Running in the Night (7 of 8)
Series: The Last Chapter
Jeff Strite
Mark 14:43-52
OPEN:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high.
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit --
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
as every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure turns about
when he might have won had he stuck it out,
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow
you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
it seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up
when he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down
how close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
the silver tints of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
(poem by Edgar A. Guest)
Don't quit.
Don't give up.
Don't presume that you are a loser...
Especially when you're a Christian.
Now, to prove my point I want to introduce you this morning to a man who failed... not once... but at least twice.
We first read about him - here, in this text. In Mark 14, we're told that
''... everyone deserted (Jesus) and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.'' Mark 14:50-52
Now - what do we know about this young man?
First he's wealthy. He was wearing linen garments, and linen garments didn't come cheap back then.
Second, he's probably not one of the 12 disciples. He's introduced simply as a young man.
Third, this is the only time in any of the Gospels that we read about this incident.
But God saw fi ...
Series: The Last Chapter
Jeff Strite
Mark 14:43-52
OPEN:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high.
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit --
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
as every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure turns about
when he might have won had he stuck it out,
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow
you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
it seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up
when he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down
how close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
the silver tints of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
(poem by Edgar A. Guest)
Don't quit.
Don't give up.
Don't presume that you are a loser...
Especially when you're a Christian.
Now, to prove my point I want to introduce you this morning to a man who failed... not once... but at least twice.
We first read about him - here, in this text. In Mark 14, we're told that
''... everyone deserted (Jesus) and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.'' Mark 14:50-52
Now - what do we know about this young man?
First he's wealthy. He was wearing linen garments, and linen garments didn't come cheap back then.
Second, he's probably not one of the 12 disciples. He's introduced simply as a young man.
Third, this is the only time in any of the Gospels that we read about this incident.
But God saw fi ...
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