The Magnetism Of The Finish Line

• 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.