FINISH WELL PT. 2
2TIM 4 VS 1-8
2 Timothy 4:1-8 (NKJV)
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE
PAUL WASN’T TALKING ABOUT A SPRINT HERE, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT A MARATHON!! IF THIS RACE WERE A SPRINT POSSIBLY ALL COULD SAY THAT THEY FINISHED THE RACE (WELL) BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE GETTING FEWER AND FEWER PEOPLE IN OUR GENERATION THAT CAN ACTUALLY SAY THAT—I CAN SAY THAT BY SAYING THIS—
*CHURCH ATTENDANCE IN AMERICA IS DOWN BY 3% FROM 39% TO 36% OF PEOPLE WHO ATTEND AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK
*PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT THEY SELDOM OR NEVER ATTEND CHURCH HAS RISEN BY 4% FROM 25% TO 29%.
**THIS IS OVER THE LAST DECADE ALONE!!
LETS SEE WHAT PAUL HAS TO SAY ABOUT FINISHING THE RACE, AND SOME TIPS TO “FINISH WELL.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-26 (NKJV)
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
1. FIRST THING YOU MUST DO TO FINISH THE RACE IS TO START THE RACE, AND STARTING THE RACE BEGINS WITH SALVATION- ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN? DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?:
THIS RACE PAUL IS TALKING ABOUT IS A SPIRITUAL RACE:
John 4:21-26 (NKJV)
21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."
26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
John 14:6 (NKJV)
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
2. THE ENDURANCE RACE REQUIRES SACRIFICE- THIS IS NOT A WORD OR TERM THAT MANY FOLKS WANT TO JUMP UP AND SHOUT ABOUT, BUT IF WE STOP AND REALLY THINK ABOUT THE SACRIFICE THAT WAS GIVEN FOR US, AND WHO WE ARE SACRIFICING FOR, I THINK WE SHOULD SHOUT BECAUSE HE HAS COUNTED US WORTHY TO BE IN THIS RACE FOR “HIS CAUSE”:
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
**SERVING/RUNING REQUIRES A SACRIFICE IF WE ARE TO RUN IN A MANNER AS IF TO WIN:
**TALK ABOUT THE LACK OF COMMITMENT AMONG PEOPLE NOW A DAY.
**LACK OF ATTENDANCE ON THE NIGHT SERVICES, LACK OF ENTHUSIASM FOR OUR SINGS AND EVENTS.
**LACK OF COMMITMENT TO POSITIONS- NEW YEAR COMING UP!
**LACK OF ATTENDANCE IN SUNDAY SCHOOL!
**PURPOSE BEHIND EACH!
Luke 12:42-48 (NKJV)
42 And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45 But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,
46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
3. TO FINISH WELL WE MUST NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE PRIZE/GOAL:
**WHAT IS THE PRIZE?
1 Corinthians 9:25 (NKJV)
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
Matthew 25:31-46 (NKJV)
31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'
45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
**IF YOUR TIME WAS UP TODAY, COULD YOU TRULY SAY THAT YOU HAVE FINISHED WELL?
**IF JESUS WERE TO COME BACK TODAY, WOULD HE BE PLEASED WITH YOU??
