2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
l. INTRODUCTION – PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
-It is an incredible story, but it is far more than just a story, it is a parable, it is an allegory, it is a mind absorbing and soul stirring classic. It is Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.
-The opening chapter of that classic provides some great nuggets of truth and principles for life.
-Christian who starts out on his journey finds himself facing a difficult task. He had a very fearful burden on his back and he feared that it would cause him to sink lower and lower into the grave and then he knew he would descend into Hell.
-He relates these thoughts to Evangelist and tells him that knowing such things as this makes him want to cry. Evangelist asked him, “Sir, if this is your condition then why are you just standing here?”
-Christian responds back to him, “Because I don’t know where to go.” At that point, Evangelist hands him a Letter (which in the parable is the Bible) and points out to him a verse that tells him to flee from the coming wrath.
-With that thought looming in his soul, Christian asks, “So where am I supposed to go?” Evangelist points across a very wide field and asks, “Do you see the narrow gate (Matt. 7:13)?” To which Christian answers back to him, “No I do not see it.”
-But Evangelist persistently asks, “But do you see the Shining Light beyond the field?” “I think I do,” replies Christian. Evangelist patiently tells him to keep the Light in his eyes and go directly toward it. When he walks toward the Shining Light, he will find the Narrow Gate. He further tells him that when he finds the Gate, the Keeper will tell him what he is to do.
-John Bunyan states that in his dream, he notices the man running toward the Gate. However, he has not gone very far before the cries of those within the City began to call out to him. Some mock, some threatened, and some plead with him to return. But the man does a very commendable thing. He places his fingers in his ears and begins to cry out, “Life, Life, Life, Eternal Life!”
-So the man starts his journey and far off in the distance, he can see the Finish Line. It concludes in the Celestial City and that is his life’s purpose and goal. To make it to Heaven. If we can ever get such a thought and passion within us. . . . . . .To make it to Heaven, not many things in this life can dissuade us or turn us back.
ll. THE AREA OF THE TEXT
-Every Scripture written in the Word of God is important. But there seems to be a few that stand out even more than all the rest. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 are two of those verses. If an epitaph could be placed on Paul’s life, this would be the choice.
-His life demonstrated:
• A fought fight.
• A finished course.
• A kept faith.
-Nothing more than that really matters. But there are some great and valuable lessons to be pulled from these two verses.
-I want to focus on Paul in this message. Not Paul the theologian who wrote the majority of the New Testament. Not Paul the missionary whose passion for the Gospel took him all over the then known world. Nor Paul the great man of faith, who had part in healing many. But I want to preach about the hopeful Paul, who was looking forward to a day that would come.
-He wrote this to the Corinthian saints:
1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
-That is the hopeful Paul, looking forward to a better day and a better time.
A. The Words Represent A Brighter Day
-The words that Paul wrote represented the promise of a brighter day.
-For thousands of years, death has been termed as the “grim reaper” and cast a fearful specter over all of mankind. But something happened when Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead that wonderful Easter morning.
-Now Paul takes up that theme in his dying day. The darkness of an oppressive grave cannot stop his faith because he is aware of the finish line that is now directly before him.
-His early days of sitting at Gamaliel’s feet were now advantageous to him because they stirred within him the words of Job:
Job 19:25-27 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
-He remembered the majesty of Isaiah’s words:
Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
-That had to have been stirring in the soul of Paul when he wrote:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
-These words would incite the Early Church and would extend 1900 years beyond even to our day and remind us that there is a brighter day on the way.
-Rage all you want to Caesar! Try to destroy Paul and all of the other saints but it will do you no good. There are some words of Paul that say you will fail. Church! Weep not as if you have no hope, there is a finish line that is coming. There is a voice that shouts, “There is a crown for you!”
-At the edge of town in Lystra when the rabble caught Paul, it looked like the morning’s red sky would see rivulets of blood gushing from Paul’s battered body. No doubt there was fear in Paul and those who were with him that day. . . . . .but there was a finish line that Paul knew about, it held a bright shining as it did for Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress.
-The final words of Paul had neither been uttered or written as of yet, but there would be a promise that would pour out of the soul of the apostle at just the right time.
• Complain, rabble-rousers of Lystra.
• Take up stones and threaten to kill the righteous!
• But the magnetism of the finished line is pulling us toward destiny. Bruises may batter the body, but the stones will never strike the soul.
• Let the rabble spew out epitaphs of defeat.
• Let the discontents speak of death and discouragement.
• Let the whiners yearn for the melons, garlic, onions, and leeks of yesteryear.
• There is a finish line in our midst, somewhere just beyond the here and now that says, “We’re going to make it. We are going to finish.”
• Let them talk of limping back to Lystra.
• We will talk of finishing the course and going to Heaven.
• Let their fears descend to the depths, our faith is going to ascend to the mount of God.
• Stop along the way if you like. Camp under the palms. Saunter by the springs.
• We are leaving this temporary place for a more lasting home.
-It’s all in your attitude:
• Someone is going to Heaven, it may as well be me.
• Someone is going to a land flowing with milk and honey, it may as well be me.
• Someone is going to have revival, it may as well be me.
• Someone is going to see what God can do through faith, it may as well be me.
• Someone is going to see God’s promises fulfilled, it may as well be me.
• The crown and the finish line say, “We aren’t staying here. We are leaving here!”
-The crown reminds me of our promise. The finish line reminds me that if there is a starting point then there has to be a finish line. We are not going to stay here forever. We are going to pack up and leave the present for the future. We are going to leave this old paradigm, old mindset, old attitude, old life behind. We are going forward to the finish line.
-A brighter day is on the way. A brighter day is going to embrace us. A brighter day is going to restore us. A brighter day is going to renew us. But that is not all Paul’s words remind us of.
B. These Words are the Word of God.
-The second thing that we must understand is that these are not just Paul’s words but they are the Word of God.
-Moses is largely credited with writing the first five books of the Bible. It’s easy to see how he wrote Exodus through Deuteronomy because he lived during those times. He was an eyewitness. His words are Spirit-inspired testimony. But what about Genesis? What about the first book in the Bible? Moses wasn’t around for that.
-How can you write about something that you cannot see? The events at the conclusion of Genesis were written three hundred years before Moses was born. Eden lay in the distance and there is but one answer for this: Moses met God face to face on several occasions. At that point, God begin to reveal to him exactly the contents in the book of Genesis.
-In a day of Technicolor and plasma technology and 3D color, God’s Word is still in black and white. Some would say that it is out of date and serves no use in this post modern era. But I tell you now that the future isn’t worth a whole lot unless the Word of God goes with us.
-So you can bank on it. The crown that Paul said would be given to us, he had already looked at it and used it to encourage the faithful following along behind that there would be a great reward to those who willing to remain committed to the quest.
-Do you remember the story of the building effort by the sons of the prophets? The house was getting too small and the young men decided to build something bigger. Almost as an afterthought they turn to Elisha and ask, “Will you go with us?” (2 Kings 6).
-They were very glad that they had asked the prophet to go when the axehead was lost in the water because it was the prophet who spoke the declarative word that brought a remedy to the situation. As the young men felt about Elisha, we must feel the same way about the Word of God.
• There is security in the Word.
• There is direction in the Word.
• There is power in the Word.
-Another foray into the life of Elisha brings forth this thought. Elisha’s dusty bones lay in a grave. Above him a battle was raging and soldier, a very dead soldier, was tossed unceremoniously into Elisha’s grave. The moment the soldier’s body touched the prophet’s bones, new life began! (2 Kings 13)
-There is power in the old bones of the Word. Pick up the backbone of this old Book and you will find sixty-six ribs there.
• There is strength in each bone of the Word.
• There is life in each bone of the Word.
• There is hope in each bone of the Word.
-When the devil shakes the skeletons of past failures in our faces, we can rattle these old bones and shout, “It is written” and the devil flees.
• This old Book will infuse light into your being.
• This old Book will challenge the vestiges of mediocrity.
• This old Book will annihilate apathy.
• This old Book will lead to a brand new life.
• This old Book will secure victories.
C. These Words of Paul remind us of the Hope of the Resurrection.
-Paul knew that in the transition of a moment the prison dungeon wold be exchanged for a palace. He knew that the turmoil of the earth would be exchanged for the deep rapture of peace that would never end.
-Paul knew that if he made it to the finish line, there was a crown waiting on him. It is going to be crown without cares. Crowns in this life more often than not prove to hold cursings instead of blessings and in this world greatness and care are twins and they are inseparable. But there is a crown that we who are blood-bought will wear and it will be in a place of righteousness and power and calm.
-How could Paul manage to walk through so much and still mark this world with his frail presence? Paul responded in every situation by keeping the finish line in perspective:
• In Antioch, even when crowd tried to drown out his voice with blasphemy, contradiction, and debate, he kept the finish line in sight.
• In Iconium, when the envious Jews stirred up the city to stone him, he kept the finish line as his priority.
• In Lystra, when the fate of Stephen almost became his own and he was stoned and dragged to the outer limits of the city and left there to suffer and the citizens hoped that he would die, he kept the finish line as the main thing.
• When he withstood the error of Peter and confronted him face to face, the focus was on the finish line.
• In Philippi, where he was beaten and locked up in prison and he turned the penitentiary into a place for praise, he was looking to the finish line.
• At Thessalonica, when “lewd fellows of the baser sort” accused him of treason, he continued in the path of the finish line.
• He kept the finish line in sight at Athens, when to the world’s sages, Paul preached of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom they worshiped as the unknown God.
• At Corinth, when he felt compelled to abandon the work and to shake the dust off of his feet as a testimony against it, he remembered the finish line.
• In Ephesus, when his hearers were directed to Jesus instead of Diana, his thoughts were on the finish line.
• At Jerusalem, when another mob stoned him, he cast his glance toward the finish line.
• When he was stretched on the torturing rack and bound with iron fetters, he concentrated on the finish line.
• He pressed for the finish line at Caesarea, before the conscience-stricken and trembling Felix as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgement, his thoughts were directed to the finish line.
• It was the thoughts of the finish line, that compelled him to passionately persuade Agrippa to such an extent, that Agrippa’s words echo through history, “Almost thou persuadest me.”
• It was the magnetism of the finish line that even in the last hours of the closing storm was gathering overhead, it was the magnetism of the finish line that he kept in sight when he was lying in the dark, dismal Roman cell.
-It was the magnetism of the finish line. It was keep the lights of the Celestial City in front and never turning aside to entertain lesser guests or pursuits. It was an incredible ability to focus on the spiritual and the long term instead of the immediate and temporary.
lll. CONCLUSION – THE MAGNETISM OF THE FINISH LINE
I was reading a book recently and I ran across a little line that totally overwhelmed and motivated me. It appears in Lance Armstrong’s new book Every Second Counts. He tells about riding the Tour de France and the falls, the heat, the pressure of winning again, the broken ribs, the viruses, and how that the heart of those riding those bikes in that grueling race is the “magnetism of the finish line.” Once you realize that there is a finish and the only way to that finish is to get up and go after it and that no one else is going to help you to get back up, it makes all the difference in the world.
One particular portion of the race he writes about climbing the final climbing stage to a summit called Luz Ardiden. He knew that if he was going to win the race, that this would be the point. He relates how that fear gnawed at him. He was only 39 seconds up on the great German, Jan Ulrich and that every day, Ulrich had shown incredible strength and was chipping away at Lance Armstrong’s lead. It was the longest, hardest ride of the whole journey.
When they passed over the Tourmalet, Ulrich passed Lance Armstrong with a shock attack. Their bikes were about to crest the summit and on the descent, they would be running between 50-60 mph. But before the main descent there was one more incredibly steep peak that would have to be crested.
They headed up the mountain and the magnetism of the finish line began to pound in the legs and heart of Lance Armstrong. At this point, Lance Armstrong felt that this was the time to attack. He lunged at the pedals, scaling the mountain, thinking about empty road that now was ahead of him. He began to gain time on Ulrich. But then something happened. One of the spectators along the way swung a yellow souvenir bag into the path of his bike and down he went. But in all of that chaos as the other riders flew past him, internally there was a screaming, unrelenting voice, “Get Up! Get Up! Get Up!”
Lance Armstrong then began to ride with a vengeance. After a few minutes he caught up with the race leaders. He then attacked and bolted on his bike. In doing so, he gained ten seconds. Then his United States Postal Service team car pulled alongside him and told him, “You’re ten seconds up on the leaders.” Shortly thereafter, another call from the car, “You’re twenty-seconds up.” That portion of the race ended with him winning by 40 seconds, which is an incredible distance when you realize the power of these riders. He ended up winning that year which was the 90th Tour de France.
He relates about another time when he ran out of water and it was desperately hot in his ride and how that his team mates rode alongside of him encouraging, cajoling, and even threatening him. The day that he ran out of water he lost 15 pounds in a single ride. But it was the magnetism of the finish line that kept him at it.
-That must keep all of us at the same pace. We are stretching toward a finish line.
-This life is made up in all of what you see. This life is made up in the magnetism of the finish line. Every one among us must establish that we are going to finish this race. Finish the job. Finish the task. Finish our marriages. Finish being a parent. Finish being a friend. Finish being an encouragement. Finish this church. And on and on we could go.
-I conclude with this:
There is a nautical term used in the sailing world today that I want to tell you about. It is called “kedging.” A kedge anchor is used when a ship is grounded or found in turbulent seas. Sailors will row the kedge anchor as far as they can from the ship in the general direction they wish to move to. They drop the kedge anchor into the sea. Once the anchor finds purchase on the bottom, the sailors on board begin to operate the winch and pull their way towards the anchor. This is know as kedging.
We don’t normally think of moving towards an anchor. The anchor represents the past. It holds us back. Sometimes, however, the anchor is our future. We move towards it. In especially turbulent times, we need to pull ourselves into the future with the anchor of past revelation. The past then becomes the only means into the future.
-The Bible calls hope an anchor in Hebrews 6:18-19. Yet the anchor is not behind us, it is before us. We are kedging our way into the future with the magnetism of the finish line.
Philip Harrelson
December 7, 2003
