TOO CLOSE TO QUIT | CHAD VEACH | ZOE CHURCH LA | 5.17.2020

Romans chapter 12 Romans chapter 12 and we'll jump in in just a moment but right now wherever you're joining from tell me what city you're joining from tell me the city you represent it even all over Los Angeles tell me what city you're coming from I need to know I want to know if anybody's joining us from Atwater did y'all see how water and water said the city of at water which is Central Los Angeles said to the churches you can open and we'll protect you in the city of hot water that's a city within Los Angeles and when I read it on KTLA on Twitter guess today I thought we might just moves away to add water up kids but up if you're from Atwater or wherever you joining us from just let us know in a chest you shout out your city and show you some love today okay Romans chapter 12 worship team thank you for being fantastic thank you for being the greatest we will bring you back in a good 20-some minutes 27 minutes I'll need the keys to to help me it'll be me and you at that okay all right Romans chapter 12 verse number 11 we are we finished can't steal my joy what not a great series can't steal my joy and so we just finished that and we are getting ready for it then I'll just tell you the next series that we're jumping into is about the Holy Spirit you are going to absolutely love it I can't wait but but today we call is like a free Sunday like a one-off like preach preach what you're passionate about preach what you're feeling so I'm going to preach today what I feel today what I feel like we need to hear as a community in particular to Angelenos and you know we just got the update that we are gonna be quarantined where at home for the next you know at least how August one we discovered this last week and so when that came I really felt like preaching this message watch here in Romans it'll make more sense Romans chapter 12 verse 11 don't burn out keep yourselves fueled in a flame be alert servants of the master cheerfully expect it now here's the part want to land on don't quit in hard times pray all the harder help needy Christians be inventive in hospitality let me go back to this part don't quit in hard times I want to preach a message today write down the title it's called too close to quit too close to quit and I want to encourage you you are too close don't throw in the towel yet last year we did a message as a church called the brink of breakdown and really the premise of that message was that you're not on the brink of a breakdown you are on the brink of a breakthrough and I really feel that same sentiment today don't quit you are too close to quit and right here I want to just go into the Bible and see how many times God shows up and strengthens those that are weary those that are discouraged those that are filled I can't keep going now I'm actually going to show you today that when you feel weak that's when God does his best work that's when God will invigorate you he will infuse you with purpose and passion so I just want to say just write it all caps in the chat too close to quit don't throw in the towel because we are I believe this as a city as a people as a nation as a church we are just right on the break don't throw in the towel because you're too close to quit so let's pray right now and let's believe that the Holy Spirit will come Jesus will come and speak to us today and encourage us Jesus we love you we listen to you we lean into your grace we lean into who you are thank you God that you're for us you are with us god we remind our soul and our situation that you are good you are kind and you are loving as we open up your word let us see Jesus in the scriptures and let us understand the call and the purpose you have for our lives in Jesus name and everybody said together amen one more big clap just give me a clamp right here couple people in the ministry center give me a worship teams clapping Danny Benson's clapping and people are clapping on it on the chat room you're too close to quittin it was uh it was Florence Chadwick years ago in the 1950s that had the idea to swim from the California coastline to Catalina Island 26 mile swim so she gets in the water and she's swimming and she's gonna be the first one to swim from the coastline to Catalina and she is 15 hours into her swim when this massive fog rolls in over her and she can't see much of anything she's kind of lost in the fog and she's confused on where she's going and she doesn't really know what's happening and so in the midst of losing her sight she quits in fact the boat pulls up and picks her up and and that's the end of it and when she gets into the boat as she got into the boat the fog begins to live and that's when she was able to see she was just one mile away from reaching Catalina I want to speak to our church today because I feel like you are just one mile away from your breakthrough you are just on the brink of what could be miraculous you're on the brink of what could be a breakthrough you're on the brink of some of your best days and you got to just keep on keeping on to get to the place that God has for you I don't know how you have been with your diet on the corn time but my diet has looked horrible and I'm you know just every week it feels like it gets a little bit worse and worse so I had to arrest the issue in my life cuz my Orangetheory fitness is closed and I'm like you know what man you you got to be in front of the camera you can't let the jaw line you know get blah Blau can't have no nutty professors around here so so I was like I was like okay I'm gonna go back to intermittent fasting so I started doing it you never done intermittent fasting it's like you can eat till 8:00 p.m. but you can't eat again til the next day at noon or if you eat you know last meal was at 9:00 p.m. you can't eat till 1:00 p.m. the next day and so every day I've been trying to do this cut it off at 8:00 and pick it back up at noon well when I wake up in the morning I have you know like a coffee or get some coffee and some water to get me through I'm good like around 7:00 that's fine and then around like 9:30 10:00 I'm starting you know getting a little fidgety and like I'm ready to eat have another coffee but I'm telling you that last hour when I hear the 11 a.m. I walk in the kitchen like Julia Julia what are you making for lunch what against what it kids having for lunch what do we well I start planning I start pacing I'm just saying I got it and the devil starts messing him with my head he's like he's like you didn't lend fifteens fine 11:30 is fine I'm like no no no I got a make there is no better feeling than when I hit 12 o'clock and I'm like oh my gosh I did it and I just start devouring everything that Julia made for the kids for lunch it's the best feeling yesterday I'm devouring their grilled cheese sandwiches and their watermelon and their chips and I even went to the freezer at about 12:15 and grabbed some ice cream and I started just going to town until your walked in she's like you can't just you the intermittent fasting so you can't you can't just eat whatever you want it's a rough part in my life right now but anyways I want to talk to you today about the reality that you're too close to quit you can make it to that finish line you can make it to the end of a pandemic you can make it to the end of whatever you're going through whatever season this looks like I want to give you some encouragement from God's Word it literally says don't quit give you five things to write down today number one just because you can doesn't mean you should just because you can quit listen you can do whatever you want you're your own man your own woman you're in control of you can't nobody tell you what to do that's fine you can do whatever you want but just because you can doesn't mean you should I love what Paul the Apostle says into the Corinth church he says listen all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial you've got to start to weigh out your options and say listen I know I can do this but should I do this is it worth it in the end is it going to be worth it to my kids is it gonna be worth it to my friends is it going to be worth it to the health of my of my soul come on watch what Paul says here let me just read it exactly from the passion translation it's true that our freedom allows us to do anything but that doesn't mean that everything we do is good for us I'm free to do as I choose but I choose to never be enslaved to anything just because you can doesn't mean you should you should do the right thing you should keep going you should keep pressing youcould you should keep showing up half of life is just showing up half of life is just being like I want to quit I want to throw in the towel I don't want to keep going I don't want to show up but I'm doing what's right and I'm doing what's good it's always the right time to do the right thing it's never the right time to quit it's never the right time to throw in the towel know just because you could doesn't mean you should I love this because the Holy Spirit allows you literally allows you to see the result of your decision before you make your decision so the Holy Spirit will just fast for the tape for be like okay just a heads up if you do this you do realize what's gonna transpire if you make this data if you quit on this situation you do understand what could transpire in your life and so it's just fast for the tape and you can sit back and be like wow if I make that decision here it's gonna look like this here in my life I love this because remember back in the day when used to watch DVDs you know you have fast-forward chapters though that I didn't like about that you're skipping like three four minutes at a time what I like about today when I watch the Disney apples my kids I can hit the button boop up it shows me the whole movie on the bottom and I can just scroll I can see frame by frame the whole thing just just and just move that thing back and forth I'm gonna say wow growing up as you kids you guys are blessed we struggle through the chapters what I love about God is that God will allow you to fast forward frame by frame to see listen if I quit right here it's gonna affect this decision it's gonna affect this finance it's gonna affect this relationship it's gonna mess with this person here just because you could doesn't mean you should it's always the right time to do the right thing you got to keep on going right down number two I love this thought Oh quitters never prosper but those that rely on grace do quitters never prosper but those that rely on the grace of God do quitters never prosper remember that old saying cheaters never prosper I've never seen quitters prosper I've never seen anybody that's quit and been someone that's just throws in the towel all the time and quits on life quits on their calling quits on situations quits on friends quits on relationships I've never seen quitters take off no but I've seen people that rely on God's or I've seen people that rely on grace take off I've seen people though they are weak become strong though they feel like quitting get the strength they need to keep on in doing God wants you to prosper God wants you to go to another level God's plans are for your prosperity not for your calamity God wants you to go to another level of faith another level of love under the level of generosity another level of serving another of community God wants you to prosper but you can't prosper and quit you can only prosper by depending upon the grace of God watch what it says here in 3rd John I love this verse beloved I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers now your soul is your mind your will and your emotions your soul is the central part of who you are your soul is your mind your will to do things and your emotions God wants your soul to prosper he wants your mental health to be sharp he wants your will to do the will of God he wants your emotions to be stable God wants you to soar and prosper in all areas God doesn't want you just to soar and prosper in your spiritual life he wants you to prosper financially he wants you to prosper physically he wants you to prosper emotionally God wants you to prosper like never before God wants you to take off and soar and new heights and new levels but you can never get there by quitting here you got to keep on going and keep on reliant and keep on leaning into the grace of God the more I lean in the more I lean into grace the more I'm able to prosper but when I try and do it in my own strength I can never take off that's why I literally need Jesus I love this song have mercy on me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are troubled I'm okay with you being weak I'm okay with you being like I'm not okay talk to somebody this last week they're like men I finally snapped I got to my breaking point in the midst of this pandemic and I snapped I'm something to happen in me I'm okay with weakness I'm okay with snapping I'm okay with your boy bones being weak I'm okay with all of that the only thing that I encourage you to do that though you are weak turn to Jesus because God specializes with weak people he does his best work he cannot help superstars he cannot help those that put their capes on he can only help those that are like God I hurry I am tired I am come on mom's I know how much you've been given and how much you've been serving and how much you've been helping those kids and cleaning up and doing the dishes and moms I want to encourage you Mother's Day was last week no I got a word for moms today though you are weak you can be strong come on dad's dad's if it feel like you've been been working hard and trying to take the zooms at home doing your very best and spending more time at home than you ever have before though you are weak you can become strong in fact God's power rests on weak people God does his best work in weakness look at Paul what he says to the corn church invert in Chapter 12 he says this but he answered me my grace is always more than enough for you and my power finds its full expression through your weakness so I will celebrate my weaknesses for when I am weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me the mighty power of Christ lives in me when I'm like I want to quit I want to give up I want to throw in the towel I don't want to text anybody back I never want to be in another zoom meeting for the rest of my life I'm sick of Netflix actually when you are weak then he's like okay I got you right where you want where I want you I can do what I can work with that like my powers made perfect in that quitters never prosper but those that rely on the grace of God do somebody just put in the chat right now I will turn to Jesus I will rely on grace I will say that God is my source come on what did we say last week I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me I was saying it in the last service but what but this was it was it was sad but funny that's how you got to be as a parent this is sad but it's kind of funny so my six year old we were in the pool this last week and my six-year-old he got the highest point of the ledge and he jumped off and he jumped onto my four-year-olds head and when he did that I was like good of the pool I'm like oh my gosh you could have really hurt your brother and I'm talking to him and I'm in and he's like kind of looking at me like I didn't realize what I just did and I'm like clearly you didn't because you would have never done that because you landed right on top of your brother and and kind of just encourage you that when you feel like you are dead in the water and you don't have a clue the power of God the grace of God rests on weakness it will overwhelm you it will literally just engulf you and and envelop you and say listen I've got you right where you want you I want to attack you with my love and attack you with my power and my strength and I know you're not in a good place but I come and I can heal and I can rebuild and I can restore and I can help weak people we live in the cultures like don't show your weakness and gods like bring me your weakness my power is made perfect in weakness and it's never it's never quitters that prosper those that raise their hand they're like I'm not good I'm my bones are growing weary I am exhausted I don't think I can do another month of this let alone two more months of this god help me and God's like I've got you here's my piece here's my love here's my joy here's my kindness here's my self-control thank God for the power of His grace somebody say Amen he's the third thing write it down just hold on we're going strong just hold on we're going strong look at this in Isaiah Isaiah 41 fear not for I am with you be not dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you yes I will help you I will uphold you with my righteous hand 1st Corinthians 16:13 look at this one be on your guard stand firm in the faith be courageous and be strong what about 2nd Timothy 1:7 for God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love and sound mind you here with the Bible saying just hold on the grace we're going strong we're going from weakness to strength that fast like jet I love that song we're singing today one word I went from being like I'm quitting to like let's keep going one word I went from like I'm weak to I'm strong one word just hold on to Jesus we're going strong love this because this somebody needs to hear this today one touch from Jesus and your whole reality can so just hold on we're going strong we're going strong do not be afraid do not be dismayed do not fear God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love and sound mind the other day our son our four year old you know the one that got you know his head passed in pool you know the imamat have you boy and so maverick the other night comes running to our room and he's like he's crying and he's like he's like daddy daddy I had a bed bed dream about clowns I was like oh gosh that's but you could say anything but clown like and now I'm afraid like clientís clowns I clowns is scary for real scary okay so I'm like whoa like let's pray right now like she came in a Honda she could have bought a Mazda like this we got a brain right now so I started praying for my guy and and then and then a couple days later we're in the cars just me and me and Maddie boy and and and I'm like I'm talking to about the clowns like not that I wanted to bring it up but the Spirit of God made me and so I'm like I'm like son you know that if you ever have that dream about the clown like daddy will protect you always daddy's got you in from the backseat my Mary's like no dad you can't you don't have superpowers I was like okay well then you're on your own but in my head I will my head I was like okay this is a moment though so so so I go I go you okay you're right I don't have superpowers I go but you know who can't protect you I said son Jesus can protect you and I've seen his face he kind of tilted a he's like dad you why he does have super power he can and I was like nailed it if a four-year-old can understand that Jesus has super powers maybe in the midst of a crisis you can come to realization that our God has super powers don't be afraid don't be plagued with fear just hold on we're going strong he has come into your life for God has not given you a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love and you got the power of God living in you and so you ought to just stir up that power to say you know what the best is yet to come you know what the the best days are the glory days aren't behind me I'm gonna rebuild my finances I'm gonna rebuild my business I'm gonna rebuild whatever I've lost in this time God is for me and God is with me hold on we're going strong write down number four here's the next one I love this one change your scenery and change your mood I'll talk to so many people they're like man we need to find an air B&B because we have been holed up in this thing ten weeks and I need to change my scenery you're right change your scenery and change your mood this is a life hack that if you can just get out and see the ocean I'm just talking to Angelenos right now if you're if you if you're streaming in from Iowa you're like the ocean put on the screensaver on your phone maybe you see it that way but but you got to change your scenery to change your mood so much of our mood is depend upon what we see if I walk in the house and this thing's a mess and there's crayons everywhere and there's mass everywhere and you know because our kids they dig into the costumes a lot and you know there's stuff everywhere it affects my mood I'm like man I can't come home and relax these kids have made this place into a crazy place but if I come home and there's you know everything's in order and everything's cleaned up and the smell of santel candles is burning I'm like man I'm not mood is good because your mood sometimes is dependent upon your scene god knows this and so sometimes God will change up your scene to change up your mood sometimes God can't speak to you where you're at so he moves you geographically he moves you for a moment he moves you for a day and he says come on a walk with me go on a drive with me change up your scene so you can change up your mood God did this in the first book of the Bible with a guy named Abram Abram God was getting ready to move use Abraham this is before his name was changed and the first thing they says to Abram he said I can't work with you where you're at I need you to bring you to a different space so the first thing he says is leave your house leave what you're familiar with leave who-who you're comfortable with I got to bring you into a different place so I can start to work with you so he gets Abram out of familiarity then when he's there he's in a tent and he's like what's God about to do and God speaks another time this time he says get out of your tent and look at the Stars look at Genesis chapter 13 Genesis 15 then he brought him outside and said look now toward heaven and count the Stars if you are able to number them and he said to him so shall your descendants be come out of your tent come out of your familiarity change up your scenery and now that you're in a different scene look up at the stars and if you can kill them that's that's how many descendants you're gonna have I wonder if God needs to change up your scene I wonder if you can't hear God cuz you're still inside your tent God trying to get you out to an unfamiliar place so he can get you woke enough to speak to your spirit about the future that he has for you maybe God is saying stop looking at your situation and start looking up to the heavens I'll lift my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from it comes from you the maker of heaven and earth so often God can't speak to you because all you see is the mess in your house so often God can't speak to you because all your studying is your bank account and what's inside of your tent right now maybe God is saying no no no step outside lift your eyes look up right now and look at what I want to do in your life God knew with Abram I can't I can't speak this word to you when you're in your house and I can't it's a move away and then he then Abrams like if moving away wasn't enough now you want me to get out of my tent but God God you know that my wife is good in my tent right God you know I'm watching the show right now right guys that come to come outside come come outside this week what have you changed your scene so you could change your mood what do you need to do good maybe maybe drive home a different way this week maybe you need to go on your gratitude walk a different way this week but change up your scene to change up your mood because if you don't change up your mood this might be the scene of quitting for you to get the scene of gratitude and the scene of faith and the scene of what God wants to do in and through your life you've got to change up your scene to change up your mood here's the last one worship team you can come join me here's the last one you're all most there Galatians 6 verse 9 so let's not allow ourself to get fatigued doing good at the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up or quit other translations say this way do not grow weary in doing good for in due season you shall reap a harvest I wonder if your harvest is like right there but the fog has got you all messed up and you call for the boat ready to get in and quit wouldn't it be tragic if the fog lifts and you were just one mile away [Music] you're almost there you're almost there keep swimming keep serving keep showing up [Music] keep giving keep saying I'm sorry keep texting and reaching out you're almost there can you taste it you like at 11:15 like well we better have for lunch but lunch is coming you're almost there The Devil's like man it's gonna be forever till you get there you're never gonna get free from this thing you're never gonna step into greatness you're never gonna know I hear heaven saying something bigger I hear heaven saying no no you're all most don't you quit don't throw in the towel the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10 you have need of endurance you have need of endurance God is gonna give you the strength and the stamina and the perseverance that you need to keep going and showing up and being who you're called to be it makes me think of these realigns you know these are lights you know they get out of Egypt out of slavery and they get to the Red Sea and they're like they cross over and they get out of the plagues and the Red Sea and they got the manna look at the pillar cloud in the fire by night and all these miracles and for 40 years they wander in the wilderness for 40 years they're looking for the promised land and by the time they get to the promised land they show up with all the litany of miracles and they're like all right just we made it we're here and they get there and all they experience is the walls of Jericho have you ever felt like you've been going and going and going and only to be greeted by a bunch of walls only but greeted by a stop here only to be greeted by a nope not yet I want to preach to somebody today that feels like these walls shouldn't be there just hold on we're going strong I want to preach to somebody that feels like quitting no no we're gonna rely on grace right now because when the Israelites showed up and all they have was walls God put up I know you felt like 40 years was enough time but it's just a little bit more time that I need with you so this what we're gonna do God says nobody can say a word nobody can say anything we're just gonna walk around and take a lap around the walls of Jericho I love what it says here in Joshua 6 verse 1 now Jericho was securely shut up it feels like our cities it feels like our nation right now still quarantine still shut up not open for business not open for church Jericho was shut up just like America and Los Angeles is shut up and what did God say to them he said close your mouth just take a lap take a lap take a lap don't don't don't bellyache don't quit right now don't throw in the towel right now just close your mouth and take a lap I want to tell somebody today take a lap right now take a lap right now maybe in your living room take a lap right now maybe if you're in your car pull over take a lap around your car maybe you're walking right now take a lap around your cul-de-sac because we're gonna experience what the Israelites experienced and that the walls of Jericho are gonna fall down because we're not quitting we're not throwing in the towel we're not saying it's over I'm gonna trust in God I'm gonna look to Jesus I'm gonna receive grace I'm gonna receive strength oh come on Church don't grow weary for in due season we're gonna reap a harvest some of you like okay I'm gonna do my lap but I'm upset why won't this thing open why do we kill how come I want to sit in a restaurant I want to go to the valley into the bad crop into the east and I wanna go I say oh I just want to go to my gym so bad and just no no no good he said don't say work so you could walk angry just shut up maybe God was preparing us for this Sunday by having us go on gratitude walks last Sunday maybe God was trying to say hey you're almost there but I need you to walk around the wall don't say nothing just thank Jesus in your mind just praise the Lord in your heart just think Jesus for being faithful and being kind and being good and being all thank you Jesus thank you God thank you God that we're too close to quit thank you

Channel: ZOE LA

Views: 4,760

Rating: 4.9407406 out of 5

Keywords: chad veach, pastor chad veach, pastor julia veach, georgia, chad veach preaching, zoe church, zoe church la, zoe church la sermons

Id: XvCwEHhSTls

Length: 31min 15sec (1875 seconds)

Published: Sun May 17 2020