Verbs chapter 24, where I will read verses 10 through 12. Proverbs 24, verses 10 through 12. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, And those that are ready to be slain, if thou sayest, behold, we knew it not, doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth he not know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his works? Proverbs 24, 10 says, if thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small. I want to speak about strength to endure, strength to endure. And this hour I want us to consider these three axioms from Proverbs 24, verses 10 through 12. You know, an axiom is a short statement with a meaning. It is similar to a parable. The first axiom or saying refers to a person who succumbs on the trial. They had no strength to sustain them in the hour of trial or temptation. The other two axioms verses 11 and 12 has to be understood together. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain. If thou sayest, behold, we knew it not, of not he that pondereth the heart considerate, and he that keepeth thy soul doth not he know it, and shall not he render to every man according to his works. These two verses refer to foregoing one's duty. and reminds us of our all-knowing God who knows and tries the hearts of all men and will render to every man according to his works. So then let us look at the first axiom. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. It is often the little things that take down big men. And you know this to be a fact. But small strength is the cause for one faltering in their faith. Actually, there is no believer with small strength. And I hope we understand this. Here we see a call for personal evaluation. Whose strength are you and I depending on in the day of adversity? If we are depending on our own strength, that strength is too small to cope with adversity. No believer has small strength. Our strength, if we are depending on it in trial or adversity, it will falter. To faint, by the way, is to give up. to grow weary. Like Galatians 6 verses eight and nine encourages us, for the one that sold to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but the one that sold to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. And then the apostle encourages us, and went on to say, and let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not. The apostle here encourages us to press on in doing well and not to faint. Here Paul encourages us not to faint in life's pressures, but to press on The same apostle Paul fought against a thorn in the flesh. You may remember. Some said it was physical. No one really knows. Others believe it was the constant persecution of the Judaizers. Whatever it was, the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 12, verses eight through 10, for this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Remember I tell you that there is no believer with small strength. The text went on to say, Most gladly, and this was the apostle's resolve, most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. So to say, as a believer, you know me brethren, I'm a weak Christian. There is no such one with God's strength. Paul was weak in himself, but he was strong in the grace of the Lord Jesus. And Paul said that, be strong in the grace of the Lord. He was a believer. Likewise, we can receive that strength. There are two kinds of adversities the scriptures have in view. There are a lot, but there are at least two. There are adversities in this present life. We read of the persecuted saints in Hebrews chapter 13, verse three, where we are told, remember them that are in bonds as bond with them and them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in the body. Here the apostle was talking about the persecuted saints who were suffering adversity Instead of fainting in adversity, these ones were called to remember those in the same predicament and to pray for them. Brethren, there will always be adversity in our personal walk with Christ. In our ministry, there will be adversity. We will see it when many depart from the faith. a loved one, a fellow brother, a sister, let us down by slander. Think of what Paul shared with us. He said this, and this is his personal experience. Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one, or 39 stripes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was pelted with stones. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false believers or false brethren. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep." You know, little things cause people to faint. Look at this man, this great apostle in bringing the gospel. He went on to say, I have known hunger and thirst, and I've often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Notice what he put at the end, his concern for the churches. Brethren, brethren, these are adversities faced by the great Apostle Paul. There's another kind of adversity. that will come upon every unsaved man, and thus it is important that we do not faint. This is a personal call to evaluation. Where do you and I find strength in adversity? Remember what the prophet in Ecclesiastes 9, verse 11 says, he says this, a very familiar verse. I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not for the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all. Brethren, these metaphors, when the apostle or the writer says the race is not for the swift, he is speaking of the Christian race, neither bread for the wise. He's speaking of the bread of life. nor yet riches to men of understanding. He's speaking of the riches that are found in Christ, nor yet favor to men of skill. He's speaking of the grace of God, but time and chance happeneth to them all. The race in view, of course, is the Christian race that we read about in Hebrews chapter 12. It cannot be ran in our own strength. The fight in view is the battle of faith. It cannot be fought in our own strength. So this is my first line, a call to personal evaluation. Whose strength are you depending on? I trust it is the Lord's strength. For if it is your strength, you will faint. You would fall. You would become fatigued. you would give up. Axiom number two, a charge neglected. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death and those that are ready to be slain, who are those that are drawn unto death? Is it the people in the nursing homes or the hospitals or the people on ventilators Every lost sinner is drawn to death, but we may not be in contact with every lost sinner. We are in contact with some in our church that are drawn on to death. They are ready to die the second death. Do you pray for such ones? Do you neglect to pray for such ones? Do you neglect to call such ones? This is an excellent time to minister to the unfaithful people in our church, to reach out to them. Am I showing concern for such ones? Am I being honest with such ones? Brethren, let us not forget our charge. Let us not forbear to deliver. To forbear is to avoid or to neglect to do something. This proverb is for me as well as it is for you. We are not to stop witnessing to our unsafe loved ones who are drawn to death. We are not to heal the daughter of our people slightly. We are not to say peace to people when there is no peace. It is very surprising and very comforting to hear people, lost people, naming the name of God in these times. People who is not living for God is calling his name. This is a great opportunity to seek to deliver them that are drawn onto death and those that are ready to be slain. You remember in one of the churches in the book of Revelation, where the writer says that there are some in his church that we should strengthen who are ready to die. It's the same analysis. Even if things get worse, you and I should still seek means to herald the faith and the gospel. If the people of God see this current wave as a time for furlough, as many would do, and hiding, brethren, we are neglecting God's charge to his people. We must still pay our offerings, our tithes. We must still give for the upkeep of the gospel, that these lights will stay on. So remember these axiom. I've shared two with you. They are clearly profound. One, a call to personal self-evaluation. Second, a charge often neglected. Go through the proverb yourself. Read it carefully and you will see what the Lord will show you. Third, in these axioms, questions to consider. Verse 12, questions to consider. God want us to consider these questions, these three questions. If thou sayest, behold, we knew not, doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his words? A lot of people in the church plead ignorant. They say they don't know. Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to do this. I didn't know I was supposed to be consistent in my giving. I didn't know I should be consistent in my praying. I didn't know I was to be consistent in my regular attendance. They plead ignorance. A lot of Christians do that. They say they did not know the duties of the Christian life. We mentioned a few under our last heading. if they say they did not know that they are called to the Great Commission? Because God doesn't know that. The question is really rhetorical. I mean, you look at it, all of the questions are rhetorical. Paul asked this question when speaking about the gospel going to the Jews and asked the question, did they not hear the gospel? And he answered with a resounding yes. Yes, their song has gone into all lands and their words to the ends of the world. He was speaking about the whole world. Did they not hear the gospel? The people in Yom Tombu, The people in Mukambami, the people in Chimanimani, yes, they heard the gospel. Every day the sun comes up upon them and sets the same way. There are rhetorical questions. It's the same with those in our church today. No one can say, but we knew nothing about this duty. Question number two to consider. Does not he who guards your life know it? Does not our God know the hearts of his people? Doesn't he know the hearts of all men? Again, the answer is yes. The Lord knows if one is willing or if one is forbearing. Then we read the last question. Will he not repay everyone according to what he have done? And again, the answer is obvious. There are three rhetorical questions when you read them. The apostle said, wherefore we labor? that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he have done, whether it be good or bad. Paul the Apostle went on to say, having this knowledge, knowing brethren therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, yet we trust we are made manifest. Brethren, these questions you and I should carefully consider in the book of Proverbs. At times we read the book of Proverbs and we think there are sweet sentences, cliches. They're not. There are gospel that are directed to us today. The third question that we consider is also very important. Brethren, we are seeing a time of adversity. Maybe some of you and your loved ones was taken down by this current wave of sickness. Maybe you are in panic mode. We have a piece of encouraging counsel from the scriptures. If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Another translation says, if you falter In a time of trouble, how small is your strength? It's a call to consider where our strength lies. Falter. in not believing the Lord's promises, falter in not resting in his word, falter in depending on our own skills to get us through. Many people would be trusting in their know-how, brethren, instead of trusting in the strength that God provides for his people. There is no true believer with small strength. I said that about three or four times already. To get this out of our heads, well you know I'm a weak Christian, so I often give into my flesh. No, that's rubbish. Isaiah 26, three and four, thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust you in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. I think this verse was quoted this morning by Brother Collin or someone. We're told that our Lord gives strength to the weary. We are the weary, his people, as you and I wait. And this is really an encouragement to you and to us here this evening, because I don't know who else is listening. And it is an encouragement to me. And as you and I wait out, what our God is doing in our midst. Always weigh the matters, always weigh events, always weigh occasion that come into our lives, always weigh them in accordance with God's word. This is a time to search the scriptures. What does he want me to do? Think of what we are exhorted in Hebrews 12, 3, and 6. For consider him, Jesus, that endures such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint, there's the word again, nor faint, nor give up when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? He's but a bastard. Let us accept these things that are happening today as God chastening us to benefit us in the future. Brethren, and this is to you and to me, I have heard many saying, and I quote, we are in this together, and together we will win. You hear this rubbish coming through the tubes from men, and we buy into that. Nothing is said about prayer. that the Lord will see is true. It is all about man. You see them coming on the television. We are with you. Yeah, you're with me on a television screen. You're not with me in prayer. Don't buy into that. They're not with you. They're not for you. You just speak about the gospel and you would see. We often get tired of these people who want to be kind. You see the best coming out of New York. What best? You see the best coming out of Christ's people, the gospel. These cliches just drive me up the wall. And we can buy into this? The world cannot help us. Brethren, God can help us. No call is given to God's people to prayer in these days. As a matter of fact, I didn't hear them saying, you guys should meet wherever you meet and pray. You ain't hearing that. And you wouldn't hear that. So I don't want to hear these people. In the ancient days, kings and rulers sought the prophets to pray. It's not happening today. Don't look for that today. Look for ridicule, brethren. So brethren, let us look to the right source. I will lift up mine eyes onto the hills from whence come of my help. My help comes from the Lord. Yes, do not trust in what you hear on the airwaves. Do not be hypnotized by cliches from men. May we not be dictated by what we hear, but may we be dictated by what we know from God's word. God never lost a battle, and he will never lose a battle. And my encouragement to you, brethren, And you ladies too, my encouragement to you is to keep trusting Him. That's my last word. Let's pray. Our Father and our God, let us not be confused. The world doesn't have the answers. And oh God, at times we seem to listen to them. We remember that wicked king that sought consultation from the prophets in Israel and not from the man of God, Elijah. And he was told, you will not come off that bed tonight. O Lord God, may we not go to the man of this world for counsel, but may we come to your holy word where we find guidance. We pray for your help and we pray for your strength. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.