DON'T ABANDON YOUR ASSIGNMENT!
October Sermon Series — HARVEST TIME
Theme Scripture: Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
Main Text: Genesis 6:9–22
Main Bible Character: Noah
Supporting Characters: Daniel, Abraham, Joseph, Nehemiah, Job, Peter, and Paul
GALATIANS 6:9 (KJV)
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
GENESIS 6:22 (KJV)
“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
Central Thought: God has not called us merely to begin an assignment. He calls us to remain faithful in carrying it out. We must not allow weariness, discouragement, opposition, or delayed results to make us abandon what God has entrusted to us.
INTRODUCTION — STARTING IS EASY, BUT FINISHING REQUIRES FAITHFULNESS!
Church, have you ever noticed how excited people become when they start something new?
When somebody starts a new job, they're excited!
When somebody buys a new house, they're excited!
When somebody gets married, they're excited!
When somebody begins a new ministry, they're excited!
But after a while, something happens.
The excitement begins to wear off.
The responsibilities become greater.
The challenges become more difficult.
And the very thing they were excited about becomes something they struggle to continue.
Because starting something is one thing, but finishing what you started is another!
A LITTLE HUMOR
A man decided he was going to get in shape.
He bought a brand-new treadmill, exercise clothes, sneakers, and a fitness watch.
His wife asked him a month later, “How's your exercise program going?”
He said, “Wonderful! I've got everything I need!”
She asked, “How many times have you used the treadmill?”
He said, “Well, right now I'm using it to hang my clothes!”
Church, he had the equipment, but he had abandoned the assignment!
And sometimes believers do the same thing spiritually.
We start praying, but stop when the answer doesn't come quickly.
We start serving, but stop when nobody appreciates us.
We start witnessing, but stop when people reject the message.
We start doing good, but become discouraged when the results are not visible.
And that's why Paul tells us in Galatians 6:9:
“LET US NOT BE WEARY IN WELL DOING!”
Paul understands that doing good can become tiring.
He understands that serving God requires endurance.
And he understands that sometimes the temptation to quit becomes stronger just when we need to remain faithful.
But he gives us a promise:
“FOR IN DUE SEASON WE SHALL REAP, IF WE FAINT NOT.”
Notice something.
Paul doesn't say that we will never become tired.
He tells us not to become so discouraged that we give up doing good.
There is a difference between needing rest and abandoning your responsibility.
There is a difference between being weary and surrendering your faith.
And there is a difference between waiting for the harvest and walking away from the field!
Today, I want to introduce you to a man who understood the importance of remaining faithful to an assignment.
His name was NOAH!
God gave Noah an assignment that required faith, patience, obedience, and perseverance.
He had to build an ark before the flood came.
He had to prepare for something he had not yet seen.
And he had to continue until the work was completed.
Noah could not afford to abandon his assignment halfway through!
And neither should we abandon what God has called us to do.
My message today is:
DON'T ABANDON YOUR ASSIGNMENT!
BACKGROUND — GOD GAVE NOAH AN ASSIGNMENT
GENESIS 6:5 (KJV)
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
The world had become corrupt.
Violence and wickedness filled the earth.
But there was one man who stood out.
GENESIS 6:8–9 (KJV)
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
God gave Noah specific instructions to build an ark.
GENESIS 6:14 (KJV)
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”
The ark was not Noah's idea.
It was God's instruction.
And the responsibility of Noah was to obey.
The Bible does not tell us precisely how many years Noah spent constructing the ark. But it makes clear that he faithfully carried out God's command.
GENESIS 6:22 (KJV)
“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
What a testimony!
God commanded.
Noah obeyed.
God instructed.
Noah followed.
God gave the assignment.
And Noah carried it out.
Let's examine seven lessons from Noah's life that will help us remain faithful to our God-given assignments.
POINT 1 — DON'T ABANDON YOUR ASSIGNMENT BECAUSE OTHERS ARE DOING WRONG
GENESIS 6:9 (KJV)
“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Noah lived in a corrupt generation, but he continued walking with God.
He did not allow the conduct of others to determine his own obedience.
Church, one of the greatest temptations today is to follow the crowd.
When others compromise, we are tempted to compromise.
When others stop praying, we are tempted to stop praying.
When others lose interest in serving God, we may begin to lose interest ourselves.
But God has not called us to follow the crowd.
He has called us to follow Him!
ROMANS 12:21 (KJV)
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Old Testament example — Daniel
Daniel was living in Babylon, where he faced pressure to compromise his devotion to God.
But Daniel continued praying.
DANIEL 6:10 (KJV)
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
Daniel did not allow the king's decree to stop his prayer life.
Don't abandon your assignment because others have abandoned theirs.
If others stop praying, you keep praying!
If others stop serving, you keep serving!
If others stop believing, you keep believing!
DON'T LET SOMEBODY ELSE'S UNFAITHFULNESS BECOME AN EXCUSE FOR YOURS!
POINT 2 — DON'T ABANDON YOUR ASSIGNMENT BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING
HEBREWS 11:7 (KJV)
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
Notice these words:
“THINGS NOT SEEN AS YET.”
Noah had not seen the coming flood.
But he believed what God had spoken.
He did not demand that God show him the entire future before he began obeying.
Church, sometimes God gives us an assignment without explaining every detail.
He may tell us to go, but not show us everything we will encounter.
He may tell us to serve, but not reveal every challenge we will face.
He may tell us to trust Him, even when the outcome is uncertain.
Old Testament example — Abraham
HEBREWS 11:8 (KJV)
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”
Abraham obeyed without knowing every detail of his destination.
New Testament example — Peter
LUKE 5:5 (KJV)
“And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”
Peter had already worked all night.
He had caught nothing.
But when Jesus gave the instruction, Peter obeyed.
You don't have to understand everything to obey what God has clearly revealed.
FAITH IS NOT KNOWING EVERYTHING THAT WILL HAPPEN. FAITH IS TRUSTING THE ONE WHO HAS CALLED YOU!
POINT 3 — DON'T ABANDON YOUR ASSIGNMENT BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SEE RESULTS
GENESIS 6:22 (KJV)
“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
Imagine Noah working on the ark.
He is cutting wood.
He is preparing materials.
He is following the measurements.
He is doing the work.
But the flood has not arrived.
The assignment is still in progress.
Church, sometimes you can work faithfully for a long time without seeing the results you hoped for.
You have been praying for your family, but they have not changed.
You have been teaching the Word, but some people still seem spiritually immature.
You have been reaching out to souls, but many have not responded.
You have been doing good, but nobody seems to notice.
And the enemy wants to convince you that your labor is wasted.
But hear what the Word says!
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