Don’t Faint Luke 18 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

God said Don’t Faint – that’s because God doesn’t like quitters – I never knew anybody who did – and he doesn’t like it when we do what we are supposed to do with a lackadaisical attitude

Faint = lacking conviction or boldness or courage; lacking strength or vigor

Don’t faint – get up and do what you are supposed to do with some enthusiasm and joy and boldness and some courage and some conviction – put some real effort into it – God doesn’t wanting us fainting in:

Prayer – Lk 18:1

Men ought always to pray and not to faint.  The Lord would not have taught his disciples that if it were not important.  Many times, you find an exhortation repeated several times throughout the Bible – when you do, pay attention.  Look:

• Luke 11:5-8 Friend, lend me 3 loaves – because of his importunity
• Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore and pray always – before the coming of the Lord
• Rom 12:12 Continuing instant in prayer
• Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit
• 1 Thes 5:17 Pray without ceasing

Jesus wants us praying so he encouraged us not to give up on praying and not to do it with half a mind for it – it’s easy to give up after you have prayed for a while and still not seen results – like this widow, if you stay with it God will answer

Don’t faint just because you don’t get an immediate answer – would not for a while 4

Dan 3 times windows opened – David evening, morning and at noon – Every time trouble hit, Moses was praying

The ministry – 2 Cor 4:1-2

The Lord has given many of you a ministry – it’s easy to grow weary and to lose courage boldness and vigor – to quit trying – just to do it half way

The temptation for Paul would have been to go along with those who had handled the word of God deceitfully, with craftiness, or dishonestly – like the modern preaching and translating – if we resorted to that to get up a crowd it would be time to get out of the ministry – you may not be seeing the results you want in the ministry right away but if it is a ministry that God has given you then you need to do it with all your might for God’s sake – don’t quit – and do it with some zeal – FRESH IDEAS

Trouble – 2 Cor 4:16 [8-17] light affliction

The trouble that comes to your flesh as a Christian will wear you out – but Paul said as the outward man perishes, not to faint – the Christian life is a slow process of dying 10-12 – but that death is what allows the life of Jesus to be manifest in our bodies – and the life of Jesus is the abundant life whereas the way of the flesh is hard and disappointing – you cannot faint as the inward man is being renewed and the outward man is perishing or you will never come to the fullness of this life in Christ – trouble is what God uses to get you to grow up as a Christian – you see it in athletics [like working out – hated every minute of it but now glad that I didn’t quit – now do it with some zeal because I see the benefits more than the pain] – winners never quit and quitters never win – works in conjunction with chastening

Chastening – Heb 12:5

The Lord is going to work in you to train you to a life of righteousness and holiness like his – you are not perfect so the Lord knows that you need to be chastened in order to straighten you out – scourgeth every son whom he receiveth – whom he loveth he chasteneth – Heb 5:8 [though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered] he did that to Jesus and look at the results – he’ll do that in you if you’ll let him

Well doing – Gal 6:9

Has to do with the things we have to do as a Christian for each other – like restoration 1- bearing one another’s burdens 2 – keeping down big shotitis 3 – carrying your share of the load 4-5 – giving to the work 6 – sowing to the Spirit and not the flesh 7-8 – doing good to all men 10

You know, after a while you just want to step back and say enough is enough, let somebody else have it for a while – the real cause why many folks are not in church today – they got tired of doing their part

But he said you are going to reap if you don’t faint – reap what JSC obviously – but also you become a backbone in the church and for young Christians

Conclusion:

As the church moves into this new responsibility of building you will see the temptation to faint a lot more – now is the time to gird your loins with the truth and be as strong as ever.