possible.
Like Edison, a person who does not give up on his work eventually becomes a person who achieves his dream, so a believer who does not give up on things related to faith gives God joy and is recognized by God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Then, what are the actions of the saints most closely related to the faith that pleases God? That is prayer. Praying is an act of faith that trusts the Word of God and acknowledges the work of the living God. Therefore, as a saint, if I trust God's word and believe that the promise of the word is fulfilled even at this time, we should never give up on praying.
When a believer gives up on prayer, it is like a critically ill person who takes off the respirator and takes a breath that will soon be cut off. Eventually, his life will come to an end. As such, the life force of the saints lies in prayer. What makes a saint become a saint depends on praying.
Prayer has the power to move the will of God. Prayer has the power to make the impossible possible. Prayer makes it easier for me to win even in a battle I can't possibly win. Therefore, God gives strength and power to those who pray, and pours out the grace to help in times of need to overcome the world.
When Jesus was in human agony before the suffering of the cross, he prayed so earnestly on the Mount of Olives that his sweat turned into drops of blood, and then he gained strength and took up the cross. Because Daniel prayed without ceasing for 21 days, God's answer was received. After believing the word of Jesus and praying in the upper room for 10 days, 120 members received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and established the early church. Even a woman named Hannah, who was ridiculed by her second wife for not having children, prayed without ceasing, and had a son named Samuel. When we stop praying, God's work and power also stop. That is why the prophet Samuel said, “It is a sin to ceasing to pray” in 1 Samuel 12:23, and Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing”.
If the saints do not give up on Jesus, they must never give up even praying in the name of Jesus. If we do not give up praying in faith, God, who always gives better than we ask, will surely pour out the best in our best times.
3. We must not give up the salvation of souls.
We must know that the purpose of Jesus' coming to this earth and the main purpose of our being called as children of God through Jesus is to save souls. The words of the resurrected Jesus to his beloved disciples before his ascension into heaven were, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
The first thing we should not give up on the salvation of souls is our parents. People often say that they do not know filial piety when referring to Christianity. It seems that these words came from the prohibition of ancestral rites and the cemetery but not the turn. However, these words were coined by those who did not know or criticize Christianity. It can be seen that God emphasizes filial piety excessively through the Bible.
Looking at the Ten Commandments, the 1st to 4th commandments establish the relationship between God and man, and the 5th to 10th commandments establish the relationship between man and man. Among the six commandments that established the relationship between humans, the first five commandments are “Honor your parents.”
God has commanded that children who become children should serve their parents with all their might. And he promised that those who serve their parents well will live long on earth and be blessed. Don't give up honoring your parents. I hope that you do not judge all filial piety only by what you see, but that you become a child who does everything you can to your parents with all your heart and will. The greatest filial piety a child can give to his or her parents is the gift of eternal life in heaven. If children spend eternal time in heaven and parents spend eternal time in a hot lake of fire, would they feel comfortable as children? There is not much time left. Please give me eternal life in heaven before it's too late.
Also, as a parent, you should never give up on your love for your child. You have to trust your children. We need to help our children make their dreams come true. Let's not become foolish parents who give up on their children in advance and betray their expectations by saying, “Who does that guy resemble? As God the Father promised that he would never leave me and us until the end, those who become parents should never give up on their children. Do you want your children to do well? Do you want your children's dreams to come true? If so, I would like to introduce you to Jesus, who is the best teacher and guide in life.
And don't give up on loving your brother and your neighbor. The pinnacle of love is the salvation of their souls. If we do not evangelize towards them, we do not love them, and it is a criminal act that leads the world to destruction. God never gives up on anyone, even the sick, the poor, the outcasts, and the delinquent youth. But it's sad that we seem to give up so easily. People who have nothing to do with me easily give up on love and evangelism. Let's imitate the heart of Jesus, who values one soul more than the world, and do not give up on loving our brothers and sisters.
Giving up is killing God's dream for me. As long as we don't give up, God never gives up on us and always guards and guides our steps and our dreams. When we do not give up and rely on God until the end and stand on God's side, we will have no regrets and will be filled with happiness.