WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.599 I have a vivid memory as a high school football player of running sprints at the end of every practice. 00:00:10.200 --> 00:00:16.420 ! And now when I say a high school football player, let me just be clear. I didn't do a lot of playing. I was on the team. 00:00:17.080 --> 00:00:27.300 I didn't play that much, but I was at every practice. And at the end of every practice, after about two hours of full contact drills and running plays, 00:00:27.300 --> 00:00:38.380 our coach would then make us run sprints, sometimes running sprints up a hill. Full pads, helmets on after we were completely exhausted and tired and sore. 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:47.840 And he would tell us as we were running, you gotta finish well. You gotta finish well. Football is a sport of finishing well. 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:55.640 We're going to be a fourth quarter team. We're going to be a team that plays hard up until the clock runs out. 00:00:55.640 --> 00:01:05.460 These end of practice sprints were meant to condition our bodies so that if the game was on the line at the end of the fourth quarter, 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:10.579 we would still be able to play hard and execute and finish the game well. 00:01:11.500 --> 00:01:18.219 This final section here in 2 Timothy chapter 4 is an example of how to finish well in a Christian life. 00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:25.719 These are the last recorded words that we have from the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4. 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:31.959 As we've seen these past few weeks studying this letter, Paul is in a prison cell in Rome. 00:01:32.539 --> 00:01:36.120 He is awaiting his trial and ultimate execution. 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:41.379 And he's writing this letter to his mentee and protege, Timothy. 00:01:41.379 --> 00:01:46.739 And he is passing on the baton, passing on the mantle of leadership. 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:53.199 And he's doing all that he can to encourage Timothy, this young pastor, in his ministry and his leadership, 00:01:53.199 --> 00:01:55.239 but also in his faith. 00:01:56.259 --> 00:02:02.159 And here in this final section of the letter in 2 Timothy 4, in verse 6, Paul says, 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:06.259 The time for my departure is near. 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:08.379 He knows his days are numbered. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:12.379 And whether it's a few weeks or several months away, we don't know. 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:13.359 Maybe he doesn't know. 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:22.759 But in this final section, in this final section, we learn a lot about what it means to finish well in the Christian life. 00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:24.460 To finish well in the Christian life. 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:31.579 So we're going to look at why finishing well matters, what keeps us from finishing well, and how to finish well. 00:02:31.580 --> 00:02:37.500 Well, what, why finishing well matters, what keeps us from finishing well, and how to finish well. 00:02:37.580 --> 00:02:42.040 So first of all, why finishing well matters. 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:51.300 In the beginning of this passage in verses 6 and 7, or as the kids say these days, 6, 7. 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:54.260 If you know, you know. 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:56.880 If you don't, ask a teenager. 00:02:57.380 --> 00:02:58.760 So that's all I got. 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:02.280 In verses 6 and 7, Paul says this, 00:03:03.340 --> 00:03:04.539 I have fought the good fight. 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:07.319 I have finished the race. 00:03:07.959 --> 00:03:09.979 I have kept the faith. 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:16.799 This is an incredible thing to say at the end of one's life. 00:03:17.299 --> 00:03:21.500 Paul is not saying this from a place of spiritual pride, 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:27.039 but he's saying it with a clear conscience of someone who has been faithful to the gospel and to Jesus, 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:29.500 despite great difficulty and suffering. 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:36.259 Just like Paul, one day our, the time of our departure is going to come. 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:40.020 One day our leg of the race is going to come to an end. 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:42.439 And we're going to look back and say one of two things. 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:50.579 Either I finished well or I wasted it. 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:53.259 I look back with regret. 00:03:53.359 --> 00:03:57.199 When we're on our deathbeds, when we're in the hospital room, 00:03:57.819 --> 00:04:01.180 when the hour of our death is impending and coming soon, 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:04.979 nobody really wants to look back on their lives and say, 00:04:04.979 --> 00:04:07.019 I've wasted it all. 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:10.619 I live for myself, for pleasure, for comfort, for success. 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:13.239 And it really wasn't satisfying. 00:04:13.359 --> 00:04:14.339 I have major regrets. 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:17.000 And I wish I could go back and change the way I live. 00:04:17.099 --> 00:04:20.420 No, all of us, whether we're here in this room and we're, 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:22.680 we consider ourselves people of faith or not, 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:23.620 whether we're Christians or not, 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:25.699 we all want to look back on our life and say, 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:27.779 you know, there was hard times. 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:30.060 There was discouragement and suffering. 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:31.819 There was battle. 00:04:31.819 --> 00:04:35.019 There were times of complete exhaustion. 00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:36.180 There were sleepless nights. 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:37.819 And I wasn't perfect. 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:41.379 I made mistakes, but I've been faithful. 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:44.300 I've been faithful to the ministry that God gave me. 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:45.939 I've been faithful to the gifts he's given me. 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:49.759 I've been faithful to my spouse and to my kids. 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:53.459 I was faithful in serving the church. 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:56.659 I did what I could to pass on my faith to others. 00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:00.219 I was generous with my time and my money. 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:02.840 I served my workplace and my neighbors. 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:05.740 I have fought the good fight. 00:05:06.780 --> 00:05:07.960 I've finished the race. 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.440 I've kept the faith. 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:13.860 Finishing well matters because one day our race is going to come to an end. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:17.340 And we're going to look back either with a clear conscience full of gratitude, 00:05:17.340 --> 00:05:20.420 or we're going to look back with sadness and regret. 00:05:21.460 --> 00:05:25.140 The other reason why finishing well matters is what we see next in verse eight. 00:05:25.840 --> 00:05:29.240 Look with me in your bulletin or in your copy of God's word in verse eight. 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:30.040 Paul says this, 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:30.900 henceforth, 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:33.160 there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:34.680 which the Lord, 00:05:34.780 --> 00:05:37.019 the righteous judge will award to me on that day. 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:38.680 And not only to me, 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:41.540 but also to all who have loved his appearing. 00:05:42.500 --> 00:05:46.759 Scripture is clear here and elsewhere that one day Jesus himself, 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:51.980 the good and righteous judge will reward people for their faithful obedience. 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:55.560 And if you're here this morning and you might be thinking, 00:05:56.220 --> 00:06:01.180 doesn't this kind of make Christianity a selfish faith? 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:04.020 The idea of that there's going to be rewards in heaven. 00:06:04.420 --> 00:06:07.340 Aren't people who do things to kind of get rewards in heaven, 00:06:07.960 --> 00:06:08.840 aren't they kind of selfish? 00:06:09.080 --> 00:06:11.640 Isn't that kind of a mercenary, a way to approach faith? 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:16.560 People, you know, Christians don't really care about helping the poor. 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:20.259 They care about the reward that helping the poor gets them in heaven. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:22.600 Isn't this kind of a selfish motivation? 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:25.339 It's a fair question. 00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:26.199 It's an honest question, 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:28.259 but not if you, 00:06:28.620 --> 00:06:29.439 the answer is no, 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:32.399 not if you actually see what Paul is saying here. 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:33.319 Paul is saying, 00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:33.899 verse eight, 00:06:33.899 --> 00:06:35.120 that this crown, 00:06:35.239 --> 00:06:41.759 this reward is for all who love Jesus and who long for his appearing. 00:06:41.939 --> 00:06:45.799 Those who love Jesus receive the reward of following Jesus. 00:06:46.239 --> 00:06:46.979 In his sermon, 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:48.519 The Weight of Glory, 00:06:49.139 --> 00:06:52.519 C.S. Lewis has a great section on this. 00:06:53.039 --> 00:06:57.839 And Lewis makes this distinction between proper and improper rewards, 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:00.060 proper and improper rewards. 00:07:00.739 --> 00:07:01.319 In his sermon, 00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:01.879 The Weight of Glory, 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:04.199 he says that improper rewards, 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:08.540 what you might call a bribe or kind of a mercenary pursuit, 00:07:09.100 --> 00:07:13.519 have no actual connection with the things that you do to earn them. 00:07:14.300 --> 00:07:15.360 And he gives this example. 00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:15.920 He says, 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:20.079 money is not the proper reward of love, 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:25.300 which is why we call a man a mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. 00:07:25.300 --> 00:07:33.480 But a proper reward is a reward that is the fulfillment of the very activity or the action itself. 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:34.540 Lewis says, 00:07:34.660 --> 00:07:35.540 on the flip side, 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:41.360 marriage is the proper reward for someone who has fallen in love, 00:07:41.400 --> 00:07:44.319 and he is not a mercenary for desiring it. 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:53.680 Lewis says that those who've been saved by grace know that their reward from Jesus in heaven is not a bribe, 00:07:53.680 --> 00:08:00.139 it is the very consummation of their earthly discipleship. 00:08:00.900 --> 00:08:03.579 The crown Paul is talking about here, it's not a bribe. 00:08:03.900 --> 00:08:07.480 He knows he's a sinner, saved and justified by grace, 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:14.160 but he is talking about the reward that one day Jesus will give to all people as a reward, 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:17.960 as the fulfillment of their faithfulness. 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:21.180 And this promise of a crown, of a heavenly reward, 00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:24.620 is especially comforting and motivating 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:29.939 when following Jesus is costly and difficult. 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:36.539 Like when following Jesus lands you in a jail cell. 00:08:36.539 --> 00:08:42.860 And we know that from what's happening in places around the world, 00:08:43.059 --> 00:08:45.039 in places like China and other places like now, 00:08:45.259 --> 00:08:47.120 that this isn't just something that Paul experienced, 00:08:47.219 --> 00:08:51.699 but something that many of our brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing right now. 00:08:51.699 --> 00:08:54.980 When following Jesus is costly and difficult, 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:59.659 the promise of a heavenly reward is not a bribe. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:02.500 It is a profound comfort. 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:04.539 It is a profound comfort. 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:08.959 So finishing well matters. 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:14.019 Finishing well matters because one day our race is going to come to an end. 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:16.860 One day the time of our departure is going to come. 00:09:18.099 --> 00:09:23.339 And it matters because the Lord has promised to reward us for our faithfulness. 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:26.559 So that's the first thing that we see, why finishing well matters. 00:09:26.620 --> 00:09:31.519 But the second thing that we see is what keeps us then from finishing well. 00:09:31.579 --> 00:09:33.500 What keeps us from finishing well? 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:37.700 Throughout the letter, and especially here at the end in these verses, 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:42.460 Paul mentions those who have abandoned him and his ministry. 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:44.240 And we're not going to look at all of them, 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:49.759 but one of those people is a person in verse 10 named Demas. 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:58.179 We know from the book of Colossians that Demas was a former colleague of Paul who worked with him in gospel ministry. 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:02.259 At the end of the book of Colossians, Demas is spoken by Paul in positive words. 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:08.039 But in verse 10, we learn that Demas had at one point deserted Paul. 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:38.019 Paul says, 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:42.079 Demas stopped running the race. 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:44.959 Demas didn't finish well. 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:47.379 You might be here this morning. 00:10:47.460 --> 00:10:50.960 You might be thinking, you know, life is going pretty well for me. 00:10:51.040 --> 00:10:53.920 I feel like I'm in a pretty spiritually healthy place. 00:10:54.560 --> 00:10:56.200 I've got good Christian friends. 00:10:56.280 --> 00:10:58.139 I've got, I'm in a great core group. 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:02.980 You know, what could possibly keep me from finishing well? 00:11:02.980 --> 00:11:06.139 What could possibly stop me from running the race? 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:12.019 When I was in seminary, I took a class called the theology of ministry. 00:11:12.820 --> 00:11:14.100 And it was a great class. 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:16.379 There was a lot that I loved about that class. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:19.940 But in that class, we had a difficult and sobering assignment. 00:11:19.940 --> 00:11:23.160 And it was known as the personal sin paper. 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:26.220 Not a fun title. 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:35.800 But the assignment was to do a hard and sobering task, which was to imagine what are the things 00:11:35.800 --> 00:11:41.720 in our lives that are most likely to one day in the future disqualify us from ministry? 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:51.180 It was an invitation to do a premortem on what would keep us from finishing well as pastors and leaders. 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:56.840 It was a chance to look honestly at our own sins, our own temptations, our own worst tendencies, 00:11:57.060 --> 00:12:00.200 and to do a lot of self-examination and ask a lot of hard questions. 00:12:01.040 --> 00:12:05.639 Questions like, what are the temptations that I need to deal with now 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:09.240 so that they don't become a bigger problem in the future? 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:18.080 What are the personality tendencies in me that if left unaddressed could maybe one day 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.840 end up leading me to mistreat or harm others? 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:29.180 What are the parts of my story that need healing and maybe even counseling first 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:31.180 before I take a position of leadership? 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:37.899 What are the sins in my life that if I do not kill them will end up killing me? 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:41.059 It was a sobering assignment, but it was a good assignment. 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:46.340 My professor, Jaron Bars, one of the warmest, sweetest, most godly people that you will ever meet, 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:50.220 told us that even though he believed in the importance of the assignment, 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:55.360 he thought it was critical for seminary students to reflect on that when it came time to grade them, 00:12:55.439 --> 00:13:01.220 he would always sit down and read the papers one after the other, and he would weep. 00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:07.740 He would weep because he was reading about the sins and the struggles of the students he loved, 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:12.980 and he was reading about the possible impact, the future impact that that could have on the church. 00:13:12.980 --> 00:13:22.379 I think that every pastor and every candidate for ordination should have to do this assignment. 00:13:23.920 --> 00:13:29.480 Because when it comes to what might keep us from finishing well, there is a lot that we could say. 00:13:29.560 --> 00:13:32.279 There's a lot that could keep us from finishing well. 00:13:32.340 --> 00:13:38.560 At the very least, I think we have to acknowledge the threefold enemy of every Christian believer. 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:43.419 The world, the flesh, and the devil. 00:13:44.079 --> 00:13:53.699 The world refers to not God's good material creation, not creation, but the cultures and the patterns that allure us away from God, 00:13:53.939 --> 00:13:58.959 that allure us towards idolatry, the idols of money and sex and power. 00:14:00.099 --> 00:14:05.839 The flesh is our own indwelling sin, our own sin nature, the disordered passions of our own hearts, 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.899 our own proclivities and temptations to sin. 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:17.300 And the devil, we believe, is a real being, Satan, who actively seeks to oppose and disrupt the people of God in spiritual warfare. 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:27.040 These three enemies pull us and draw us away from running the race, and they tempt us to not finish well. 00:14:27.300 --> 00:14:31.240 Demas, you know, Demas probably didn't wake up one day and say, you know, 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:37.600 someday I'm going to abandon Paul and his ministry, and I'm going to abandon the gospel, 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:39.600 and I'm just going to pursue comfort and convenience. 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:44.180 It was probably not a conscious decision that he made. 00:14:44.259 --> 00:14:49.480 It was probably a long, slow series of small decisions, small moments of compromise, 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:57.220 small moments of giving into temptation that gradually led him to a place where he stopped running the race 00:14:57.220 --> 00:15:01.519 and where he ultimately abandoned Paul in the gospel. 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:04.120 How about you? 00:15:04.680 --> 00:15:11.800 I know it's a sobering question to ask, but what would be on your pre-mortem paper? 00:15:13.340 --> 00:15:17.580 What in your life, what in your heart is most likely to keep you from finishing well? 00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:25.700 What are the temptations that you need to address so that they don't become a bigger problem in the future? 00:15:26.780 --> 00:15:33.400 What are the personality tendencies that you have that, if left unaddressed, could one day causing harm to others? 00:15:35.060 --> 00:15:44.940 What are the parts of your story that need healing and care first before you move into a greater position of leadership? 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:53.300 What are the dispositions or tendencies that you have that may very well one day become an addiction? 00:15:55.000 --> 00:16:01.240 What are the sins that, if you don't actively kill them now, will end up killing you? 00:16:01.380 --> 00:16:09.340 These are sobering questions, I realize, but I believe that not only every pastor and candidate for ordination 00:16:09.340 --> 00:16:13.800 should have to think about these questions, I believe that every follower of Jesus 00:16:13.800 --> 00:16:16.860 should have to think about these questions. 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:21.440 Because we have a world that allures us away from God, 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:25.720 we have a sinful nature that pulls us and tempts us towards sin, 00:16:25.780 --> 00:16:30.259 and we have an enemy who does not want the gospel to bear fruit in our life or in the world. 00:16:30.259 --> 00:16:39.439 We should take an honest look at what it is in our lives that could keep us from finishing well, 00:16:39.580 --> 00:16:40.799 finishing the race well. 00:16:42.220 --> 00:16:45.299 So why finishing well matters, what keeps us from finishing well, 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:47.460 and finally, how to finish well. 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:50.779 How do we finish the Christian life well? 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:56.460 Well, in verses 14 through 16, Paul talks about those who opposed him, 00:16:56.460 --> 00:17:02.060 those who deserted him, and in verse 16, he refers to his first defense. 00:17:02.160 --> 00:17:05.880 The first defense likely refers to something like what we might consider today 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:08.600 as a kind of a pre-trial hearing. 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:12.880 It was his first court appearance, and anyone who's ever been in a courtroom 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:17.539 for a legal proceeding, criminal, or civil knows how meaningful it can be 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:20.680 just to have a few family or friends present just for support. 00:17:22.360 --> 00:17:24.900 Paul says, at my first court hearing, 00:17:24.900 --> 00:17:27.519 nobody came. 00:17:28.420 --> 00:17:29.060 Nobody came. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.080 Imagine what it would be like to be on the trial for your life 00:17:32.080 --> 00:17:35.960 and to have lots of people who you've loved and invested in and ministered to, 00:17:36.580 --> 00:17:38.780 and nobody comes. 00:17:40.060 --> 00:17:43.340 No doubt this was a painful and lonely place for Paul. 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:45.500 So how did he do it? 00:17:45.540 --> 00:17:47.120 How did he persevere towards the end? 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:48.880 How did he finish well? 00:17:50.340 --> 00:17:52.660 I want to look at a couple things here in chapter four. 00:17:52.660 --> 00:17:56.400 The first is this, Paul, he ran with others. 00:17:56.840 --> 00:17:57.820 He ran with others. 00:17:58.800 --> 00:18:03.140 Now, despite what we just saw about all these people who have abandoned him and deserted him, 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:08.480 we see here in verse 11 that there was one person who stuck by his side. 00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:10.680 It makes it clear in verse 11. 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:13.040 He says, only Luke is with me. 00:18:13.340 --> 00:18:14.500 What a beautiful sentence. 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:19.680 Luke had been a colleague and tribal companion of Paul's for many years. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:23.060 Throughout the book of Acts, we see this throughout his letters. 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:30.160 And when everyone else had left, when there was nobody left to be beside, 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:35.200 be by Paul's side, Luke stuck with Paul to the very end. 00:18:35.840 --> 00:18:40.640 We can only imagine the profound encouragement that Luke was to Paul in his final days, 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:43.140 visiting him in his jail cell, praying with him, 00:18:43.140 --> 00:18:45.820 just being present with him, sitting with him. 00:18:47.040 --> 00:18:54.920 And friends, I think that Luke's presence in Paul's life is a beautiful example of what the church can be and should be. 00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:59.220 All of us need the Luke's in our lives. 00:18:59.300 --> 00:19:03.280 All of us need the people who will stick by us no matter what, 00:19:03.320 --> 00:19:06.080 because none of us can run the race alone. 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:08.240 None of us can keep running the race alone. 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:14.500 And this is why Paul makes it clear in verse 9 that he wants Timothy and he wants Mark to visit him, 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:19.559 because he knows that he needs the presence of others in his life to finish well. 00:19:20.599 --> 00:19:26.920 We all need those who will encourage us to keep running the race. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:27.779 We need people. 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:31.900 We need people who know what's on our premortem. 00:19:31.900 --> 00:19:36.900 We need people who know our temptations, who know our worst tendencies, 00:19:37.380 --> 00:19:41.200 and who can challenge us and who can keep us accountable. 00:19:42.860 --> 00:19:46.640 We also need the people, we also need the Luke's in our lives, 00:19:47.040 --> 00:19:51.000 who can go with us through difficulty and suffering, 00:19:51.080 --> 00:19:53.420 who can just sit with us in the jail cell, 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:57.340 who can visit us in the hospital when we're going through chemo, 00:19:57.340 --> 00:20:01.280 who can bring us a meal when a loved one is sick. 00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:05.619 If you want to finish well, if you want to finish well like Paul, 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:09.339 the good news is that you don't have to run the race alone. 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:11.839 There are Luke's in this church, 00:20:11.899 --> 00:20:16.779 and there are Luke's in our lives that God has given us to run the race with. 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:18.759 And that's why we have the church. 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:21.399 So how did Paul finish well? 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:22.980 Well, first of all, he ran with others. 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:28.259 But secondly, Paul finished the race well by collapsing into grace. 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:30.740 By collapsing into grace. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.700 Look at verses 17 and 18. 00:20:33.619 --> 00:20:34.220 Paul says, 00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:38.059 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, 00:20:38.660 --> 00:20:41.700 so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:44.359 and all the Gentiles might hear it. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:46.519 So I was rescued from the lion's mouth, 00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:49.460 and the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:52.139 and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. 00:20:52.619 --> 00:20:55.700 To him be the glory forever and ever. 00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:56.660 Amen. 00:20:56.660 --> 00:21:03.740 As I thought about Paul's words here, closing out his letter in 2 Timothy 4, 00:21:04.340 --> 00:21:11.060 I couldn't help but think of the story of Derek Redmond in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. 00:21:11.059 --> 00:21:17.119 If that name doesn't sound familiar, you may have seen the video of Derek Redmond, 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:19.480 who was a British sprinter. 00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:24.960 And he was competing in the semifinal for the men's 400 meters, 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:31.819 and he had high hopes of making it to the podium and maybe even winning a gold medal. 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:37.619 But halfway into the race, Redmond had a painful injury. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:41.179 He tore one of his hamstrings, 00:21:41.679 --> 00:21:45.379 and he knew instantaneously he wasn't going to win. 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:47.619 There's no way that he could win the race. 00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:51.959 And if you watch the video, you can find it on YouTube. 00:21:51.959 --> 00:21:54.319 If you watch him, you see him at first. 00:21:54.619 --> 00:22:00.599 He tries on his own to keep going, and he's hobbling on one leg. 00:22:01.179 --> 00:22:03.539 He's hobbling on one leg towards the finish line, 00:22:03.679 --> 00:22:05.639 and it's clear he's in a lot of pain. 00:22:06.659 --> 00:22:09.299 And he has a look of anguish on his face, 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:11.739 and you're watching the video, and you're thinking, 00:22:11.919 --> 00:22:14.739 there's no way that he can just hobble by himself. 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:17.579 There's no way he's going to finish the race alone. 00:22:17.659 --> 00:22:19.139 It's incredibly painful to watch. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:23.859 But then out of the corner of the frame, 00:22:24.379 --> 00:22:29.059 you see somebody come down out of the stands and onto the track. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:32.479 And at first, security people try to stop him, 00:22:33.139 --> 00:22:36.719 but then the security people realized it's Derek's father. 00:22:37.179 --> 00:22:38.259 It's Derek's father. 00:22:38.979 --> 00:22:42.979 And he runs up behind his hobbling son, 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:44.779 his son who's in anguish and pain. 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:47.000 He puts his arm around him, 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.500 and his Derek just collapses. 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:55.919 He just collapses and weeps into the arm of his father. 00:22:55.919 --> 00:22:59.099 And then they start to walk, 00:22:59.139 --> 00:23:01.139 and they start to hobble together, 00:23:01.139 --> 00:23:03.019 and they take a few steps, 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:05.000 and they take a few more steps. 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:06.279 And after a few moments, 00:23:06.279 --> 00:23:09.400 they continue to walk. 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:15.799 They continue to hobble together until finally they cross the finish line together. 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:20.819 Father and son walking and hobbling towards the finish line. 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:23.259 And as they head towards the finish line, 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:29.960 the whole stadium of 65,000 people erupts and gives Derek Redman and his father a standing ovation. 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:32.079 It's an incredible story. 00:23:32.419 --> 00:23:33.819 It's a powerful scene. 00:23:33.819 --> 00:23:38.359 If you haven't seen this video, go home and find it on YouTube. 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:43.099 I don't think that you'll be able to watch it without tearing up. 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:44.379 It's incredibly powerful. 00:23:44.380 --> 00:23:49.500 And I think this story is incredibly profound for two reasons. 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:52.200 It's incredibly moving because one, 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:55.240 because this is our story. 00:23:56.180 --> 00:23:57.240 This is us. 00:23:57.580 --> 00:23:59.580 This is the Christian life. 00:23:59.640 --> 00:24:01.200 No matter how well we start the race, 00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:05.620 eventually something is going to come along and make us limp. 00:24:07.500 --> 00:24:10.240 Eventually something is going to come along and make us limp. 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:12.120 Maybe it's a limp of our own making. 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:16.640 Maybe it's a limp from our own disordered passions. 00:24:16.859 --> 00:24:19.700 Maybe it's a limp from a temptation or an addiction. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:23.279 Or maybe it's a limp completely not of our own making. 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:24.660 Maybe it's a broken relationship. 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:28.140 Maybe it's some kind of suffering or difficulty. 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:29.539 It could be any number of things. 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:34.160 But we are people who run the Christian life, 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:38.079 not as Olympic sprinters, but as those who have a limp. 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:41.619 And so when I watch the video of Derek Redmond, 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:44.960 I look at him and I say, that's me. 00:24:45.939 --> 00:24:46.480 That's me. 00:24:47.199 --> 00:24:48.159 This is our story. 00:24:48.379 --> 00:24:49.460 This is the Christian life. 00:24:50.679 --> 00:24:53.079 But secondly, what's so profound about this story 00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:57.399 is also, this is our God. 00:24:57.939 --> 00:24:59.039 This is our savior. 00:24:59.159 --> 00:24:59.960 This is our Lord. 00:25:00.179 --> 00:25:01.759 In the moments when we feel like giving up, 00:25:01.799 --> 00:25:04.119 when it feels like we're all in the race, 00:25:04.220 --> 00:25:05.419 just all by ourselves, 00:25:05.420 --> 00:25:09.920 we remember, as Paul says in verse 17, 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:12.420 we remember that we have a savior 00:25:12.420 --> 00:25:15.880 who stands by us and strengthens us. 00:25:17.580 --> 00:25:20.160 And this is a savior who doesn't just come down 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:21.900 out of the stands and onto the track. 00:25:22.060 --> 00:25:25.060 It's a savior who has come down out of heaven to earth. 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:28.140 Through Jesus, we have a good father 00:25:28.140 --> 00:25:29.720 who puts his arm around us 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:33.820 and who walks alongside us to strengthen us. 00:25:33.819 --> 00:25:37.000 And we have a Holy Spirit who empowers us to keep running. 00:25:39.439 --> 00:25:41.139 Friends, if you're here this morning 00:25:41.139 --> 00:25:44.000 and you feel like you are just limping along, 00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:46.419 the good news about running the race 00:25:46.419 --> 00:25:49.419 and finishing the race is that we don't have to do it alone. 00:25:51.099 --> 00:25:53.720 And we don't have to do it in our own strength. 00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:56.980 We have a savior who stands beside us 00:25:56.980 --> 00:25:59.220 to strengthen us as we limp along. 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:04.460 All of the places in our lives that we named earlier, 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:05.279 that we look at earlier, 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:07.319 those places in our premortem, 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:10.880 those places that may keep us from finishing well, 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:14.380 those temptations, those inclinations to sin, 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:16.380 our worst tendencies, 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:19.400 the wounds in our life that need healing, 00:26:20.100 --> 00:26:24.259 those friends are the very places 00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:28.379 where we can just collapse into the grace of Jesus. 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:32.019 Knowing that he will be there to catch us 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:33.160 and walk alongside us 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:36.700 and pour his grace and love into our hearts 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:38.839 and to know that he is not ashamed of us 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:40.720 and he is not ashamed of our limp. 00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:44.960 Just like Derek Redmond's father, 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:48.980 Jesus isn't ashamed of our limp. 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:51.420 No, he is drawn to it. 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:56.860 He runs after it and he pursues us in love. 00:26:57.720 --> 00:26:58.839 He strengthens you. 00:26:59.099 --> 00:27:00.420 He runs alongside you. 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:02.380 He heals you and defends you. 00:27:03.740 --> 00:27:06.440 Moment by moment, day by day, 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:11.960 until he safely brings you across the finish line 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:15.000 and into his heavenly kingdom forever. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.279 And it's in him and it's in his strength 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:23.660 that we have any possibility of one day 00:27:23.660 --> 00:27:26.099 being able to look back on our life 00:27:26.099 --> 00:27:29.200 and to say with the apostle Paul, 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.000 you know, there was a lot of difficulty. 00:27:34.779 --> 00:27:36.359 There was a lot of limping along the way. 00:27:38.380 --> 00:27:39.500 There was some pain. 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:40.539 There was some hardship. 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:43.460 I made some mistakes. 00:27:43.460 --> 00:27:46.360 There were a few moments I would like to have back. 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:52.120 But I fought the good fight. 00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:56.100 I've finished the race. 00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:58.519 I've kept the faith. 00:27:59.480 --> 00:28:03.920 And the one who will reward us with the victor's crown 00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:05.220 is the victor himself 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:08.559 who has been running with us the whole time. 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:11.039 As Paul concludes in his letter, 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:13.819 to him be the glory forever and ever. 00:28:14.399 --> 00:28:14.700 Amen. 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:16.259 Let's pray together. 00:28:19.659 --> 00:28:20.639 Our father in heaven, 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:22.700 we thank you 00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:27.440 that you have called us to run the race 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.940 of the Christian life, 00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:31.119 but that we don't have to do it alone 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:33.500 and we don't have to do it in our own strength. 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:39.220 Lord, would you help us to finish well, 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:42.440 to one day be able to look back on our lives 00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:44.019 with a clear conscience and say, 00:28:44.099 --> 00:28:45.259 I've fought the good fight. 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:46.359 I've finished the race. 00:28:46.420 --> 00:28:47.059 I've kept the faith. 00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:50.900 Lord, would you help us to look honestly at our own hearts 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:52.539 and to consider what are the things 00:28:52.539 --> 00:28:56.259 that might be causing me a limp? 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:57.859 And Lord, would you bring your healing? 00:28:58.019 --> 00:28:58.940 Would you bring your grace 00:28:58.940 --> 00:29:01.279 into those places in our lives 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:03.720 through your word, through your spirit, 00:29:04.279 --> 00:29:05.940 through the companionship of others? 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:10.359 Thank you, Jesus, that you run alongside us. 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:12.119 You stand by us. 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:13.359 You strengthen us. 00:29:14.420 --> 00:29:16.240 We thank you in the name of the Father 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:17.200 and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:17.500 Amen. 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:17.500 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:47.480 Thank you.