Below are notes to a sermon preached Sunday morning, Mar. 4, 2001, at Gospel Light Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia. For more outlines, including a zipped file of all of my 1999 and 2000 sermon outlines, click on the link at the bottom of this note, and go to our website:

THE EASY THING IS NOT ALWAYS THE RIGHT THING

By Michael D. O'Neal Pastor, Gospel Light Baptist Church Albany, Georgia

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 4:1-10

Text: 2 Timothy 4:7

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Introduction: As a preacher, I get a lot of inspiration from this chapter, especially the charge in the first few verses. There an older preacher told a younger preacher to PREACH THE WORD. He said, "Timothy, you preach the word in season and out of season, because there is going to be a time when people won't endure sound doctrine. But you just keep on preaching anyway!" Amen. I like that!

In another place he told Timothy to endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

In the last verse of our scripture reading, Paul mentioned that Demas had forsaken him, having loved this present world.

I want to bring you a message called, "The Easy Thing Is Not Always The RIGHT Thing." Demas had done the easy thing, Paul had done the hard thing, and Paul wanted Timothy to do the RIGHT thing, even if it was hard to do.

I'm preaching about SERVICE today, not SALVATION. Salvation is not hard for a person to do. It is not even EASY for a person to do. A person doesn't DO something to be saved; he BELIEVES something to be saved. You don't get saved by working up some physical, emotional or mental state; you are saved by the grace of God through simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know that the Bible says the way of a transgressor is hard, but it appears EASY at first. The way of service appears hard at first. I want to mention some things to you today that are easier to do, but they are not right to do. Sometimes, many times, when you take the easy way out, you are taking the WRONG way out.

I want to mention some things today that are easier to do, but are not the right thing to do:

I. IT IS EASIER TO STOP SERVING GOD THAN TO KEEP ON GOING FOR THE LORD

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

2 Timothy 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Paul finished his course; Demas quit. Paul did the hard thing, but Demas did the easy thing.

It's easier to quit the race for God, than it is to keep going:

A. When you are tired

1. I love this verse, though:
2. Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

B. When you are troubled

1. By financial problems
2. By family problems
3. By fellowship problems between you and another Christian

C. When you are triumphant

1. Some people get distracted after they succeed at doing something for the Lord and they quit.

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're crossing seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you try to smile but you have to sigh,
When cares are 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 your next blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worse, that you must not quit.

Author Unknown

II. IT IS EASIER TO SMASH SOMETHING THAN IT IS TO BUILD SOMETHING

Galatians 1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

Paul was a church BUSTER before he got saved, and then he became a church BUILDER.

A. It is easier to destroy your HEALTH than to build it

1. In eating

a. It requires restraint
b. I eat about 6 meals a day.
c. It would be easier for me, with my appetite for food, to eat several fried eggs, grits, toast with butter and jelly, and greasy bacon for breakfast. My usual breakfast, though, is 10 egg whites and two
yolks.

2. In exercise

a. Some people are killing themselves at the kitchen table. Others are killing themselves in their living room recliners and office chairs.
b. Get up! Get out! Walk! Ride a bike!
c. I know that bodily exercise profiteth little, but that is said in light of the idea that a man earns his living by the SWEAT of his FACE. If you aren't SWEATING when you work, you had better get some exercise!

B. It is easier to destroy your HOME than to build it

1. Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
2. A fit of temper
3. A falling into temptation

C. It is easier to destroy your HOLINESS than to build it

Don't be in the Demolition Crew;
Be in the CONSTRUCTION Crew!

III. IT IS EASIER TO SEEK THINGS FOR YOURSELF THAN TO SEEK THINGS FOR OTHERS

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

A. It takes more labor

1. It's work to budget your income and control your spending so that you are able to tithe, give offerings, pay your bills, and help other people.
2. It takes time.
3. It takes restraint in spending.

B. It takes more listening

1. If we listen, we can find out the needs of people.

C. It takes more looking

1. What need can I meet in someone's life today?

D. It takes more love

1. "Lord, give me a bigger heart."

It's HARDER, but it's more blessed!

Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

IV. IT IS EASIER TO SPEAK THAN IT IS TO LISTEN

James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

We need to LISTEN MORE:

A. To our Lord

I have three things to say about this:

1. READ YOUR BIBLE!
2. READ YOUR BIBLE!
3. READ YOUR BIBLE!

B. To the lost

1. Not their counsel
2. Not their criticisms of God and the things of God
3. But to their cry for help

C. To the Lord's people

1. See point three above.
2. Listen to their cry, their needs

D. To our loved ones

1. Especially our spouse

E. To our little ones

1. Stop what you are doing and listen to your children before they grow up, go into sin, and you wonder where you went wrong!
2. Pay attention to your kids!

V. IT IS EASIER TO SIT DOWN THAN IT IS TO STAND UP

I've been thinking about this since I saw my old friend, Pastor Leroy Wright, struggling to and from his pulpit. He had had bad health problems, sometimes using a cane and other times a walker. A preacher helped him out of his chair to his pulpit. After he was done speaking, Brother Wright walked back to his chair. The preacher tried to help him, but he said, "That's all right. I can't stand up, but I can sit down!"

Peter sat down when he should have stood up:

Luke 22:55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

Ephesians 6:11-14 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

We need to stand up

A. And be identified

1. Peter sat down to keep from being identified as one of the Lord's disciples.

B. And be involved

1. In the work - who will volunteer?
2. In the war - David stood up to fight Goliath. Everyone else LET him.

Don't do the easy thing; do the RIGHT thing -- even if it is hard to do!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I wrote this poem this morning, March 4, 2001:

WHAT IS EASY IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT

What is easy is not always right;
It's easier to give up than it is to fight;
To quit serving God and take a rest
May be easier, but it's not the best.

What is easy is not always right;
It takes some effort to turn on a light;
To sit in the darkness or hide in the crowd
Is easier, but stand up! And speak good and loud!

Take a stand for the Lord, and do it today!
Never drop out, though other folks may;
One day you will say without any remorse:
I have fought a good fight; I have FINISHED my COURSE!

Michael D. O'Neal

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