Stick To It!
Acts 8:5-8; 26-40
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.
6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.
7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.
8 So there was great joy in that city.
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road-- the desert road-- that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?"
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Key Verse: (Acts 8:29): “The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’”
The Hebrew word translated, “stay near it” in the NIV is a pictorial one. It means literally, “to give yourself to the chariot; stick to it; hang on tenaciously until your mission is accomplished.”
Aren’t you glad that Philip “stuck to it?” If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t have this beautiful story to inspire us. The Ethiopian Enuch wouldn’t have been converted and the Gospel wouldn’t have been taken into that part of Africa.
Without a doubt this is one of the great events in the New Testament. Philip was down in Samaria and God was greatly using him. He was in the midst of a revival. Folks were coming to Christ and being healed of diseases. Crooked lives were being straightened. Empty souls were being fulled with the presence and power of God!
Then suddenly, in the midst of this fruitful city crusade, an angel came to Philip and told him to go down to Gaza. And Philip did it! He didn’t argue with God. He didn’t whine and complain. He just went. Such obedience of this kind only a preacher can fully appreciate! Incidentally, this is the foremost sign that he was a Spirit-filled man—no arguing with God!
When the angel said, “Here’s your assignment; stick to it,” he did just that!
Moses stuck to it until Israel was out of Egypt and on the threshold of the promised land.
David stuck to it until he held Goliath’s head in his hand.
Daniel stuck to it even though he was the main course at the Lion’s Club dinner.
Jesus stuck to it even when it meant rejection, humiliation, suffering, and death.
Paul stuck to it though it meant beatings, imprisonment and isolation.
How many BATTLES would have been lost without persistence?
How many GRADUATES never would have received that degree without perseverance?
How many CRIMINAL CASES would never have been solved were it not for the determined effort of dedicated detectives?
Thank for a moment about the great works of art, pieces of music, poetry, and inventions that we have today because someone stuck to it.
Think of the long and lonely hours that went into books, sermons, and the like, that have shaped our faith and infused fresh hope within us.
Robert Louis Stevenson had tuberculosis. When his right hand became paralyzed, he used his left. When his left hand quit, he dictated. When his speech failed, he dictated using the deaf and dumb alphabet.
I read recently about a door-to-door salesman who had the worst kind of luck. Day after day he’d walk up and down the streets with his product. No one would buy a thing. Every day he knocked on the same woman’s door. Every day she turned him away. Finally, he appeared on her doorstep for the umpteenth time. Just to keep the man from ever returning, the woman made a purchase. The next day, the man rang her doorbell again. "What are you doing here?" she asked, exasperated. The man replied, "Well, now that you’re an established customer..."
As Christians, there are some things that we would do well to adhere to with the same tenacity. In fact, let me suggest some things that are imperative for us to “stick to.”
1. Stick to Your Commitment to Christ
Don’t let the cares of this life choke out your faith in Him.
Don’t let the pursuit of money, success, and ambition crowd out Jesus.
Don’t let the hurts and failures of the past dim your view of Him.
Don’t allow the devil to block out your memory of what happened when you first met Him.
2. Stick to the Bible
It’s the only Book that really matters. We have lots of “How To” books that deal with marriage, raising a family, happiness, successful careers, retirement, and the like. But there’s only one Book that can tell us both how to live and how to die.
The Bible must be read as though it was personally written to you! It must not be read as history, or doctrine, or religious literature. When we read John 3:16, we must read it as though we were being addressed: “For God so love________________ that He gave His only…”
The Bible is meant to be bread for our daily use, not just cake for special occasions.
A doctor had recommended surgery to Eleanor Schmidt of Bakesfield, CA and referred her to a specialist. Arriving early for her appointment, she found the door unlocked and the young surgeon, deeply engrossed in reading, behind the receptionist’s desk. When he didn’t hear her come in, she cleared her throat. Startled, he closed the book, which she recognized as a Bible. She asked, "Does reading the Bible help you before or after an operation?" He dispelled her fears by his soft-voiced, one-word answer: "During." (as reported in Reader’s Digest).
Stick to the Bible
3. Stick to the Local Church
Still God’s primary instrument for change.
Jesus is it’s Head. He loves it and gave His life for it
Jesus said that He is building it and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Don’t let hypocrisy keep you from it
Don’t allow past hurts keep you away.
We need the church for:
- fellowship
- mutual encouragement
- spiritual growth
- worship
- instruction
- opportunities
Stick to the church that preaches the Bible, that emphasizes missions and evangelism, that loves people.
Warning: The lion preys on those who are weak and off by themselves.
Separation Rapids, a brief stretch of turbulent water on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, was named by John Wesley Powell, the one-armed explorer who pioneered the Grand Canyon. It was there that three men left Powell’s party and attempted to walk out of the Grand Canyon by themselves. Their decision was precipitated by the fact that the party had lost one of their boats and half their food in an earlier set of cataracts. When they faced Separation Rapid they found whitewater more menacing than anything they had yet faced.
Normally the party would carry their boats around the whitewater. Here it was impossible. Their only two choices were to abandon the exploration and walk out of the Canyon through hostile and uncharted territory or face their fears and plunge ahead. Three chose to leave; seven chose to tackle the rapids. Surprisingly they discovered that the rapids were short and far less menacing than they at first appeared. Within a few minutes they cleared the rapids and found smooth sailing in calm water. They had made it through Separation Rapid unscathed, with all their gear in tact. The three who had left were never heard from again. Those who remain together in the face of trial will soon discover that God provides the grace to endure and survive the trial. Those who bail out on the rest of the group will soon perish because they have forfeited the fellowship of the saints and ministry of the spiritual gifts to see them through.
4. Stick to Your Unfinished Task
Don’t be a quitter. See it through. Be an example to others. Nehemiah didn’t quit when he was up against it.
Neh 6:1-4
1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it-- though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates--
2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono." But they were scheming to harm me;
3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?"
4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time gave them the same answer.
What do we mean by “tasks?” Any God-given responsibility, such as:
Being a parent
Being a spouse
Being a Christian out there in the marketplace
Having a position of leadership in the local church
What is it that often causes us to jump away from our chariot, that influences us to give up before the job is done?
Discouragement
Fatigue
Failure
Fear that we can’t get it done
Perfectionism
Criticism
Illus.: Oswald Smith Reached His Goal Through a Detour
As a young man, Oswald Smith dreamed of becoming a missionary. The dream dominated his life. Over and over again he prayed, “Lord, I want to go as a missionary for You. Open a door of service for me, please.” At last he stood before an examining board for selecting missionaries. When the exam was over, he was turned down. He did not meet their qualifications. He failed the test. He had set his course, but now life gave him a detour. What would he do? Give up? Quit? Not Oswald Smith. As he prayed, God planted another idea in his heart. If he couldn’t go as a missionary, he would build a church which could send out missionaries. And that he did. He pastored The People’s church of Toronto, Canada. That church sent out more missionaries than any other church at that time. Oswald Smith brought God into the situation and God transformed his detour into a main thoroughfare of service.
Harold Sherman wrote a book called, How to Turn Failure Into Success.” In it he gave a code of persistence:
(1) I will never give up so long as I know I am right.
(2) I will believe that all things will work out for me if I hang on to the end.
(3) I will be courageous and undismayed in the face of odds.
(4) I will not permit anyone to intimidate or deter me from my goals.
(5) I will fight to overcome all physical handicaps and setbacks.
(6) I will never surrender to discouragement or despair no matter what.
WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURES?
1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Heb 12:2-3
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Quitting is the easy way out
Its easier to go out and play than to practice that instrument.
Its easier to watch TV than to attend a Bible study.
Its easier to walk out of a room after an argument than it is to stay and try to work through it.
Its easier to give in to temptation than it is to resist.
Its easier to quit following Jesus than to take up your cross and follow Him.
Quitting is the easy way out!
Thomas Edison tried and failed 3,000 times to make a light bulb. Aren’t you glad he didn’t quit?
When Things Go Wrong
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
So don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
For you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems
to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure, turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
