I would like for us to turn this morning to the Gospel of Luke, Luke 21. This is a passage where our Lord is speaking of His second return and some of the conditions that will be going on at that time. We will begin with Luke 21:25.
And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars;
and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;
men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world:
for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads;
because your redemption draweth nigh.
A couple of chapters before, in Luke 18:1, the Lord has been sharing again about His second coming. Then He uses a parable on prayer to prepare the brothers and sisters.
And He spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint.
Then, finally, turn over to Hebrews 12:3.
For consider Him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against Himself, that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls.
Let us pray.
Lord, we are so grateful that we have this privilege of gathering around the table. Lord, we are thankful that, as we remember Thy death, we see the victory that has been won and the life that has been provided.
Lord, we continue in the spirit of that life for this time. We are thankful that it is still called today. We are thankful that You are a God who speaks to us, and we want to be equipped for the days and the times in which we are living.
Lord, we offer our hearts to You, that You would have receptive vessels and that we could allow You to train us to be vessels fit for our Master’s use. In Thy name we pray. Amen.
The other week, when Bobby was sharing during testimony time, he said that he had noticed he had two words, and the week before Kenny had two words. So, I feel compelled this morning to have two words.
What were Kenny’s two words? Fully persuaded. Bobby’s two words were, “Jesus wept.” The two words that I have for us today are: faint not.
As you look at some of the Scriptures we were reading, particularly in Luke, it speaks of the intensity of the days. Through all that is going on, there will be those who faint from fear—faint from everything going on around them.
We know that as the Lord’s return draws near, there is going to be a great shaking. As it says in Hebrews, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. But praise God, that which cannot be shaken remains.
That is the testimony we just celebrated at this table: that life remains. It holds us steadfast and sure in preparation for our Lord’s coming. Yet, before that, there is much shaking, much refining within the house of God, and much purifying.
If we can see it as a refining and purifying process, it encourages us. The intensity of the days is only going to get worse and worse. Peter tells us, “Do not be surprised when all these fiery ordeals come upon you.”
The Scriptures tell us that in these days there is an intensity we will go through that we have never experienced before. That is why, a couple of years ago at the family conference, we had the theme: “You have need of endurance,” so that, when you press on, you can finish well.
All of this is with the desire that we would be a people prepared for our Lord’s return. As we consider this whole matter, the phrase that has caught my heart is that we would not be those who faint in the midst of the process.
But how do we do that? How do we, in the midst of pressures from without and pressures from within, make it through? How do we determine, “I am not going to faint”?
The Lord understands, and He encourages us in such precious ways. We are thankful that it is not by our strength or our determination. In times of despair, it is not determination, but dependence, that gets us through.
Not determination, but dependence. Dependence upon the One who has loved us; dependence upon the One who has died for us; dependence upon the One whose life has already overcome and who desires that we would experience that overcoming life in the midst of all the intense trials and shakings we will encounter. Praise God.
That is why, as Kenny shared this matter of being fully persuaded, brother and sister, that is a critical word for us in these days. If we are not fully persuaded of who our Lord is and all that He has done, we will be those who faint.
When you are faced with a trial, when an intense situation comes upon you, to whom do you look? You look to one whom you know and who has been proven trustworthy to you.
A child may be in a room full of people, but in the midst of a traumatic thing, that child looks to his mother or father because that one has proven faithful. That child is fully persuaded that the parent’s interests are for the child’s good.
Praise God, we see One who is fully persuaded, and yet, as Bobby said, “Jesus wept.” He is a Man of compassion. There is strength and determination in Him, but along with that is a heart of compassion and understanding. He knows that we are but earthen vessels—frail vessels.
It is that strange mixture: the strength of being fully persuaded, and yet the heart of compassion. Praise God, we have a great High Priest. He has passed through the heavens, and He is able to sympathize with us.
He is there on the throne as that great High Priest. He is praying and interceding for us. Out of that interceding, we sense more and more His heart of compassion and care. He can sympathize with what we go through.
Before we get really into it, I would like for us to consider this phrase, “faint not.” As I was reading, you noticed that different translations use different words. It is all the same Greek word.
The New American Standard translates it as “lose heart.” Darby and the old King James use “faint”—“faint not,” or “do not faint.” The New Living Translation says, “Never give up.” By the grace of God, never give up.
Other translations speak of growing weary, becoming tired because of the continual battle, becoming discouraged, and losing your motivation. You sense that there is a weakening occurring.
Vine’s says the word means “to relax the effort.” Think of the instruments here—the guitars and all. In order for a guitar to bring forth the best sound, the string has to have tension. It has to be taut and in the right place of tension. If it is too relaxed, it makes an awful sound.
When we say, “Faint not,” we are saying, “Stay firm in our dependence upon Him.” We can relax because of circumstances, grow tired in the midst of battle, and say, “I am checking out for a while. This is too much.”
But our Lord wants to encourage us, in those times when we feel overwhelmed, to come to Him and allow Him to carry us through in a wonderful way.
As I thought about this matter of fainting, I considered it in the natural sense first. Why do you faint naturally?
Basically, if the physical body does not get enough blood to the head and enough oxygen, a person faints. They pass out, become unconscious or disoriented, because the body is not functioning properly.
Outwardly, everything looks the same. Everything looks fine. But inwardly, something is wrong. Even though the head and body are still connected, it is as if they have become disconnected, and the person faints.
Spiritually, positionally, and objectively, we are in Christ. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. We are never separated from Him. There is a place of security.
But experientially, practically, and subjectively, as we go through circumstances, trials, and traumas, we can feel as if we have been separated from Him—as if we have become disconnected from the Head.
When we allow those feelings to control us, we faint. We are still in Christ, but it is as if we have become disconnected. We say, “Where is He? We do not even know where He is.”
I was reminded of the old poem, “Footprints in the Sand.” Most everybody knows it, but I am going to read it again.
One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord,
across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I