Are you a Finisher?
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Intro
Intro
Greet:
Continuing our study through the book Tender Warrior by Stu Weber
Best Closer of all time:
1. Mariano Rivera
The Ultimate Closer, the ‘Turn on the showers, the game is over’ when he walked to the mound to Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman.’ He retired after the 2013 season with an MLB-record 652 saves and 952 games finished, also the most in history. Pitching his entire 19-year career with the Yankees, Rivera excelled behind a mid-90s cut fastball that hitters knew was coming but still couldn’t hit. He sawed more wood than a lumber mill, once breaking three Ryan Klesko bats in one at-bat. His 25 or more saves 16 times is a record and he also owns 42 postseason saves with a 0.70 ERA. He is the all-time leader in ERA-plus — ERA adjusted to a player’s league and ballpark — for pitchers with a minimum of 1,000 innings. The average ERA-plus is 100. Rivera’s career mark is 205. The next best is Pedro Martinez at 154.
You wanted Mariano Rivera on your team and you never wanted to see him in the game if you were the opposing team. Because he was one of the greatest closers of all time.
If you are a fan of baseball, you know closers are a breed of their own. They are known oftentimes for their intensity and focus. They thrive on the pressure of finishing out the game. They are ultra-competitive and hunger for the ball in their hands to finish out the game. They are finisher.
I would like to talk to you today about being a Finisher.
Paul, was such a finisher listen to the words he writes to Timothy in Paul’s final epistle,
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
1. A finisher, fights the good fight.
1. A finisher, fights the good fight.
2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)
7 I have fought the good fight,
Are you a Spiritual Warrior?
[Paul] had stood before Felix, Agrippa, and the officials of Rome with courage. He endured the riots in Ephesus and the opposition in Corinth. He endured all kinds of struggles on his missionary journeys. About 30 years had passed since Christ called him on the Damascus Road. On that momentous occasion he was told that he would suffer for Christ’s name, and he did (Acts 9:16).
16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
In order to be a true Tender Warrior and to fight the good fight, we must recognize what it is that we are fighting against.
Paul tells us in Ephesians that
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Paul knew his war wasn’t against people but against the evils of the world. Paul knew he was bringing the gospel message Jesus to a darkness ruled world.
What then is our tools as spiritual warriors? (Look into commentaries on this)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
We could spend a whole man up series on just this passage but here is the highlights
a. Belt of Truth: We need God’s word to lead our life and decisions.
b. Breastplate of Righteousness: we need to be walking in step with the Lord, we need to pure before the Lord.
c. Shoes of Preparation of the Gospel of Peace: We need to know the Gospel and be ready to share it with others. It is a call to be equipped.
d. Shield of Faith: Trust in the Lord and rest in his power to protect us from the attacks of the evil forces of the world.
e. Helmet of Salvation: We must be children of God.
f. Sword of the Spirit: the word of God is our weapon to fight the good fight.
g. Prayer, petition, and perseverance: we must never cease to pray for our own faithfulness, the faithfulness of our other warriors of faith, and we must not lose sight of our purpose and strive to finish the battle well.
2. A finisher, completes their mission.
2. A finisher, completes their mission.
2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)
7 ...I have finished the race...
24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
Paul knew what his mission on earth was, to faithfully tend to the ministry which God gave him, and to remain faithful to the gospel message.
Paul, did just that with his life, everything he did, was for the purpose of making Christ known to as many people as possible.
Fact is, Paul accomplished all God had called him to do in this life. He was at the end of his mission and he is challenging Timothy to follow his lead to run the race of life well to the end.
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Thus, we are to cast aside everything that distracts us from pursuing the Lord and his mission for us.
Are you allowing God to use you in your job to reach others with the Gospel?
Everything Paul did, whether missionary work, or tent making to help make ends meet was for the purpose of the sharing the Gospel message.
In order to be a finisher, we fight the good fight and complete our mission and...
3. A finisher, remains rooted in faith.
3. A finisher, remains rooted in faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)
7...I have kept the faith.
Paul’s calling involved protecting the Gospel from the false teaching found around the church.
He never wavered from lovingly pointing people away from the dangers of the false teachings that perverted the gospel truth.
Paul also demonstrated diligence to share the true gospel (Christ Crucified and raised from the grave) with as many people as he possibly could. He lived out his professed faith in Christ and wanted others to do so also!
Because of his faith in Jesus Christ, Paul was a man of confidence, but it wasn’t his confidence but in Christ alone.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
If you do a simple google search on “what do men find purpose in”, you’d quickly see a bunch of blogs and articles talking about how men need purpose. How they are lost without purpose. That men are struggling these days to find their purpose.
Some men try to find their purpose in their finances, job accolades, family, even a hobby. While all these things can be good pursuits, none of them satisfy that ever growing hunger for purpose.
Fact is, if you don’t know your purpose, or why your doing it, it’s nearly impossible to see it through to the end.
Application: Christian men should walk with confidence that comes from the Lord. Because they understand their purpose.
Their faith walk with Jesus is their priority and everything else flows out of their deep roots of faith in Christ.
Tender Warriors are able to be finishers because they have total faith in the work Christ has done in them. They are rooted to Jesus Christ and his plans for their lives.
We have purpose in Christ! Everything we do is so that we can give God glory!
31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
In order to give God glory in all aspects of our lives, we must have total trust and faith in the Lord.
Finishers fight the good fight, they complete their missions, they remain rooted in Christ, and finally,
4. A finisher, fixates on the ultimate prize.
4. A finisher, fixates on the ultimate prize.
8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Paul knew what his ultimate prize was, it was to be found a faithful servant to the Lord. Never wavering, with his gaze fixated on the prize of being called to be home with the Lord.
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
He was focused on storing his treasure with the Lord, not on earth.
When our focus is fixated on the ultimate prize of Christ Jesus, everything else in our lives has a purpose and it allows us to finish strong what the Lord has entrusted us with doing.
Whether you are a doctor, police officer, mechanic, school teacher, retired, realtor, construction worker, pastor, etc. you can rest assured knowing that God has you in your job for a purpose and you can do it for God’s glory.
You can lead your family well.
You can ultimately live a life that give God glory to the end.
Men, are you searching for your purpose?
Or have you found your purpose in Christ?
Conclusion:
1968 Olympics in Mexico City
Runner John Stephen Akhwari, of Tanzania, competed in the Marathon competition. Yet, his story would live on not for placing at the olympics but for a whole other reason, please watch his story.
Finally, he answered: "My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish."
APPLICATION
Likewise, God has not commissioned us to start a good work but to finish one.
We are called to be Finishers, we want to be the men that our family, coworkers, and church leaders call when a job needs to be seen through to completion. If we are going to be finishers, we must be men who fight the good fight, sees our mission to completion, remains rooted in our faith, and keeps our eyes fixated on the ultimate prize of Christ Jesus.
Let us pray.