Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Ready to Quit | Been There | Part 3

Episode Date: April 23, 2023

Is there an area of your life where you’re ready to quit? Even though it might feel like you have to endure this difficult time alone, you don’t. Jesus knows what it’s like to feel frustrated and discouraged—He’s been there. And this message could be the encouragement you need to keep going. ABOUT THIS MESSAGEHave you ever been hurt by a friend? Jesus has. Maybe you feel like God isn't listening? Jesus knows what that’s like. No matter what you’re facing, Jesus understands because He’s Been There.NEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: https://www.life.church/nextCONNECT WITH A PASTORDo you need prayer? Would you like to find out how you can get involved at Life.Church? One of our pastors would love to meet with you. Schedule a video call with a pastor: https://www.life.church/meetwithusABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.churchFind locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/appFIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/life.churchTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifechurchYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LCNowCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIGYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/craiggroeschelFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@craiggroeschel#lifechurch #craiggroeschel #beenthere Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, we're continuing on in a series called Been There, meaning, man, for the most part, whatever pain you're facing, whatever challenge you're enduring, Jesus has been there. And today specifically, we're going to be talking about when you just want to quit, you want to throw in the towel. But I want to encourage you today in that you got this. It's going to be okay. Don't quit.

I know many of us would say, we don't want lives that are full of pain, full of heartache, questioning. Nobody would want that. But there's a conundrum in our life, and I'll explain it like this. Anything worth doing is going to be hard. And when we face opposition, a lot of times we find ourselves wanting to quit. But the problem is you can never get to the end product if you don't go through the process of pain. okay so i mean do you want to be a champion well it's going to be hard want to be a good leader it's hard

want to be a parent who that's hard want to be a person to character that's hard start a business hard you want to be a follower of jesus hard as i was working on this message and and working through it i was uh one night my daughter brooklyn she wanted to uh to be able to play some basketball with me and we got a pick here of Brooklyn. So Brooklyn says to me, hey, daddy, can we go play some basketball? Well, I was kind of working on this and working on the message.

I was like, baby, not right now. I'll play it a little bit, but right now I've got to work on this message. She's going, well, what is it about? I said, well, she's 11, and she says, well, I mean, I can write that for you right now. I'm like real quick. I said, okay, help me out.

So Brooklyn says, look, all you got to do is walk out on the stage and just look at the camera, the one that's really close, look at that one, and say, don't quit and then pause for effect and then say it again seriously don't quit and they just walk off stage i'm pretty sure if Winston Churchill does something like that i'm not sure maybe that pastor craig would be real serious would be real happy with me just walking off stage maybe the shortest sermon in life church history but in all seriousness there's a lot of truth actually in that you got to have that motivation that desire

just simply not quit you know Jesus is himself didn't quit. He understands this idea of wanting to quit. We actually see this in Mark 14. We see him in the Garden of Gassimony. And Jesus says, Abba Father, he cried out. Everything is possible for you. Please, please, take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. Do you feel the tension? Please. take this cup of suffering away from me. Now, to actually appreciate what exactly is going on here, we got to go back a little bit.

So why don't y'all come back with me, and let's start back over here at the Last Supper. What is the Last Supper? Well, it's a moment where Jesus is with his disciples, and he's in this upper room, and what he's doing is they're enjoying a meal together and actually celebrating the Passover meal. And so they're enjoying some time. They get through with the Passover celebration and they're all kind of sitting around the table.

And maybe they're talking about some of the miracles Jesus had done the previous couple days or weeks and what's happening. And maybe about some of the excitement about, man, what is going to be coming? I mean, there's been some weird things Jesus has taught recently. I wonder what's coming up here with this whole Passover thing. What's going on? And they're just trying to figure it out. Well, Jesus stands up in the middle of this moment, and he says to his disciples, this very night, you will all fall away on account of me. And you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Everybody's sitting there and like, what?

Man, he just dropped that? And then Peter stands up. And he says this. Look at what Peter says. Peter replies, even if all fall away on account of you, I never will. Even if all fall away. way on account of you, I never will. Could you imagine how awkward it would be to be the disciples sitting in that room? I appreciate that, Peter. Yeah. Even if all these guys fall away, I'm not going to, because I'm Peter. How awkward would it have been? Could you imagine how bizarre as a disciple that would have felt? You just got thrown under the bus. Jesus looks at Peter and says, you know, truly I tell you, this very night, you're going to deny me three times. You're going to deny me three times. before the rooster crows.

Peter then doubles down. He says, look, even if I have to die with you, I'm not going to fall away. Not going to happen. And the disciples kind of agree with him. Yeah, let's go. Why is Peter so adamant? Why is he so up in the,

well, okay, we got to go back a little bit further. And Peter, back in Matthew 16, there was this moment where all the disciples are together with Jesus. And Jesus is asking him about, who do people say I am? And so they're giving different replies to him. And then he just drops it down on him. He's like, but what about you?

Who do you say that I am? And that's like that moment. It's just kind of like, oh gosh. Remember when you were in high school and your geography teachers, like throwing out the state capital of somewhere and you're like, what's the state capital of Texas? And you're like, I know it's Austin. I think it's Austin. But I don't want to raise my hand to say it.

because if what if I'm wrong? I mean, San Antonio's big. They got good Mexican food. Maybe they moved to San Antonio. I don't know. Houston's a big city. No, it's Austin, right? But you don't want to reply because nobody wants to be wrong. But Peter's like, oh, I got this. Peter stands up. He says, man, you are the Messiah, the son of God. Jesus replies, blessed are you, Simon. for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter. He changes his name right here, okay? It's so significant of a truth.

He changes his name from Simon to Peter. And he says, upon this rock, I'll build my church. But Peter was like, that's what I'm talking about. I knew it was Austin all along. Yeah, I got it right. Y'all hear that? I'm the rock. That's why he was so adamant when Jesus said you're all going to fall away. Peter's like, mm-mm, did you remember me? I'm the rock. I got this. Remember, I got the question right.

I'm not going anywhere. So from the last supper, the Bible says they immediately went out to a place called the Garden of Getsimony. So they go out there. Jesus is overwhelmed in this time. with heartache and trial and struggle, knowing what was coming. So we see him actually take a subset of the disciples. He takes Peter, James, and John, and they go out to the garden, and he says to them, all right, listen, I need you to sit here and watch. Sit here and watch and pray. Peter's like, got it.

I get it. The Bible says that he was overwhelmed, crushed in spirit to the place of death. It also records that he was sweating drops of blood. You feeling this now from our starting scripture? So Jesus tells Peter, James and John, sit here. I'm going to go over and pray. And so he goes to pray. And we see the context of where we started now.

him saying, Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please, take this cup away from me, this cup of suffering. I don't want it. I want to quit. I'm done.

But not what I want, what you want. So Jesus gets up and goes back over. They're asleep. Can you feel Jesus' desire to want to quit? it. The rock is sleeping. He says in Mark 14, look what he says. He returns then to his disciples, found them sleeping. He says, Simon, he said to Peter, are you asleep? Couldn't you keep watch for one hour? Just one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall in temptation. The spirit is

willing, but the flesh is weak. Now I want you to notice something here. I love how Mark points this out. says that he looks at and he says Simon he said to Peter do you see what just happened there he called him Simon remember I told you his name had changed to Peter the rock the problem was he wasn't acting like a rock right then he may have been sleeping like a rock but he wasn't acting like one he was asleep he had just had this I got this Jesus they all might fall away not me I'm with get to the end, I'll die for you. But I can't stay awake for you. He fell asleep. Jesus said, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. You ever felt that? You feel like my flesh is weak. I can't go on. My spirit really wants to do this. I want to be

better. I want to be able to be able to fix this. I want to be able to change this. I want to be able to have a great marriage. I want to be able to be a great parent. I want to be able to fill in the blank. Your flesh is weak. You just want to quit. Jesus has been there, knowing everything that he had before him and his appointed leaders sleeping on the job. He goes back. He prays some more. He comes back a a second time that somebody hit the snooze button again. They're sleeping. He wakes him up. He He goes back to pray a third time. He comes back a third time. And the third time, he's like, okay, guys, you've had your rest.

Come on. The son of man's about to be betrayed. My betrayer is at hand. And the Bible says that they get up and they start leaving the garden. And when they do immediately, a group of soldiers come to try to arrest Jesus. And one of them comes up to try to put their hands on Jesus to arrest him. And then Peter draws his sword and cuts the ear of the high priest servant, Malchus, off.

Jesus then turns around and looks at Peter and he says, stop, put your sword away. And I love what he says. He says, shall I not drink from the cup of suffering that the Father has given me? again, the resolve in Jesus's mind, I will drink the cup of suffering. I will not quit. I will not quit.

Now, before we understand, before we kind of like those stones of Peter, think about it. You're supposed to be the leader. You've been given a name change. you're the rock you make a bit of a fool of yourself and you stand up in a dinner party and you're like they may all go away but i'm not going to i'm pledging my allegiance well beyond anything they can do i'm here with you remember i'm the one that said who you were i'm the rock i'm not going anywhere

then i can't even stay awake how ridiculous i'm sitting there telling him i'll die for you him and I can't even stay awake for him? Three different times. Imagine the third time, it happened immediately, scripture said. They got up and they started going. I can only imagine Peter's frustration with himself.

Why am I so goof? Why can I not just stay awake? What is wrong with me? I'm just asked this simple task and I can't even stay awake. He's so frustrated. He's like, I'm going to prove I'm the wrong. And so here come the guards. Jesus sees him about, he goes, okay, I get it.

This is that point of death thing right here. Give me my sword. And he cuts the guy's ear off only to have Jesus rebuke him again. He can't win. He's just like, that's it. This is terrible. I'm horrible. And in that moment, the disciples scatter and they're gone.

Jesus is alone with the guards being taken to trial. And he says in the face of suffering, will I not drink this cup? The resolve Jesus had. Why? It's because he knew. There was no other way. There was no other way.

It alleviates any other way for there to be a way to be a way to be made. right with God because Jesus would have taken that way. Jesus said, is there anything else that can happen? Please, because if that's the case, let's do that. But Jesus knew there was no other way. So I will not quit. I have resolved to go all the way through with this.

So Jesus then gets arrested and he's taken to the temple courts to stand trial. All the disciples scatter. Peter follows along behind. I can kind of vision Peter going from bush to bush, tree to tree. hiding out, trying to stay within visual sight to see where they're going to take him, what's going to happen. I don't know. Oh my gosh, I'm such an idiot. I stayed asleep. Then I cut the guy's ear off. That wasn't right. I don't know what to do, but I don't want to desert him like everybody else, even though he is kind of alone right now. And they get to the temple courts.

And so Peter lurks over into the shadows. And he tries to get close enough to kind of hear what's happening in there. And what's the trial saying? and like and what's going to happen, but it's cold. It's cold that night. So Peter notices there's a fire. And so he's like, I'm going to go over and warm myself by it. And so he goes to the fire. And when he does, somebody's standing around the fire and says, hey, hold on. You're with him. Aren't you with him? No, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not with him. I don't know what you mean. No, no, no, no, no. You're with him. I know you are. I don't. I don't. I don't. know that guy. Okay? I'm not with him. A little bit of time goes by. Somebody else says,

no, no, I know you were with him. You had to have been one of them. I'm telling you, I don't know that man. Luke 22 says that when he said that, the Lord's eyes and Peter's eyes connected. And then the rooster crone. And Peter went out and he wept bitterly. Peter wants to quit. What do you want to quit on? Maybe I'm marriage. You're just ready to be done. You don't quit on your kids.

Won't quit on God? Maybe you just, kind of like Peter, man. You want to just quit on yourself. I'm so thankful that Jesus didn't quit on us. Jesus has been there. He knows what it feels like to want to quit and he endured. When those who loved him most left him, he didn't quit.

When he was falsely accused, he didn't quit. When he experienced physical pain beyond what was even imaginable to us, he did not quit. When he was humiliated, stripped bare, and the creation was mocking the creator, he didn't quit. Ultimately, culminating with the fact that Jesus had to die a. sacrificial death on the cross to save us in our own depravity. He simply would not quit. He knew it was the only way to be made right with God. So there was no way Jesus could ever quit. He will drink the cup of suffering because he knew there was nothing else to be done. No other way could be made right for people to be made right with God than his sacrificial death. And he loved his disciples too much to quit.

and he loved Peter way too much to quit and he loves you way too much to quit and so he was abandoned falsely accused whipped beaten

nailed to a cross with spikes through his wrist and his feet stripped naked and put up there on a cross for everyone to hurl insults at and he willingly chose so that we could find forgiveness. All the way to the finish line where in John 19 he exclaims in a loud voice and he cries out, it is finished. And Jesus finished his work, but brought about forgiveness.

He brought forth redemption. He brought forth the ability for us to have new life. He simply would not quit. But what about Peter? Because the last time we checked in on Peter, he was weeping bitterly. Remember? He'd pretty heartbroken. Well, there's several things that happened to Peter after that point.

First, Peter actually got a neat experience of going to the tomb and seeing an empty tomb after Jesus was resurrected. that's recorded in the scripture. Another thing is that when the disciples were all together at breaking bread, Jesus appears to the disciples, behind locked doors, talks to them, and then disappeared in front of, wow, what a cool party trick. Peter got to see all that. That was pretty neat.

But perhaps the most important thing that actually happened to Peter was found in John 21. Here's how it happened. Peter and a few of the disciples. went to the Sea of Galilee. And they were out there on the Sea of Galilee, hanging out on the shore. Why the Sea of Galilee? I don't know.

Maybe a couple different reasons. You see, before Peter was a disciple, he was a fisherman. And he was perhaps going back to where he actually kind of knew. The other thing that was kind of cool is that in Matthew 4, you actually see when Peter was fishing, Jesus actually called him

when he was on the Sea of Galilee. Nonetheless, he's at the Sea of Galilee with a few of the disciples, and he looks on and he says, you know what? I'm going fishing. Is Peter quitting? I don't know.

He's certainly in that moment, not preaching about Jesus. Here's the thing. He had seen the empty tomb. He had seen Jesus risen. So I don't really think he was quitting on his belief. in God or the belief that Jesus was raised. I think he was quitting on himself. I think he was done.

Honestly, in Peter's mind, he's like, you know what? I stood up in front of all the disciples. I said, I got this, even if all of them fall away, I'm here. And then I can't even stay awake in the garden. And that chop a guy's ear off. I got that one wrong too. And then, you know what? I denied me. I denied him three times. I'm no rock. I'm nothing. What am I? You know what I am?

I'm a fisherman. I'm going back to fish. So they go out on the sea and they fish all night long. They didn't catch a thing. And as the sun dawned across and broke on the horizon over the sea of Galilee, all of a sudden the disciples could see some fellow standing over on the shore. And he says, hey, how you guys do last night? He can catch anything.

that they couldn't see that it was Jesus at that point. And Jesus tells them, hey, throw the net on the other side of the boat. And they do. And the catch is so large they can't even pull it over into the boat. And John says, oh, my gosh, it's Jesus. It's got to be. And Peter's like, are you kidding me? He jumps out of the boat into the leg.

It just starts swimming on his way over to the shore. And it's crazy, guys. So what happens is all of a sudden, Jesus sits down on the shore. And the Bible says that a fire was already going, and they had fish roasting. And Jesus is sitting there. And this is crazy.

The scripture says that everybody knew it was Jesus, but nobody wanted to say it. So there's this awkward breakfast. on the Sea of Galilee. And you know, I mean, hey, if I were one of those disciples, I'd have been like, get him, Jesus. He's going to get there and throw me under the bus, tell me he can't even stay awake.

And he cussed fell his ear off, and then he denies you three times, just like you said, get him. Let him know. That's what I'd have been thinking. Nonetheless, everybody wondered, what was Jesus going to say? they sit. And finally, Jesus breaks the silence over the smoldering coals. He looks over at Peter, and he says, Simon, notice what he called him. Simon, do you love me more than these?

What a question. There were two things to point out to that. First, he said, really? You love me more than all of them. Because remember Peter had said, I'm going to stay around, even if they all fall away. And Jesus says, really? Do you love me more than them? The word love, Jesus used right there is a word called agape. It means an unconditional love.

One that God has for humanity. Peter replies with the word phileo. It's a different word for love. He says, Lord, you know, I fileto you. That is a deep brother. kinship love that you can have for someone, but it's shy of agape. Peter's feeling it. Second time, Jesus says, Simon, do you agape me? He left off the more than these the second question. He just said, do you agape me? And Peter says, Lord, you know, I filet oh you. Third time, he says, Simon,

do you fileto me? Jesus changed his word for love for Peter. And Peter says, Lord, you know I filo you. Jesus met Peter right where he was. Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus forgave Peter three times. You know, I think it's amazing. A lot of times in Christian circles, can run around and have a lot of forgiveness for unbelievers, but no forgiveness for believers. I'm thankful that we serve a God who has enough forgiveness for both. So in that moment, Jesus then looks over it, Peter, and says, it's going to get hard. It's going to be really difficult, but I want you to follow me. Peter, don't quit. I can hear it in Jesus' voice. Peter, don't quit.

Don't go get on that boat. I know you feel like you're not enough, Peter, but don't quit. I know Peter what it feels like to experience loss, but don't quit. I know the sting of betrayal, Peter, but don't quit. You see, Jesus was not wrong when he called Peter the rock. Peter just had to go through a process of pain

in order to become the rock that God needed him to be because you see in the context of that forgiveness all of a sudden a new day of service dawned for Peter because Peter didn't quit. In fact, not very long

after that, he was actually the preacher for Pentecost where he delivered arguably one of the most transformative messages in all of the New Testament where 3,000 people got saved. You could say on the other side of your pain there is a Pentecost coming if you don't quit if you don't quit so you want a great marriage

don't quit you feel like you want to stop praying for that person don't quit are you having hard time connecting with God right now don't quit keep pressing keep seeking him you want to give up on yourself like peter failed one too many times you feel like Jesus can forgive more than you can fail. Don't quit. In your weariness, no, Jesus has been there. And he knows what it feels like when you want to quit. But he persevered all the way to the end to where he could say it has, it is finished. And forgiveness has come. So, in the words, my 11-year-old baby girl, how would I sum this up? Well, don't quit. I mean, seriously. don't quit.

Let's pray. As we're in an attitude of prayer today, man, maybe there's some of you who, as you hear this and you process through this, you know, there's something you want to quit on any number of different things. And you want God's help to be able to persevere and continue to press forward. I'd be honored to pray for it. If you just lift up your hand wherever you are, type that in the chat, man. I want to quit, but God help me.

Hands all over the place. Lord Jesus, I'm thinking. thankful you didn't quit on us. I'm thankful that you've given us the example and marked out the path of how to not quit. God, I pray that in those moments, those moments where we do want to do nothing more than just give up. I pray you would give us the strength. I pray we would cry out to you and you would answer and you would be exactly what we need in that moment to accomplish what you want for us to do. Lord, help us. give us strength to persevere.

Still praying today in an attitude of prayer, there's those of you, I just want to simply say this. God, Jesus loved you way too much to quit on his way to the cross. Why would anyone, much less the Son of God, willfully go into suffering, willfully be beaten, willfully put themselves onto a cross.

It's because it was the only way. And Jesus, when he was in that garden, praying if there's any other way, take that, but not my will, yours be done. You were on his mind in the garden. You were on his mind as he was being flogged. You were on his mind as he was finding himself, to a cross. You were on his mind when he was to say, it is finished for you. So that you could receive

forgiveness. There was no other way. See, the Bible says that we've fallen and we're kind of a lot like Peter, right? And we just mess up a lot. And it's called sin and that sin separates us from God. But the beautiful news is that God made a way to be made right with him through the death of his son, Jesus. All you have to do is call out on his name. Say, Jesus, I accept your forgiveness. I accept your sacrifice. Come in and make me new. And there are those of you today whom that is why God has you listening to this message right now is to find a new life, to find forgiveness and a new hope, to find purpose, direction. And that is why you're here today to say yes to a relationship. with Jesus. For those of you today who say, yes, that is what I want. I want a relationship with God. I want

God to come in, to take over and to forgive me of my sin. At all of our locations, lift your hands up high right now. Say yes to a relationship with Jesus. Yes, down here in the front. Others of you saying yes to a relationship with Christ. Those of you, those of you online, simply type in the chat, I'm giving my life to Jesus. And we will be happy to be happy to pray with you. All of us, with those making this decision today, let's lift our voices together and say, do Jesus, I pray that you would forgive me on my sins. Thank you for not quitting. Thank you for making a way for me to find forgiveness. Jesus, come into my life, take over, make me new. Thank you for your sacrifice for me. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Everybody said. Amen. It's amazing what God is doing

here at life church.