I. Introduction
-- turn
in Bibles to Psalm 119:111
Psalm 119:111-112 New International Version (NIV)
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to
the very end.
-- on
February 5, 2017, I joined the entire state of Georgia and turned on the TV to
watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl --
this was a momentous occasion for us as Georgians and as Atlanta Falcon fans --
never in the history of the Atlanta Falcon franchise had there been a true
opportunity for the team to actually win the Super Bowl
-- true,
the Falcons had been there once before -- way back in 1998, Atlanta had
appeared in Super Bowl XXXIII (33) against the Denver Broncos, but everyone
knew that Atlanta didn’t really have a chance in that game
-- but,
this time, we had a chance -- we had a real, good chance -- this would be the
time for the Falcons to finally live up to expectations and bring home the
glory to a city and a state that always seemed to end up on the losing side
when it came to national and world championships
-- the
first quarter was scoreless as both teams searched for opportunities -- and,
then it happened -- Matt Ryan found a hole and led the Falcons to score 21
unanswered points in the second quarter -- the only thing Tom Brady and the
celebrated Patriots could muster was a measly field goal
-- when
the teams headed into the locker room at half-time with the score 21-3, people
statewide held their breath -- the victory and the championship was finally in
our grasp
-- the
second half began and Atlanta scored again -- 28-3 -- an insurmountable lead --
this was one for the record books -- everyone relaxed -- everyone took a moment
to just relish in the moment -- apparently, even the team
--
because it was at that moment that Tom Brady led the Patriots to overcome the
greatest deficit in Super Bowl history -- Atlanta would never score again --
and could only watch as the Patriots tied the game at 28 with 58 seconds left
after converting a touchdown for two points -- history was decided when the
Patriots received the ball in overtime, driving 75 yards to the end zone for a
touchdown that gave them yet another Super Bowl Championship -- leaving the Atlanta
Falcons to once again walk back to the locker room in defeat
-- so,
what in the world does the 2017 Super Bowl have to do with our faith? -- it demonstrates
an important lesson -- it doesn’t matter how well you start the game -- it
doesn’t matter what you have accomplished in the middle -- what matters is how
you finish
II. Finish the Drill
-- I
have spent some time reading through Psalm 119 the past couple of weeks -- if
you haven’t looked at it lately, let me encourage you to do so -- Psalm 119 is
David’s magnum opus -- his masterpiece -- about the word of God
-- in
this Psalm, David reflects on the beauty and mystery and power and life that is
found in God’s very words spoken to us and given through the Scriptures
-- it
was in God’s word that David found the strength to fight the lion and the bear
and to confront the giant Goliath in battle -- it was in God’s word that David
found the wisdom and guidance to lead the nation of Israel as their
servant-king -- it was in God’s word that David found hope and restoration
during the weak points in his life, including his failure with Bathsheba and
the rebellion of his son Absalom -- and it was in God’s word that David found
the determination to finish the drill -- to finish the race -- to press on to the
end
-- here
in verses 111-112, we see David’s grit and steadfastness in his faith displayed
-- look back at verse 111
111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
-- by
statutes, David means God’s word -- His commands -- His promises -- His
instructions
-- our
lives -- everything we do -- is to be defined and informed by God’s word -- it
leads us -- it guides us -- it lights our path to the very end -- forever, as
David puts it
-- at
the end of our lives, we will not be measured by fame or fortune -- we will be
measured based on how well we followed the statutes in this Book -- that’s what
David means when he says that these statutes are his heritage -- they are his
legacy -- they are what he left behind to the next generation
--
David’s steadfastness in following God’s law was what defined him as a person
and as a man and as the leader of Israel -- which begs the question: what
defines you? -- what heritage are you leaving?
-- verse
112
112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to
the very end.
-- this
is the verse that really spoke to me this week -- “my heart is set on keeping
your decrees to the very end” -- in other words, David is proclaiming, “I’m not
giving up in the middle -- I’m not resting on my laurels -- I’m not going to
let up -- I’m not going to sit back and put up my feet and go into the sunset
satisfied with what I have done -- I’m going to keep on keeping your decrees --
I’m going to press on to the end -- I’m going to finish well”
-- what
a difference it would have made in Super Bowl LI (51) if the Atlanta Falcons
would have adopted David’s mindset and not quit in the middle -- what a
difference it would make in our lives if we would just adopt this same mindset
in our own lives -- both in our secular and in our spiritual lives
--
David’s proclamation here reminds us that God doesn’t have a retirement plan
for the saints -- He doesn’t intend for us to stop working and to stop striving
for Him and to coast to the end -- He intends for us to continue on -- to
strive to keep His decrees and do great things for Him and to press on to
finish our Christian lives well
-- too
often in our lives, we quit in the middle -- we don’t go all out as we did at
first -- we make it to the half-time in our lives, and we think to ourselves,
“We’ve done enough -- we’ve got victories in Christ to point to” -- and so we
just stop striving and start coasting -- we still go through the motions -- we
still go to church -- we still read our Bibles -- we still pray and tithe and
go to Bible study -- but, we’re not really trying to gain ground -- we’re not
running up the mountain any longer -- we’re not really progressing
-- all
our spiritual growth -- all our spiritual victories -- are in the past -- and
we haven’t done anything recently -- we haven’t experienced Christ in our lives
recently
-- let
me give you an example -- when we were at Morven UMC, we hosted a couple of
missionaries from Brazil -- and I remember a conversation they had with Pastor
Debbie that has stuck with me almost 20 years later
-- one
of the missionaries asked Pastor Debbie what God had been doing in her life --
she began talking about her salvation and her call to the ministry -- the
missionary interrupted her and said, “I didn’t ask you what God did in your
life in the past -- I asked what He was doing now”
-- and,
if you stop and think about it, that’s a good point -- I can’t tell you how
many times I have asked people about their testimony or heard speakers at
Emmaus or Chrysalis or from the Gideon’s tell their stories, and they’re all
about the past -- sometimes they’re about the distant past -- rarely does
anyone get up and say, “Let me tell you what God did in my life or in the life
of this person I ministered to yesterday”
-- why
is this? -- has God quit being God? -- has Jesus stopped changing hearts and
transforming lives? -- No!
-- so,
what has happened? -- we’ve quit -- we’ve taken our foot off the gas and we’re
coasting through life towards the end -- we’ve somehow adopted the “been there
-- done that -- and got the T-shirt” mentality and think we’ve done all that
God wanted us to do
-- David
tells us otherwise here in this verse -- it’s not over till it’s over -- “my
desire,” David says, “is to keep your decrees to the end -- to not let up -- to
keep my foot on the gas and to go into eternity doing great things for You!”
-- turn
over to 2 Timothy 4 and let’s finish up there -- 2 Timothy 4, and we’ll start
in verse 1
-- 2
Timothy 4:1-5
2 Timothy 4:1-5 New International Version (NIV)
1 In the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and
his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season
and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and
careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with
sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around
them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But
you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an
evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
-- so,
to give you the context of this passage, Paul is writing this letter to his
disciple Timothy from the bowels of a Roman prison -- he knows his ministry is
almost over -- he knows his life is almost over -- and he wants to make sure
Timothy knows what to do when that happens
-- so,
he charges Timothy in this passage to keep up the good work -- to preach the
Word -- to correct, rebuke, and encourage the saints -- to teach them how to
live in the faith -- to encourage them to keep going and to never give up, even
though hard times are coming -- even though the people around them may refuse
to listen to God’s word
-- Paul
tells Timothy to keep going -- to endure hardship - to do the work of an
evangelist -- and to discharge all the duties of his ministry to the very end
-- but,
what don’t you see there? -- Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to quit when he gets to
be retirement age -- he doesn’t say, “Do all this until you get ready to rest
-- do this until your social security kicks in” -- no, he says, “you keep on
doing this till the end -- through hardships and persecution -- through trials
and tribulations -- keep on keeping on until the Lord calls you through”
-- and
then Paul shares with Timothy his own personal example
-- verse
6-8
6 For I am already
being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith. 8 Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing.
-- do you
see the point of these verses? -- do you see what Paul is trying to get Timothy
to see? -- you don’t quit in the middle -- you don’t quit when times get hard
-- you don’t quit when you get tired -- you don’t quit until God calls you home
-- “look at
my life,” Paul says -- “I have fought the good fight -- I have finished the
race -- I have kept the faith”
-- what a
fitting epithet for a life well-lived
-- Paul
never gave up in life -- even when things got hard -- even when he faced
persecutions and sufferings, he continued to live for Christ -- he never
wavered -- he never doubted -- he never quit -- but kept on until the end of
the race
-- it would
have been a lot easier for Paul to say, “I’ve done a lot -- I’ve started all
these churches -- I have raised up Timothy and Titus and given them charge over
these congregations -- it’s time for me to relax -- maybe just take a cruise
around the Mediterranean -- enjoy life here at the end”
-- but Paul
didn’t do that -- Paul kept on pressing until the very end -- he didn’t rest on
his laurels -- he didn’t kick back and gather the saints around him and speak
of what he had done in the past -- no, Paul went out in a blaze of glory with
the gospel of Christ on his lips -- he kept God’s decrees to the very end and
received the crown of righteousness from Christ
-- the
Bible is filled with the record of those who quit in the middle -- think about
King Solomon -- Solomon started well, but the record shows that he stopped
trying to keep God’s decrees to the end -- he had accomplished so much in his
life through God’s blessings -- but rather than continue on, he decided to just
stop and enjoy his wealth and wives and material pleasures, and the Bible seems
to indicate he drifted away from God after idols and foreign gods in his later
years
-- the
history of Christianity is filled with men and women just like Solomon --
people who started well, but did not finish the race -- men and women who quit
in the middle of the fight, and walked away from their faith and their God
-- a legacy
is not made in a moment -- a legacy is made over the course of a lifetime --
and the record of Paul's life given here shows that he was faithful to the end
-- God does
not want us to quit, but to press on towards the end in faith -- remember, it
doesn’t matter how well you start -- what matters most is how you finish the
race
-- some of
our great heroes of the faith -- people like Moses and Joshua and Caleb and Corrie
ten Boom and others -- their greatest victories in Christ didn’t even occur
until they were in their later years -- Moses was 80 when God called him to
lead the Israelites out of Egypt -- Corrie ten Boom was in her late 50s when
God called her to hide the Jews from the Nazis -- and she ended her life as an
international evangelist
-- God
doesn’t have a retirement plan for us -- your greatest victories in Christ may
be just ahead
III. Closing
-- let me
close by sharing with you another sports story
-- during
the 1968 Summer Olympics, the world had gathered at the finish line for the
men’s marathon at the Mexico City Olympics Stadium to watch Mamo Waldi of
Ethiopia win the gold medal as he charged across the finish line at about 6 pm
that night -- by 7 pm, it was beginning to get dark as the sports crews wrapped
up their news reports, talking about how Waldi looked as strong at the end of
the 26-mile race as he had at the beginning
-- the
final spectators were beginning to drift out of the stadium, when they heard
police sirens and whistles outside the stadium -- the sounds got louder and
people realized the police were coming through the gate to the stadium --
everyone turned to look at the gate to see what was going on -- and all eyes
were on the entrance as a sole figure, wearing the colors of Tanzania, came
limping into the stadium
-- his name
was John Steven Akhwari -- he was the last man to finish the marathon in 1968
-- his leg was bandaged and bloody -- he had taken a bad fall early in the race
and had fallen way behind all the other competitors -- now, it was all he could
do to limp his way around the track -- the crowd stood and applauded as he
completed that last lap.
-- When he
finally crossed the finish line, one man dared ask the question all were
wondering. "You are badly injured. The race was over -- you had no chance
to win a medal -- why didn't you quit? -- why didn't you give up?"
-- Akhwari,
with quiet dignity said, "My country did not send me seven thousand miles
to start this race -- my country sent me to finish."1
-- that is
the message of David from Psalm 119 -- that is the message of Paul from 2
Timothy 4 -- God didn’t just send us to start this race -- He didn’t just send
us to just do great things in the middle -- He sent us to finish well
-- all of
us are in the middle of our Christian race -- some of us are nearing the end
while others are just getting started -- God has already done amazing things in
our lives, but our call is not to stop where we are -- our call is to press on
to end and to the crown that God has for us
-- God has
so much that He wants you to do -- He wants to write new stories into your
lives every day -- and He wants to use you to be His hands and feet to minister
to others in this place -- He wants to use this church to minister to others
around us -- God is not done with us, and we should not be done with Him
-- so, get
up, go forth and do good things for Him -- take up your cross, lace up your
shoes, and get back in the race!
-- if you
need ideas on what to do -- if you need to get jump-started in your walk with
Him again, just let me know, and we’ll work on a plan to get you back in the
race again
-- set your
eyes on the goal before you and press on to the end -- strive to keep His
decrees -- and let Christ lead you on to victory
-- let us
pray
-----------------------------------------------------
1Craig Brian Larson, "Strong to the Finish,"
Preaching Today, Tape No. 155.
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