Finish What You Begin
HOW DO YOU STAY THE COURSE?
2 Timothy 4:7a
“I have fought the good fight”
* In his book, “The Mantle of a Mentor”, Dr. Robert Clinton tells us that the Bible mentions over 1000 leaders. In a 13 year study, he developed case studies on over 900 of these. Later, he reduced that number to 100 and called these “prominent leaders.” Digging further, he realized that only in 49 of these could we determine how they finished. From his studies, he offers us 4 different kinds of finishes for leaders. They are; 1) cut off early (I.E. assassination, prophetically denounced, overthrown), 2) finished poorly (they were going downhill in the latter part of their life), 3) finished so-so (did not do what they could & should have done, didn’t complete God’s purpose for them) By the way, these could be pretty good guys, and 4) finished strong (walking with God, strong in their faith, and close to the Lord). In finishing strong they had to withstand ambushes, distractions, and personal preference.
* Since being Pastor here, I have been repeatedly told and observed that we have a history of not finishing things. Some are probably offended that the pastor would speak in public what has been kept in private, but the way I see it, we must face our struggles (because struggling does not make us second class believers), find a word from God about it (His word has never failed me), gain a new understanding (how to fix it), and then make a change for the better.
* Turn with me to 2 Timothy 4. For the next three Sunday evening, we’ll share together a series of messages entitled, “Finish What You Begin.” All three messages will be take from one verse of scripture.
* Remember this, 2 Timothy is Paul’s swan song, his last letter. He feels like he has given all he has to give. Let’s read.
* Let’s look at the first phrase tonight and answer the question, “How Do I stay the Course?” I offer just 2 or 3 thought from this text.
1. The Difficult Operation – What is this difficult operation? It is “Fighting the Fight.” Don’t know about you, but I’m not a fighter. I am learning to stand firm & lead courageously, but I hate to fight. Even if you are one of those who LOVE to fight, fighting is hard.
* From the beginning of Paul’s journey as a believer, recorded in Acts 9, Paul knew that it was going to be difficult. He knew it was going to be a fight. After all, until his Damascus Road experience Paul was the fighter against those of the way. When he met Christ, Paul knew several things; he knew the struggle was not going away because his former colleagues would pick up the fight. Next, he knew this struggle was not simply between men but rather between the forces of darkness and light, of evil and good, and the devil and God. Paul knew, from the beginning, that if he were to complete the mission given him by his Lord there would be much to overcome. Now, looking back on his life, Paul called the journey of faith “a fight.” Why? Because he remembered the difficulties he encountered along the way. He didn’t have to guess what it was like, he knew.
* Let’s pause for a bit and ask a few questions. Could it be that we get beat down by this culture and this world so much because we don’t recognize this is a fight? Have we had it so easy for so long that we tend to think being a believer in Jesus is only about attending Church (when we can), being an active part of a Sunday School Class, and or having Christian friends. Could it be that we have misunderstood our purpose. Make no mistake, when we stand for our Lord, a fight will break out because the world we live in will hate us.
* Let’s make this a little more personal. When you make a commitment to be consistent in your faith, you will begin to struggle. Don’t believe me? Just commit to a new study, a new level of consistent attendance & participation in corporate worship, a new ministry, a small group, or worse yet, to lead one of these and you know what? Almost everything in your life will go haywire. Commit to consistently tithing or giving above your tithes—and your world will crash down. It is a difficult operation at best and a fight at worst. As long your life is not honoring God, Satan has very little reason to attack.
* However, if you step up, you better be ready. By the way, to be ready means to be prepared for the fight. Growing in this understanding Paul wrote, “Put on the whole armor of God.” (I.E. the Helmet of salvation, Breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit).
* May I offer this word; many of us tend to throw up our hands in despair and defeat when we fail. When we do this, Satan wins. Satan does not want you finishing strong. He wants you to quit. Quit teaching, leading, giving, serving, ministering, sharing, telling, and anything else which can give people a picture of Christ.
* Paul says, “I fought the fight” and I have the scars to prove it, however, it was worth it. Know why? It was the GOOD FIGHT.
2. The Defined Objective – Do you remember that several weeks ago I referred to Steven Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People?” I mentioned that habit #2 is; “Begin with the end in mind.” This is exactly what Paul did. Let me remind you that Jesus spoke Paul’s marching orders in Acts 9:15. Jesus said, “Go, I have chosen you to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel.” Paul quickly came to understand fulfilling this mission and mandate had to be the driving force in all that he did. It was a clearly defined purpose, mission, and objective. When Paul was tired and weary, it is my belief that he returned to his original mandate for motivation. He knew where he was going, he understood what was at stake, and he knew what the possibilities were for him. His objective kept him “faithful” for a lifetime.
* At the end of Paul’s life he is remembering all the days since his Damascus road experience, the people, the places, the abuse, as well as other trouble, and then pronounces them, “good.” But never forget this, Paul was warned about the cost of following Jesus. The last past of Acts 9:15 says, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Based on these words, Paul knew what his purpose in life was, what he could expect, and where he would end up one day. I’m not suggesting that he could foresee that he would be beheaded like tradition teaches, but rather his FOCUS, VISION, and OUTCOME would one day be residing with Jesus in paradise. Paul knew and defined what was good enough to demand his all.
* I offer this; many times I have been given and have given counsel which said, “Choose carefully which hill you are willing to die on.” Put in everyday language this simply means to make sure what you are fighting about is worth fighting about.
* I didn’t say this earlier, but in my own sense of humor, when I read 2 Timothy 4:7 I wonder if Paul was a Baptist. You understand-the fighting part. Then I read that it is a good fight and I know better. It seems to me that in the 21st century, more than ever, when believers fight, it is not a particularly good fight. We can fight over things which don’t matter instead of the good things of the gospel. Need I articulate those not so good things?
* We fight over parking spaces, pews, building and carpet colors, classroom, music, the color of the pastor’s hair, the lights, and yes, the ever present MONEY. I wonder if we were to write the final chapter of our life, like Paul did his, before God would we have to say, “I fought a fight, but in light of eternity, it didn’t mean much,” or “I have scars, but they’re scars of my personal preferences instead of marks of Christ.” What would it be?
* May I offer you just one final thought from this verse? It comes through ONE WORD of the text.
3. The Distinct Object – The text reads, “I have fought THE good fight.” Let’s not miss this. What Paul committed to was not “a” good fight, but “THE” good fight. Today, we call many things good, but Paul says that it boils down to ONE THING. Remember his words, “this ONE thing I do—I press toward to mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” It is distinct, it is defined, it is difficult, but it is worth it.
* At the age of 20 in his Bible, John Bisagno wrote 24 names of friends, peers and colleagues in his Bible. These were young ministers. From time to time he returned to these names to mark out those who left ministry. Thirty-three years later, only 3 names remained.
