DON’T GIVE UP
Pastor Jahmel K. Robinson
Scripture: Hebrews 12:1–3
CENTRAL MESSAGE
Don’t give up.
The race may get difficult.
Obstacles may get in your way.
You may get tired.
People may count you out.
Things may not look right.
But whatever you are going through:
Just keep going.
You have come too far to quit now.
God has already brought you through too much.
You are surrounded by witnesses of what faith can do.
You have your own testimony of what God has already done.
Don’t give up because God will come through.
KEY TEXT: HEBREWS 12:1–3
“We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses...”
Study Note:
You are not the first person who has had to live by faith.
Hebrews 12 connects directly to Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11 gives us witness after witness of people who trusted God.
They had difficulties.
They had opposition.
They had circumstances they could not control.
But they kept believing.
Their lives testify:
Faith works.
God is faithful.
You can keep going.
“Let us throw off everything that hinders...”
Study Note:
Everything cannot go with you while you run your race.
Some things are weights.
Some things slow you down.
Some things distract you.
Some things entangle you.
If you are going to keep running, you have to recognize what is making the race harder than it needs to be.
Ask Yourself
What am I carrying that is making it harder for me to keep going?
“Let us run with perseverance...”
Study Note:
The race requires endurance.
You cannot quit every time it becomes difficult.
You cannot stop every time something gets in your way.
You cannot throw in the towel because the road becomes hard.
Keep running.
Keep moving.
Keep believing.
Don’t give up.
“The race marked out for us...”
Study Note:
Everybody has a race.
Your race will not look exactly like somebody else’s race.
You cannot spend your whole race looking at somebody else's lane.
God has placed something before you.
There is a race for you to run.
There is something for you to finish.
There is a journey of faith that requires your perseverance.
KEY TRUTH
You cannot finish the race if you stop running.
1. JUST KEEP GOING
Pastor Robinson uses the picture of Forrest Gump running.
He starts running and keeps going.
He gets to one point and keeps going farther.
He reaches another point and keeps going.
Eventually, he has run farther than anybody expected.
The lesson:
JUST KEEP GOING.
You may not know what is around the corner.
Keep going.
You may not know how long the road will be.
Keep going.
You may see an obstacle ahead.
Keep going.
You may feel tired.
Keep going.
You may not understand what God is doing.
Keep going.
Sometimes faith is not having every answer.
Sometimes faith is simply having enough trust in God to take another step.
WRITE THIS DOWN
I don’t have to know everything that is ahead of me to keep moving forward.
2. DON’T LET THE OBSTACLE STOP YOU
There will be obstacles in the race.
Some obstacles will look too big.
Some situations will make you wonder:
“How am I going to get through this?”
But faith does not require you to have tomorrow’s solution today.
Keep moving toward where God has called you.
Trust God with the obstacle.
Pastor Robinson’s message is that when you get there, trust God to deal with what is standing in the way.
FAITH SAYS:
I see the obstacle, but I also know my God.
I see the problem, but I also know my God.
I see what is against me, but I also know my God.
The obstacle does not automatically mean:
STOP.
Sometimes it means:
TRUST GOD AND KEEP GOING.
3. SOMETIMES THE TESTIMONY IS “I JUST KEPT GOING”
Think about what you have already survived.
There were times when you could have stopped.
There were times when people counted you out.
There were times when life became too much.
There were times when you were tired.
There were times when you didn't know what was going to happen next.
But you kept going.
Your testimony may simply be:
“I JUST KEPT GOING.”
I cried...
but I kept going.
I was disappointed...
but I kept going.
I was hurt...
but I kept going.
I didn't understand...
but I kept going.
People counted me out...
but I kept going.
The road became difficult...
but I kept going.
And when you look back, you realize:
God gave me enough strength to keep moving.
4. YOU HAVE COME TOO FAR TO GIVE UP NOW
There are moments when you need to look backward before you move forward.
Not to live in the past.
But to remember what God has already brought you through.
You have already survived some things.
You have already cried some tears.
You have already walked through some difficult seasons.
You have already experienced God's keeping power.
So when the next difficult season comes, remind yourself:
“I DON’T BELIEVE THAT GOD BROUGHT ME THIS FAR TO LEAVE ME.”
The road was never promised to be easy.
But difficulty does not mean God has abandoned you.
REMEMBER
The God who was with you then is still with you now.
5. LOOK AT THE GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES
Hebrews 12 says:
“We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”
Before Hebrews 12 comes Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11 is filled with people who lived by faith.
Their stories remind us:
God has brought people through before.
God has made ways before.
God has delivered before.
God has sustained before.
God has kept His people before.
Their testimony becomes encouragement for your race.
WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE QUITTING:
Remember somebody who kept going.
Remember somebody who trusted God.
Remember somebody who went through hardship and came out on the other side.
Remember somebody who can say:
“God brought me through.”
6. THERE ARE WITNESSES AROUND YOU
The witnesses are not only people in Hebrews 11.
Look around you.
There are people who know what God can do.
Somebody around you has survived something.
Somebody around you has been delivered.
Somebody around you has watched God make a way.
Somebody around you has experienced God's healing.
Somebody around you has experienced God's provision.
Somebody around you has been through a season where they almost gave up.
And now they can testify:
“I’M A LIVING WITNESS.”
That is why testimony matters.
A testimony says:
“I know what God can do because I have experienced Him for myself.”
7. YOU ARE A LIVING WITNESS TOO
Don't only look at everybody else's testimony.
Look at yours.
Think about your own life.
Think about where you have been.
Think about what you have survived.
Think about what could have taken you out.
Think about what should have caused you to quit.
Think about how many times you didn't know how you were going to make it.
And yet:
You are still here.
That means you have a testimony.
You can say:
God kept me.
God sustained me.
God provided for me.
God made a way for me.
God brought me through.
SAY IT:
“I’M A LIVING WITNESS.”
8. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO REMIND YOURSELF
When you are in the middle of a new problem, it is easy to forget an old testimony.
That is why remembrance matters.
Before you decide to quit, remember.
Remember:
What did God already bring you through?
Where did God already make a way?
When did God provide?
When did God keep you?
When did God answer you?
When did God give you strength?
When did you think it was over, but somehow God brought you through?
STUDY TRUTH
Your memory can strengthen your faith.
When the current situation says:
“God isn't going to do it.”
Your testimony can answer:
“But I know what He has already done.”
9. GOD WILL COME THROUGH
This is one of the central declarations of the sermon:
GOD WILL COME THROUGH.
Not because every situation will turn out exactly the way you planned.
Not because every prayer will be answered exactly the way you expected.
But because your confidence is in God.
People do not determine what God can do.
Circumstances do not determine what God can do.
Obstacles do not determine what God can do.
Your current situation does not determine what God can do.
KEEP BELIEVING:
God will come through.
You’re going to make it through.
You’re going to make it over.
10. STOP LOOKING ONLY AT WHAT IS AGAINST YOU
Faith changes where you focus.
If all you see is the obstacle, you will become discouraged.
If all you see is the problem, you may want to quit.
If all you hear is what people are saying, you may forget what God has already done.
Hebrews tells us where our eyes belong:
“FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS.”
Don't let the obstacle become bigger in your mind than the God you serve.
Look at Jesus.
Remember Jesus.
Trust Jesus.
Follow Jesus.
Keep running toward Jesus.
11. JESUS IS THE EXAMPLE OF ENDURANCE
Hebrews says Jesus:
“Endured the cross.”
Jesus knew what suffering was.
Jesus knew what opposition was.
Jesus knew what rejection was.
Jesus knew what it meant to endure.
And He did not allow the suffering of the moment to stop Him from fulfilling His purpose.
Hebrews tells us to consider Him when we become weary.
Why?
So that we do not:
“Grow weary and lose heart.”
When you become tired in your race, look to Jesus.
When you want to give up, look to Jesus.
When the road becomes painful, look to Jesus.
He is not only the One we believe in.
He is the One we look to while we run.
12. DON’T THROW IN THE TOWEL
Pastor Robinson keeps returning to the same instruction:
DON’T GIVE UP.
Don't throw in the towel.
Don't wave the white flag.
Don't surrender because it became difficult.
You may be tired without being finished.
You may be frustrated without being defeated.
You may be hurting without being hopeless.
You may be struggling without losing.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN:
“This is hard.”
and
“This is over.”
Hard does not mean over.
13. YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH
Sometimes you need to speak encouragement before your circumstances give you a reason to feel encouraged.
Tell yourself:
I’m going to make it through.
Tell somebody else:
You’re going to make it through.
When the mountain looks high:
You’re going to make it over.
When the road looks long:
Keep going.
When you feel tired:
Don't give up.
Faith keeps speaking while the race is still being run.
14. YOUR TESTIMONY IS BIGGER THAN YOU
God bringing you through is not only about you.
Somebody else may need your testimony.
Somebody may be watching how you keep going.
Somebody may need to hear:
“I’ve been there.”
Somebody may need to hear:
“I wanted to quit too.”
Somebody may need to hear:
“God kept me.”
Somebody may need to hear:
“God brought me through.”
Somebody may need your life to become evidence that giving up is not the only option.
REMEMBER:
Today's struggle may become tomorrow's testimony.
15. THINK OF ONE THING YOU NEED GOD TO DO
Near the close of the sermon, Pastor Robinson makes the message personal.
Don't think about everybody else's problem.
Think about yours.
What is the ONE THING you need God to come through on?
What is the ONE THING you have been praying about?
What is the ONE THING that has been making you want to give up?
Now put that situation before God.
16. PRAISE HIM IN ADVANCE
Don't wait until everything changes before you praise.
Don't wait until you see the answer.
Don't wait until the door opens.
Don't wait until the report changes.
Don't wait until the situation turns around.
Faith can praise God in advance.
PRAISE HIM IN ADVANCE.
Praise says:
God, I trust You before I see it.
God, I believe You while I am waiting.
God, I know You are able even though I don't know how You will do it.
This kind of praise is not based on what you can see.
It is based on what you believe about God.
17. BY FAITH
The language at the close of the sermon becomes the language of faith.
BY FAITH.
By faith, healing is here.
By faith, deliverance is here.
By faith, hope is here.
By faith, peace is here.
By faith, joy is here.
Faith begins to speak before the evidence appears.
Faith says:
I still believe God.
Faith says:
I still trust God.
Faith says:
I will keep going.
Faith says:
I will not give up.
STUDY THE MOVEMENT
WHEN YOU SEE AN OBSTACLE:
Just keep going.
↓
WHEN YOU GET TIRED:
Remember how far God has already brought you.
↓
WHEN YOU FEEL ALONE:
Remember the great cloud of witnesses.
↓
WHEN YOU NEED ENCOURAGEMENT:
Remember your own testimony.
↓
WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT WILL WORK OUT:
Believe God will come through.
↓
WHEN YOU ARE STILL WAITING:
Praise Him in advance.
↓
WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE QUITTING:
DON’T GIVE UP.
WHAT DO I NEED TO LAY ASIDE?
Hebrews says to lay aside the things that hinder and entangle.
What has been weighing me down?
What has been distracting me from my race?
What keeps pulling my attention away from Jesus?
What do I need to release so I can keep running?
WHAT IS MY RACE RIGHT NOW?
Where is God asking me to persevere?
Where have I been tempted to quit?
What obstacle is currently in front of me?
What would “just keep going” look like for me?
MY LIVING WITNESS LIST
God kept me when:
God provided when:
God made a way when:
God strengthened me when:
God brought me through:
I’M A LIVING WITNESS.
WHAT AM I BELIEVING GOD FOR?
The situation:
What I am asking God to do:
What I will do while I wait:
What I refuse to do:
GIVE UP.
KEY STUDY TRUTHS
The race requires perseverance.
An obstacle does not mean stop.
Just keep going.
Sometimes your testimony is simply, “I kept going.”
God did not bring you this far to leave you.
You are surrounded by witnesses of God's faithfulness.
You have your own testimony.
You are a living witness.
Remembering what God has already done strengthens faith for what you are facing now.
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
You can be tired without being finished.
Hard does not mean over.
God will come through.
You're going to make it through.
You're going to make it over.
Praise Him in advance.
By faith, keep running.
DON’T GIVE UP.
STUDY TAKEAWAY
I have a race to run.
There will be obstacles.
There will be difficult stretches.
There will be moments when I get tired.
But I don't have to give up.
When I see an obstacle:
I will keep going.
When I become tired:
I will remember how far God has brought me.
When I become discouraged:
I will remember the witnesses.
When I need evidence:
I will remember my own testimony.
When I don't know how things will work out:
I will trust that God will come through.
While I am waiting:
I will praise Him in advance.
And when something tells me to quit, I will remind myself:
I've come too far.
God has been too faithful.
I have too much testimony.
I have a race to finish.
DON’T GIVE UP.