Finishing Well

Now I mentioned Paul and his farewell visit to the elders at Ephesus. Acts 20 is my text. In the twentieth chapter of Acts, 31-38, “Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 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. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.” (KJV)

We shall never again assemble just like we are here today. There will be some of you missing, some going on to other pursuits, some graduating. We shall never again meet just as we are today. And I have just a few comments that I want to pass on to you.

I was watching a NASCAR event on television and a driver who had led the race from the very beginning ran out of gas on the final lap. I watched a few years ago Greg Norman, one of the great golfers of all time, he led the Masters for three days. It looked to me like it was a slam dunk; he fell apart on Sunday and lost it, and he hasn’t done very much since. And I want to challenge you . . . I want you to finish well.

I think of the many LU alumni . . . we have 98,000 names and addresses of alumni who have studied either in the residential or external programs. They’re all over the world. Most of them, to their credit, are doing well and they’re finishing well. But many are not. I think of former pastors . . . some who have exchanged their birthright for a “mess of pottage” like Esau in the Bible, and that is not what God wants.

Let me tell you what it means to finish well. It means to walk with God victoriously to the end of your life. Young people, I’ve said it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. That means you’ve got to live by the rules. I told you last Wednesday that if you’re a virgin, stay that way. In this day, that is amusing to some. But I want to tell you that there is nothing more precious that could be said about you than that you’re morally pure. If you have sinned, get God’s forgiveness and stop it. Don’t do it anymore. And when you get married, be loyal to that man, that woman, to whom you will spend the rest of your life. Live by the rules. Don’t be victimized by drugs and alcohol. Keep your body clean and pure. Don’t be dumb enough to use tobacco. Don’t waste eight years of your life; a chain smoker loses eight years on the other end. He lives eight years less than the average. When you get my age, by the way, eight days is a lot. Don’t waste precious time with a dumb habit, and don’t violate your integrity. Be a man or woman of your word. Be honest, walk with God victoriously until the end of your life.