IF YOU DON'T QUIT, GOD WON'T QUIT

you have your Bibles tonight turn with me to the Old Testament passage the Old Testament book of Judges judges the sixteenth chapter of Judges if you need help it's on page 447 you got the right kind of Bible judges chapter 16 beginning in verse 18 while you're turning there this was the message that I had prepared I told my wife last night I found out yesterday morning that I was preaching tonight always happens that way Pepa called me said the Lord just told me to tell you to preach tomorrow night I said okay wish I had a little bit of notice blessed when the Bible says being be ready in season and out of season and so I was asking the Lord in my spirit the kids were outside and I was outside with them and was asking the Lord in my spirit what to preach and this passage was dropped into my spirit and incidentally as I mentioned this passage I prepared this passage to preach about two years ago but I've never preached it the Lord held it off and held it off and I believe that this was the right time for it because he dropped it into my heart and dropped it into my spirit and I believe it's going to be a blue was a blessing to me when I was preparing and studying it just yesterday and last night in this afternoon judges 16 verse 18 and when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart speaking of Samson she sent and called for the Lords of the Philistines saying come up this once for he has showed me all his heart then the Lord of the Philistines came up unto her and brought money in their hand and she made him sleep upon her knees and she called for a man she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head and she began to afflict him and his strength went from him and she said the Philistines be upon you Samson and he awoke out of his sleep and said I will go out as the other times before and checked myself and he was not that the Lord was departed from him but the Philistines took him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza bound him with fetters of brass and he did grind in the prison house howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved what a statement he'll be it the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved and I want to use for a subject preaching just for a few moments tonight and I won't hold you long if you don't quit God won't quit if you don't quit God won't quit it doesn't mean that we're going to face some difficult times but it does mean that your end will be better than the beginning if you trust him and if you won't quit God will not quit let's pray Heavenly Father we come before you in the name of Jesus Christ we thank you for who you are and for what you've done in Lord I'm asking that you would help us tonight anointest to minister your word that which you have laid upon our heart Lord I'm asking that you would anoint our ears to hear what you would have us to say and we ask it all the name of Jesus Christ and everyone said and everyone said amen and amen when you read and study the book of Judges there are two major things that jump out at you and it's this number one the first theme is the weakness of God's people how many times do we read about especially in the book of Judges do God's people after being brought back to the sacrifice after being brought back to the altar once again venture out into idolatry so we see the theme of God's people wandering every time there was a leader that was raised up in the moment that leader died it seemed like the people of God just ventured off into idolatry but you also see another thing which is more important than the first and it's the grace of God always bringing his people back the grace of God and bringing his people back to the sacrifice back to the altar you got to understand something it seems like even today where there is no voice God's people scatter where there is no leadership God's people scattered without proper leadership and without the strong leadership the church will always falter and that's where we are right now we see every wind of doctrine over television you hear everything under the Sun bye-bye everyone that you come in contact with you have some people believe this and others believe this and others believe that and this group over here believes this but have you noticed all of it is because there is no leadership and there is always a departure from the cross but that's why God has raised this ministry up to be that beacon to hold that banner high to say you know what no matter what you may think this is what is going on this is what is we believe and the fact is the cross is still the answer the cross is still the answer you see there are two altars right now two altars they look identical they look the same but what was all for all of our two totally different things you have the altar obtained which is an altar of self works but you have the altar of Abell which is the sacrifice of God the Father Jesus Christ coming down to die for lost humanity and there are two altars and yet it seems like the church is around the altar of King just this afternoon actually right before service a really close friend of mine out of the state of North Carolina a youth pastor friend of mine Josh Brown he's been on my program generation of the cross many times through phone calls and through Skype dear dear friend of mine we were talking about certain things and he says you know what he said I thank God for SBN I thank God for you and your family he said because it seems like where I'm at I am The Lone Ranger in the midst of all sorts of ungodliness and we comes to church he said I'm in the midst of pizza parties I'm in the midst of screamo concerts I'm in the midst of this and that and the other and he said it seems like I'm the only one in my area preaching Jesus Christ and and crucified he said but thank God I know that there are others out there that believe like I do that are giving us the faith and the hope to continue to press forward this is this young man to listen to this he was youth pastoring this was several years ago at a bit his home church where he grew up at young people were being saved and baptized with the Holy Spirit each and every single week he saw sick bodies healed he saw great things to take place in that youth group was just vibrant it was more alive than the adult Church I've been there the adult church would just look at you but you get to that youth service and man they've got some fire they get there and they start worshiping the Lord when they came to the altar they were coming down for one reason to get closer to the Lord Jesus Christ and my friend was preaching Jesus Christ and him crucified he was lifting up that banner and one of the elders of the church came up to him and said Josh preach anything else but don't preach the cross anymore he said what he said just preach anything else but don't preach the cross just leave the cross alone he said are you foolish he said it works I'm seeing young people bull I mean born-again I've seen him saved delivered from drugs delivered from alcohol deliver from your morality and you want me to stop that he said no I'm not stop it I'm not stop it over my dead body I'm not stop it we've got to have some young men and women that will stand up to say I don't care what you think as for me at my house we will preach the Jesus Christ and him crucified he left because he couldn't get anything done he said you know what I'm not welcome here and he came to a church and he told his pastor he said you know what I'm telling you right now what I believe I preached this book I hold to this book I don't go for any of the fads that the world has to offer and the church has to offer and the preachers I've been praying for someone just like you I've been praying for someone just like you they'll hold to the truth of the gospel and yet it seems like the world as much of the church well the majority is huddled around the altar of Cain an altar of works an altar of self-righteousness an altar that will lead to ultimate destruction but yet there still is a remnant that is around the altar of Abel that is lifting up Jesus Christ and him crucified and guess what you're a part of it I said you're a part of it and thank God we're a part of it but it seemed right here in our text that every time the people of God would begin to drift away God would raise a judge a man or a woman to steer God's people back to where they need to be ladies and gentlemen that's what we're doing here tonight when we come before the people tomorrow and Tuesday that's what we're doing Wednesday and Thursday and Friday that's what we're doing Saturday and Sunday 24 hours a day seven days a week we're drawing the people back to the cross we're telling the people it's all about Jesus Christ and him crucified that's the answer and out of all of this there would be a judge that would be born his name would be Samson God would instruct these parents that this man this man child would be a Nazarite he would never touch a dead body he would never drink of alcoholic beverage don't touch the stuff and his hair would never be cut now I want you to think about something Jesus was a Nazarite Jesus of Nazareth and if Jesus was a Nazarite and it was instructed by God that a Nazarite was never to touch an alcoholic beverage I'm stepping some toes here tonight quit using the excuse Jesus turned the water into wine as your excuse to drink alcohol Jesus was the Nazarite he didn't touch the stuff he didn't make the stuff he didn't provide the stuff he didn't touch it so we don't touch it either I remember one time I was in some state won't say wearing them the guy looked at me he says well got together and we were talking and he said well let's go to a pub here in town I looked at him I said a pub he said yes I don't drink he said oh you're one of them I said yes I'm one of them and thank God I'm one of them I thank God that I'm one of them and I'll say that I look young because I'm not like that sin ages you sin destroyed I'll be 35 in a few weeks and somebody looked at me said you look 22 cuz I don't do all that nonsense it's just a little aside note got my cherub like demeanour a cherub like face but Samson was an asura the strength that he would have would be because God would place that strength upon him and as long as a razor never touched his head that strength would be with him now you got to understand about the people of Israel at this time they were in a really bad spiritual condition bad shape the Philistines were ruling over the people of God and the religious leaders are the Church of that day if you really wore the leaders of Israel had no problem with it they liked it they didn't mind the Philistines ruling over them but it wasn't God's will for the Philistines to rule over them likewise right now the world is ruling the church because they premised and they have no problem compromising because you know what it's all nice and peaceful and they hated Samson his own people hated him because he didn't stand for that and the Philistines hated him even more because every time that they would try to do something he kill away kill a whole mess load of them so he didn't like him they didn't like him the Philistines didn't like him nobody liked him except God you may sit here and say you know what no one likes me the church doesn't like me my friends don't like me yeah but I know someone who does God likes you God loves you God loves you I mean you got to think about his old people hated him they would tell them over and over Samson keep your mouth shut don't do anything you're causing too much of a problem we enjoy what's happening we like the fact that they are over us it's peaceful it's nice yes but it may be peaceful a night but it will spell ultimate destruction now Samson was the best of the lot but you see Samson had a problem we all have our problems we all have our little issues that we have to deal with and Samson's problem was the fact that he liked wild women he liked worldly women Delilah he fell in love with her she was a Philistine and he looked at her and was beautiful he wanted her marry her and here comes his union with Delilah was not the will of God it is impossible point number this short little message to have close companion with the world without being a part of it now did you hear me it is impossible for us as believers have close companionship with the world without us being a part of it and the fact is that's where the church is the church is in close companionship with the world it has now become a part of the world just last night looking on Instagram and sometimes I want one of their little things they say pictures that you may like based upon people that you follow and I was just scrolling through seeing some of the things that very rarely do this but some whatever reason I just started getting the hankering to look and I saw a concert I'm thinking well I wonder what this is clicked on it and it was a Christian concert but my lord what was coming out it should have been in a great club because it was ungodly I know some of your saying just please don't talk about this anymore and I want I'll just leave it alone but I'll say this and then I'll move on the fact of the matter is if it looks like the world if it acts like the world if it talks like the world if it looks like the world then MIT must be of the world because the old saying if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it ain't a chicken if it's of the world if it dresses like the world if it looks like the Lord if the ROPS like the world Hitler works like the works of the world there is no offensive buts about it one god sent me a letter well if it's not in his church I guess he's against everything no but the fact is I'll say this what we do here is right and I'll make no bones about that it's right because it works all right anyway that's my two cents on that but he his union with Delilah would bring him ultimate ultimate problems now Samson isn't an interesting character because just like all of us as Christians when we read these stories in the Bible of these great men and women of God you see the Holy Spirit very rarely leaving anything out he talks about their highs and he talks about their lows and Samson is no different you see the highs but you also see the lows and this would be one of them because with his union the Philistines would come to her and say we'll pay you money if you can find us and find out what the secret of the strength is three times she asked him in three times he gave her a bunk answer just just a just a typical answer and yet it was wrong the whole time but the last time the very last one she batted demise Samson come lay down on my lap stroking his hair and says tell me don't hide anything from me and at this moment he let his guard down and said the secret of my strength is in my hair no razor has ever come upon my head now nothing to do with his hair but the fact is that's just how the Lord used it I could have imagined that this man's probably my size I would like to think and had them long flowing locks the Bible says they had seven locks Seven specific he had them and I had this one old lady one time she came up to me one of my meetings she said Connie grow your hair out your girls are so beautiful I said they're still there they're just fixed but he had those wet long flowing hair her hands were running through his those those locks just old man just he was in heaven and she said tell me the secret and he said no razor has ever come upon my hair and as soon as he went to sleep she called for someone to come in and his hair was gone she cried out to him Philistines are on us he jumped up just like all the times before but he never once knew or realized that the Lord had departed from him that's a sad state to realize that you don't even know that the Lord had departed there are so many churches around this great country they don't realize the Lord is not there people are there but they don't realize the Lord is not there because of their unholy union with the world he jumped up just like many times before he went out to face the Philistines only to suffer humiliating defeat he didn't know his hair was gone he didn't know the Lord and departed and he finds himself taken captive by the Philistines and his eyes plucked out speaks of blindness you can't see you don't know what else to do he was knocked down and taken to a prison to where he would grind that stone day after day the Philistines would make fun of him they would joke on him they wouldn't make sport of it laughs Adam here is God's rowdy man look at him eyes are plucked out hair is gone and he's in prison most would look at that and say you know what that's the end it's over it's no use and maybe he even thought to himself it's no use it's over but the Bible says his hair began to grow back my lord his hair began to grow back once again he may have been in that prison cell his eyes are plucked out but his hair began to grow back meaning this God had never left him even though he was in this condition he didn't quit all the way together and he because if he didn't quit you know God is not going to give up on him and I want you to understand no matter how far you may have fallen he was not down but he was not knocked out and Church let me tell you you may be knocked down but that doesn't mean you've been knocked out you may be knocked down but that does not mean you've been knocked out that means don't give up you may be lost flat on your back but God the Holy Ghost will be right there to pick you back up and you say come on picking you up we'll get on this together on the right road one more time that hair begin to grow they were still making fun of him still laughing at him but his hair begin to grow I got a new I Got News for you right now I just have to tell you the church has made fun of us long enough they have laughed at this ministry long enough we've been knocked down but we have not been knocked out because Gaza holy ghost our half is begin to grow back so to speak our hair spiritually speaking is going back it's not short but those lots of poet God the Holy Ghost is raising us up one more time for a great move of God they have made fun of us but our end will be better than our beginning our head will be better than our beginning my lord do you get this do you get this our range will be so much better then our beginning well because God has not given up on us glory to God we haven't quit and because we haven't quit God has not quit my lord glory to God glory to God our end will be better then our beginning and it seems like the world may look at us and the church looks at us and says y'all are just old-fashioned you heard it from him they will make fun of us they will tell us oh they're in a state of decline two billion people having the opportunity to watch this network I don't think that's decline I think that's growth our hairs coming back our platforms coming back our voice is being restored one more time for such a time as this Malo I will be better than our beginning oh it will be better than our beginning because we're going to touch this world one more time not once a week but 24 hours a day seven days a week glory to God glory to God glory to God I feel this I will the devil to know it shut your mouth you've left long enough God is about ready to move one more time [Applause] girl in a job and just think your int will be better then your beginning because if you won't quit that hair is going to grow back one more time glory to God they were making fun of them and saying you know what bring it out we'll having a party the elite of the elite in the land of the Philistines bring them out make it fun of them there's God's man blood being led by boy and he tells that boy send me and bring me to the pillars in the center of that area and not knowing the boy did it and he put one arm around one column and one arm around the other column and they're looking at it saying what is he doing and he says God give me strength one more time not get me straight one more time that's what we're asking here God give it strength one more time my lord feel that get me straight one more time just give us strength one more time we may be old and young and everything else in between but we're crying out God give us strength to touch this world one more time and he grabbed those columns singers and musicians coming back he pulled them to and the Bible says that there was a greater victory oh my lord there was a greater victory that day he slew law man in that one outing then all of the men put together in his earthly life he took fruits through slew 3,000 men at that one shot and I got news he didn't commit suicide he laid down his life he laid down his life you got to understand he Samsa was a type of Jesus Christ who laid down his life and won a victory boss more than what we've ever known before a victory we could not produce in and of ourselves but a victory that we can partake you because I'm in Christ I'm in him in ladies and gentlemen Samson even though it looks so bad he would not quit he didn't quit and because of that God won't quit and his end was better than his beginning and likewise in closing we are not quitting we've been knocked down but not knocked out the church has laughed at us but I got news once again our end will be better than our beginning why because God has raised this ministry up for one reason to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified to the young and the old and our end will be better than our beginning stand your feet glory to God just slip up your hands all across this building robo's so tour robber caught a hell of a shake hallelujah praise God our hand will be better and greater than our beginning let's gather on this front this evening as of whatever they feel led to say just flip up your hands right now [Music] the [Music] [Music] they're posturing I'm still not quite [Music] you

Channel: Gabriel Swaggart

Views: 68,579

Rating: 4.8074865 out of 5

Keywords: Gabriel Swaggart, Crossfire Youth Ministry, The Cross, Gospel, Gabe Swaggart, Pastor Gabe, GSRally, Holy Spirit, Christianity, The Comforter, God, Jesus Christ, The Cross of Christ, CrossLife, The Message of the Cross

Id: U_lUlaZPLfE

Length: 33min 40sec (2020 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 03 2017