Finishing Strong #1

Ever heard these names? Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, or Geuel. ————— you have, I’ll remind you how you know them here soon.

Sunset Pictures of Graduates, how many still in ministry or faithful at all?

The 25 men of the class of 2006 (19 years later):

10 – faithful and still in congregational ministry

2 – faithful and in ministry until death

3 – faithful, but discouraged / damaged, remain in non-congregational ministry roles

1 – divorced two or three times since school, never in ministry

1 – AWOL as soon as school was done. No idea

Remaining eight:

1. Affair, not in ministry, embittered

2. Died, left family and faith before death

3. Divorced while on mission field, not in ministry

4. Died, never left alcoholism

5. Left the faith completely

6. Left the faith completely

7. Left his family and faith completely

8. While on the mission field, left his family (divorced), tried to return to state-side church work, couldn't get a job.

In the Christian life, it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish.

You may be thinking, “Those are interesting stories, but they really don’t relate to me. I’m not in full-time ministry.” I’m sorry to rock your boat, but if you are a Christian, and if you are serious about following Christ, then you surely are in the ministry. Full-time. Are you a husband? Do you have kids? If the answer is yes, then you’re implicated! Christian husbands and fathers are in the ministry full-time. The enemy just doesn’t want you to realize it.

You may not be an “employee” of sorts at Church, but according to these verses it doesn’t matter —

Ephesians 4:11–13 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

Your profession doesn’t change your confession of Jesus being Lord of your life. If you’ve bowed the knee to Jesus and have been saved then you’re working for Him. You’re supposed to be anyway!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-14 that YOU are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Not part time salty or shining.

Being a solid growing Christian who has good Bible knowledge and trains up the next ones after them is rare enough isn’t it? It’s logical enough to say that it’s even more rare to finish strong and not abandon those things.

What makes you think that you will be the one man out of a group of 5 or 10 that will?

It’s not impossible, far from it actually to succeed.

Revelation 3:21 “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (7 Churches, 7 “overcomes”/“conquers”)

QUESTION: What does it take to finish strong in Christ?

Willing to struggle

Teachable

Desire to be exceptional — FOR CHRIST

So, what exceptional measures are you taking in your life to ensure you will overcome with Christ?

There are a lot of guys who have started strong in the Christian life, but God is looking for the finishers.

If you’re on cruise control, going through the motions, it won’t be enough. Matthew 7:13–14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” —————— no one accidently finds themselves on the narrow path or accidently arrives at the narrow gate. It takes dedication and determination to strive forward in an intentional way.

You might think - “is it really that bad, only a few out of 10 finish strong?”

Consider how many were picked to spy the land in Numbers 13:1–2 “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.”

Moses didn’t just pick anyone - he picked the best! the brightest! the most accomplished! the ones with the best leadership qualities! Why? For that mission you’re not settling for second best.

But what happened? Only 2 were faithful at the end of the mission. Joshua and Caleb. They were the only ones still trusting God and still telling everyone “we can do it! Let’s go!” — but the other 10 said it was too hard, no way it could be done.

Who were the other 10? Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, or Geuel.

How and why did 2 do it and 10 not? They all heard the same things, saw the same things, been with the same people — but had different faithful outcomes....Why?

Only Joshua and Caleb took time to develop and grow their spiritual character so that they had the faith and endurance to trust God when the odds were against them.

I think the other 10 guys, if it were today, would be ones that were at Church regularly, give some, come to the extra events for outreach and such. But the concern is that when push comes to shove in life, the difference is on the inside.

I know the difference between a brave man and a coward —— it’s about 2 seconds. The brave man who we see and consider brave goes for 2 seconds more, keeps going forward after the others turn and run. It’s ENDURANCE that makes the brave man, that seperates the men from the boys. It takes a real man to finish strong, who isn’t afraid of hardwork and the occasional beat down, who can grit and makes it up in his mind to say “It’s not optional, I’m glorifying Jesus until the end!”

Joshua and Caleb didn’t finish strong because they were tougher — they finished strong because they trusted longer.

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I don’t know all the ins and outs of your life, or where you feel you’re at right now.

You might be sitting here thinking, “It’s too late for me to finish strong.” Maybe you’ve blown it. Maybe you’ve made some big mistakes — the kind that still sting when you think about them. Maybe you’ve made choices that wrecked your credibility with the people who once trusted you. Bad relationship decisions, bad business decisions, bad personal decisions...whatever it may bet as long as you’re still breathing you can turn the car around.

You can still confess, repent, and start walking in the right direction. You might’ve fallen hard, but you haven’t crossed the finish line yet. And by the grace of God, there’s still time to make up ground and finish strong.

Proverbs 24:16 “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”

Finishing strong does not mean finishing unblemished. Finishing strong does not mean finishing perfect. That is impossible.

QUESTION: What makes it hard to overcome this life as a Christian?

Not knowing where the finish line is (not seeing it).

Runners see the finish line and the lines painted on the track...but rowers don’t.

Have you watched the Olympics and seen the guys in the long boats with teh huge oars seeing who can row the fastest? They got their backs to the finish line! So how do they win?????????

They focus on the guy sitting in front of all of them calling the shots — he’s the only one that sees exactly what’s ahead and when the end is. He’s the one that calls teh shots, he sets the pace, the calls out orders, he tells them when to dig in for that final push.

So the rowers job is to listen, trust, and row. They don’t have to see the finish line but just listen and trust the one who does.

And that’s us, isn’t it?

We don’t overcome by looking at the end of our life because we don’t know when or where or how that will be. We overcome by fixing our eyes and hearts and motives on Jesus.

So get in the boat but remember to stay in the boat with Jesus!

The 12 guys that hung around Jesus closely had a much better success rate. Only one ultimately failed, and it wasn’t Jesus’ fault.

None of them were perfect though, they all had their teachable moments and shortcomings. Elbert Hubbard wrote in 1915, “A failure is a person who has blundered but not been able to cash in on the experience.”

QUESTION: Have you heard “high risk and “preferred risk” before? For what?

High Risk: A “high risk” person is someone who’s considered more likely to experience loss or failure — for example, someone who’s had several car accidents, health problems, or a dangerous job. Insurance companies see them as more costly to cover, because the odds are higher that something will go wrong.

Preferred Risk: A “preferred risk” person, on the other hand, is someone who’s low risk — healthy, cautious, disciplined, and steady. They make wise decisions that lower the chance of trouble. Insurance companies want these people, because they’re safe bets.

QUESTION:

What makes someone a “high risk” spiritually?

A Preferred Risk?

Self Evaluation To Determine your “Risk” Situation:

Do you spend personal time with the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture at least three times a week? (Correct Answer: YES)

Are there at least one or two men in your life with whom you have built a friendship based on trust, confidentiality, and accountability? In other words, do you have a buddy who is close enough (that means you can’t fool him) and loves you enough to get in your face if he needs to? (Correct Answer: YES)

Are you currently spending significant time with any attractive woman other than your wife? (work, etc.) (Correct Answer: NO)

Are you absolutely sure that you will finish strong?

Trick question - don’t be arrogant or prideful to the point that you think NOTHIGN will happen to threaten that

We can’t control every storm that hits our lives — but we can choose to live in a way that lowers the “spiritual risk.”

A “high risk” Christian flirts with temptation and ignores God’s warnings. A “preferred risk” Christian walks close to Christ, listens to His Word, and stays surrounded by godly influences.

None of us here plan to fail do we? What takes place when people loose battles often times is an ambush, a surprise attack.

Consider these 3 ambushes that can catch men off gaurd:

1. The Ambush of Another Woman

The temptation to seek fulfillment or excitement outside your marriage. It often starts small — attention, conversation, flattery — but can end in destruction. Sexual sin doesn’t begin with the body; it begins with the heart. → Guard your eyes, your thoughts, and your time.

Proverbs 5:3–8 “For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,”

James 1:14–15 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

2. The Ambush of Money

The drive for more — more stuff, more status, more control — can pull a man’s heart away from God. Money itself isn’t evil, but loving it is. It blinds us to what matters most. → Measure success by faithfulness, not finances.

1 Timothy 6:9–10 “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

3. The Ambush of Neglected Family

Neglect doesn’t look dangerous at first. It’s just drifting — getting too busy, too tired, too distracted to pray, to lead, to stay close to God. But it slowly erodes. This doesn’t usually happen overnight. It starts when work, hobbies, or personal goals slowly push your wife and kids to the sidelines. You’re still “providing,” but you’re no longer present. It’s possible to win in business or ministry and lose at home. → Your greatest leadership is the one you give inside your own home.

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

1 Timothy 3:4–5 “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (NOT JUST FOR ELDERS BUT FOR ALL US TO STRIVE FOR)

Each ambush hits a different part of a man’s life — purity, priorities, and people — but the solution is the same: stay alert, stay humble, and stay close to the Lord.

FINAL DISCUSSION QUESTION: When have you seen endurance pay off in your own spiritual life?

Next week (week 2 of 6) we’ll discuss “Staying the Course”