#374 But Wait, There’s More, Series# 4: Don’t Quit Now!

#374 But Wait, There’s More, Series# 4: Don’t Quit Now!
By: Zach Sloane

John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and that the may have it more abundantly.”

Romans 8:32 AMP “He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things.”

Image of someone quitting, leaving, walking away, downing tools and leaving, and then someone running up behind them and yelling, But Wait… There’s More!

Quit or quitting can take on various forms.

QUIT: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/quit
verb (used with object), quit or quit·ted, quit·ting.
1. to stop, cease, or discontinue: She quit what she was doing to help me paint the house.

2. to depart from; leave (a place or person): They quit the city for the seashore every summer.

3. to give up or resign; let go; relinquish: He quit his claim to the throne. She quit her job.

Two dimensions to this. Can be giving up but still show up… just going through the motions OR…Just give up… not just stop an action but totally check out of it all.

Remember Nehemiah work on God house stop’s BECAUSE PEOPLE STOPPED!

EG Mario Kart Racing with Grace.

Disclaimer #1 : Some things should be quit. If hurting self or others, quit. If someone is hurting you, quit. But don’t quit God’s purpose just cause it gets a little uncomfortable.

Disclaimer #2: Luke 8:18 “Pay attention to how you listen.” A word to help us be aware of the filter we are hearing through. Don’t quit isn’t a message to stir up and encourage a religious spirit.

Listen to what Apostle Paul, apostle of grace said:
Philippians 3:12-16 The Passion Translation (TPT)

12 I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundanceso that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover.

13 I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this;[a] however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.

14 I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.

15 So let all who are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires,[b] God will reveal it to them.

16 And let us all advance together to reach this victory-prize, following one path with one passion.

We are on a journey towards unpacking the fullness of Christ in us, as individuals, as a church, here and universally, and we have purpose which in reality, can only be thwarted by nothing other than if the human beings engaged and called by God decide to quit!

Great example in scriptures of someone who was going to quit… who had quit, and who had quit in various senses of the word and for various reasons: Peter.

John 21:2-3“Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, thesonsof Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.”

Peter went fishing! How is that quitting?

Luke 5:10b-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.”

Verse 11: They left everything… all that was part of their world as fishermen… he left it and went back to his default.

Squirrels and darting back across the road under your car, after they already were across.

Scriptures speak of it in terms of dogs… Proverbs 26:11 “As dogs return to their vomit, so fools repeat their folly.”

It seems a though we all have defaults in our brains that when we encounter difficulty we almost intuitively by default return to our default when things get tough. Eg. Food, dieting, woking out, drugs, bad relationships, a default narrative ie. “this always happens to me, people are always unfair, you always do this to me and that becomes the default narrative.”

Well Peter defaulted back to fishing? Why? What encourages you to quit?

Three options: Obstacles and Occasions that make you want to quit.

1. Seemingly Shattered Promises / Broken Expectations

Direct Recruiters Inc. a search firm that helps top tier organizations find the right employees, has compiled their own internal records as to why it is that good employees and workers usually Quit. For them the top reason was “the job was not as expected.”^[1]

Was this true for Peter? What did he expect?

Matthew 16:21-23 (NRSV)
“22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Right after confessing Jesus as messiah, can’t get it that this involves suffering. Accepted the rebuke but still didn’t seem to get it as he cuts someone’s ear off when they arrest Jesus, and Jesus needs to say “hey… stop it”… again!

2. Poor Performance / Personal Failure

He had denied Jesus three times, while full of confidence that he would not. Is it possible that the shame of that failure weighed heavy and he did not see how he could participate?

3. Peers – competition and comparison

Comparison is a problem for Peter. He says “even if all the rest deny you I never will.” He saw himself as better and best.

Problem is that when you then fail, you still need to isolate. Maybe thats why Jesus has to say in Mark 16:7 and Matthew 28:7 “Go tell disciples and Peter.” He compared himself to others in pride and then when he fell, compared himself in shame.

Jesus Says to those going back to fishing… but wait… there’s more!: Don’t let these things see you walk off in another direction…DON’T WALK AWAY! DON’T WITHDRAW, THERE’S MORE!

Jesus comes to Peter restores him, engages him and reconnects him with identity and purpose by:

1. Jesus Addresses the Seemingly Shattered Promise & Broken Expectation

Peter saw resurrected Jesus, but his dream of participating died, he just couldn’t see it. Jesus meets him on beach and reconnects Him with original commission and gave him an upgrade. Not just a fisher of men, but a tender and feeder of sheep.” “You’re now not just to go get them, but look after them, lead them too.”

Jesus re-visions Peter. He meets him back at the beginning and gives him a re-set. Peter and Jesus first met on a boat. Jesus did a similar miracle with the miraculous catch. This is no accident. Jesus meeting them here in this manner, its like starting over for Peter. Jesus goes back to the beginning with him. Jesus now upgrades his original vision. Its like he’s saying its not all over. True, it didn’t happen how YOU thought it should, but its still on, and its actually bigger than what you thought.

Jesus meets him on beach and reconnects Him with original commission and gave him an upgrade. Not just a fisher of men, but a tender and feeder of sheep.” “You’re now not just to go get them, but look after them, lead them too.” Its more than what you thinking you’re walking away from. Its even better that what you had believed for.

Romans 5:5 – “and hope does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us”

Love of God for Peter – goes after him, finds him, reconnects Him. Peter got blessed by Jesus re-setting him, but the love Jesus showed to find Him and re-align Him is probably what rocked his world and brought some real staying power to his life.

2. Jesus addresses personal failure.

He redirects Peter from performance to love… and then assures him that because of the power of love his life, not his own stubborn pride, he will face the same circumstances in the future… but this time he won’t chicken out.

Peter was certain he wouldn’t fail Jesus, yet he denied him three times, and then ran away in shame.

Might not be so much to this but… 3 denials…. 3 do you love me’s.

Do you “agape” me. You know I “phileo” you.
Agape a higher love based on choice.

Strong’s Concordance:
agapaó: to love
Original Word: ἀγαπάω

HELPS Word-studies
“to prefer, to love… embracing God’s will (choosing His choices) and obeying them through His power.”

Strong’s Concordance
phileó: to love
Original Word: φιλέω
Usage: I love (of friendship), regard with affection, cherish; I kiss.

HELPS Word-studies

“properly, to show warm affection in intimate friendship, characterized by tender, heartfelt consideration and kinship.”

Peter comes to terms with his failure to love unconditionally, perfectly, by always choosing God’s choice, unconditionally following God’s will.

He’s left saying , nope I didn’t do that, but I do have affection for you… I do cherish you. IN other words, I didn’t do what you wanted, but you know I still love you.

Jesus meets him where he’s at. Says do you phileo me. Peter can say Yes. He then affirms Peter and says basically you blew it, but because of the power of my love in your life there is a time coming when you will get it right, but for now, Im happy to meet you where you are, and your affection, not your performance is enough.

3. Peers / Comparison

Jesus addresses his propensity to compete and compare. Says John 21:15 “do you love me more than these.” Peter faced with a tricky answer.

And when he turns from Jesus and says basically “well what about that guy, Jesus says what’s that to you? You follow Me.

Couple thoughts about comparison, which ultimately descends into judgement:

Romans 14:4
“Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

1 Cor. 4:3-5
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time…”.

Remember Defaults? Peter had “quit” in him, and went back to a default of fishing, but later, would stick it out! So will you! But Wait! Don’t Quit Now… There’s more!

^[1]Direct Recruiters Inc. “Top Ten Reasons Why Good People Quit.” https://www.directrecruiters.com/candidate-article/top-10-reasons-why-good-people-quit/.

374 But Wait There’s More Series# 4, Don’t Quit Now!, PowerPoint Slides