It's Your Finish That Counts

IT’S YOUR FINISH THAT COUNTS

II TIMOTHY 4:6-8

ECCLESIATES 9:11 – RACE – SWIFT, BATTLE – MIGHTY . . .

ECCLESIATES 7:8 “BETTER IS THE END OF A THING THAN THE BEGINNING THEREOF.”

WONDERFUL, IF YOU CAN START OUT FINE, BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS HOW YOU FINISH.

GOLF – DRIVE, BUT IT’S NOT YOUR START ON THE TEE BOX – FINISH – GREEN.

MARATHON – COACH – DON’T BUY IN/CAUGHT UP IN STARTING OUT FAST. MANY WHO WILL START OUT RUNNING, AS IF THEY ARE IN A HUNDRED YARD DASH . . . PACE – FINISH.

LUKE 9:62 INDICATES THAT THERE ARE SOME WHO START A THING, BUT ARE NOT ABLE TO FINISH. THEY TAKE HOLD OF THE PLOW, BUT LOOKING BACK ARE NOT FIT FOR THE KINGDOM, HENCE NOT FINSIHING THE RACE.

SLOW START – SAVE YOUR REMARKS FOR ME, UNTIL YOU SEE MY FINISH.

THAT’S SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO BE REMINDED OF EVERY NOW/THEN. THAT JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE EXPERIENCE WHAT YOU PERCEIVE AS A BETTER START THAN YOU, DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN’T/WON’T FINISH WELL.

BUSINESS STARTED OUT . . .

ORGANIZATION DOING BETTER . . .

CHILDREN STARTED OUT . . .

DEGREE FOR YEARS . . .

YOUR BUSINESS – SUCCESSFUL

ORGANZIATION WILL FLOURISH

CHILD – SUCCESSFUL

FINISH YOUR DEGREE.

IF EVER ANYONE KNEW THAT YOUR START DOES NOT HAVE TO DETERMINE YOUR FINISH, IT WAS PAUL.

PERSECUTOR/PROSECUTOR/EXECUTOR . . .

DAMASCUS – BLINDED . . .

COMPANIONS – HOUSE OF JUDAS – DAMASCUS – THREE DAYS . . .

ANANIAS . . .

JEWISH LEADERS . . .

APOSTLES – RELUCTANT . . .

EARLY CHRSITIANS – DON’T BELIEVE HIM . . .

. . . DERAIL/DETER HIM FROM ACHIEVING HIS MISSION – GENTILES . . .

LOCK’LOADED – MISSION, KNOW MISSION – OTHERS . . .

2/3 GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS . . .)

SOLOMON – NEW TESTAMENT.

PROLIFIC THINKER, WRITER, AND SCHOLAR AND IT IS THIS OUR PROLIFIC THINKER, WRITER, AND SCHOLAR THAT AFTER A LEGACY OF SERVICE AND A LIFE OF MINISTRY NOW SEES THE LIGHT GROWING DIM IN HIS OWN LIFE. LOCKED IN A COLD, DAMP, AND DARK CELL – WRITES TIMOTHY . . . ALL IS WELL.

PAUL IS SENSING WHAT IS ABOUT TO COME: AN EXECUTION WHERE HIS HEAD WILL BE PLACED ON A CHOPPING BLOCK, WHEREBY, A BIG, BRUTAL ROMAN SOLDIER WILL LIFT A BLADE ABOVE HIS HEAD, THEN WITH ONE QUICK BLOW, SEVER THE HEAD FROM THE BODY, CAUSING THE HEAD TO DETACH FROM THE BODY AND DROP INTO A BASKET ON ONE SIDE, WHILE THE BODY FALL LIMP AND TREMBLING ON THE OTHER SIDE. YET, KNOWING ALL OF THIS AWAITS HIM, PAUL INFORMS TIMOTHY “ALL IS WELL” PAUL SAYS WHEN MY BODY IS BRUTALLY MASSACRED, IF THAT’S ALL YOU SEE, THEN YOU’VE MISSED THE ESSENCE OF MY LIVING. FOR SOME THEY’LL SEE A GULINTINE, BUT I SEE AN ALTAR, WHERE MY LIFE IS BEING POURED OUT AS A LIBATION, A DRINK OFFERING.

SPECIAL ANOINTING – LOOKING AT DEATH/DEFEAT – SEE VICTORY/TRIUMPH.

HEBREWS BOYS

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR . . .

. . . TELL THE DEVIL, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET THE SATISFACTION OF YOUR ACTIONS AGAINST ME . . .

I KNOW YOU’VE CHOREGRAPHED THIS SITUATION TO KILL ME – DIGNITY INTACT . . .

PAUL WHEN WRITING TIMOTHY TO TELL HIM HIS DEPRATURE IS NEAR . . .

GREEK WORD – AN-A-LU-SIS (UNLOOSING/UNTYING)

SAILORS

MILITARY TERM – SOLDIERS . . .

POLITICAL WORD – GOVERNMENT . . .

AGRICULTURAL WORD – FARMERS - . . . WOULD TAKE THE YOKE FROM OFF THE OXEN.

PAUL – LEAVING HERE, IS NOT A SAD OCCASION, USHERING - PRESENCE OF GOD . . .

FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT

ROMANS - CHAPTER 7 . . .

FIGHT YOUR WEAKNESS

“YOUR WEAKNESS IS TOO GREAT A PRICE TO PAY NOT TO ACHIEVE YOUR GREATNESS.”

FINISHED MY COURSE

YOU OUGHTTA LIVE SO GOD CAN USE YOU ANYWHERE/ANYTIME

REMAINED FAITHFUL

DOCTRINES . . .

RELATIONSHIP . . .

READY FOR MY PRIZE

-CRACKER JACK STORY (LOOKING FOR MY PRIZE) . . .