Finishing Well

Welcome to episode 240 of Grasp the Bible. In this episode, we will examine the topic of  finishing well. 

Key takeaways:   

• The Christian life can be characterized by (among other things): 
• Agony – we will face hardship, suffering, disappointment, and pain 
• A race – this is not a sprint, it is a marathon we are called to finish 
• Perseverance – holding on to our faith until the end 

• We all face threats to finishing well 
• Moral failure and compromise 
• Bitterness and unforgiveness 
• Pride and self-reliance 
• Losing your first love 

Quotable:   

The way you live today is shaped by what you believe about tomorrow. 

Application:   

• Take an honest assessment of where you are in your spiritual race.  
• Is your relationship with Christ stronger today than it was five years ago?  
• Are you more passionate about God's kingdom now, or have you become comfortable with mediocrity?  
• If you keep living the way you're living now, will you finish well? 
• Identify vulnerabilities and set up safeguards. 
  • If you struggle with lust, install filtering software on all devices and give someone else the password 
  • If you struggle with bitterness, commit to forgiving those who hurt you—not because they deserve it, but because you need freedom 
  • If you struggle with pride, establish accountability relationships where people can speak honestly into your life 
  • If you're losing your first love, go back to basics—spend unhurried time with Jesus, cultivate intimacy with Him  
• Keys to finishing strong 
  • Stay connected to Christ 
  • Maintain accountability relationships 
  • Continue growing and learning 
  • Pass the baton to the next generation 
  • Live with eternity in view 

Connect with us:   

Web site:  https://springbaptist.org   

Facebook:   

https://www.facebook.com/SBCKleinCampus (Klein Campus)   

https://www.facebook.com/SpringBaptist (Spring Campus)   

Need us to pray for you? Submit your prayer request to https://springbaptist.org/prayer/   

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Cratch the Bible is a podcast of Spring Baptist Church that walks through selected books of the Bible verse, as well as spends time exploring biblical ideas and topics to help you understand and apply God's Word in your daily life. Pastor Daryl Stein of our Klein Campus will be leading each week's podcast. This is our 239th episode. I'm Marty Richardson, one of your co-hosts. Thank you for joining us today, and it's good to have you with us, Pastor Darrell. Thank you, and it's good to be back. So we are in what has been a little bit unique for us this year, uh, of a study where we're not going through a book of the Bible, but we're going through kind of some topical things. And we've we've covered some pretty cool stuff up to this point. Pastor Drew was with us last week. And what is that thing we're talking about today?

SPEAKER_01 0:43

We're going to be looking at finishing well. How do we live our lives and remain faithful until the very end?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Wow. Um man, this is pretty apropos because we've seen a lot of church leaders specifically lately, and politicians, everybody, I guess. People that are not really doing this.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Yeah. And we're going to be looking at that today. We're going to be looking at things like what what are some threats that we have to be on the lookout for that could prevent us from finishing well. And we can look at some practical applications as to how do we live this out so that we are good and faithful servants until the end.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

That's good. Because at the end of the day, we we always think of people almost a big platform, famous people, but God really wants us all to finish well. Yes. Well, very good. Let's jump into today's study.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Today, the topic will be finishing well. Finishing well, living faithfully to the end. And if you want to go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the book of 2 Timothy, chapter 4, that's where we're going to be. 2 Timothy chapter 4, we're going to look at verses 6 through 8. So imagine that you are sitting in a quiet room and someone hands you a piece of paper. And on that piece of paper is written your obituary, the summary of your life that someone is going to read at your funeral. What does that paper say? How will people remember you? And more importantly, when your life is over and you're standing before Jesus Christ, what will he say? Will it be, Well done, my good and faithful servant? Well, today we're going to talk about something that doesn't get talked about enough in our churches, and that is finishing well. We have a culture that is obsessed with fresh starts, but life ultimately is measured not by how you start, but by how you finish. And so if we look at the track record of biblical characters finishing well, it's really not that encouraging. Now, King Saul, he began his reign with humility and God's anointing, but he ended his life in rebellion, consulting a medium and dying in despair. Solomon started with supernatural wisdom. He built a temple. He wrote a lot of scripture, but he finished by marrying pagan women and leading the nation into idolatry. Demas served alongside Paul as a faithful co-worker, but by the time he writes 2 Timothy, Demas has abandoned the apostle, having loved this present world. Now, these people, they weren't people who never knew God, no, not at all. They were insiders who had a genuine experience with God and yet did not finish well. And it's not just biblical examples that we see. We can look at pastors. How many times do we hear of these pastor scandals? They start out really well and they're faithful and they're good men of God, and then something happens and their career ends in a scandal. And how many Christians have run hard for many years and now they barely attend church, or they barely pray, or hardly ever read their Bibles. But the encouraging is, it doesn't encouraging thing is it doesn't have to be this way. The Apostle John, when he was exiled to the island of Patmos at his old age, still received visions from God and wrote scripture and was faithful until the end. Caleb, at 85 years old, said, Give me this mountain. He was still strong and still courageous and still claiming God's promises. And the Apostle Paul, facing execution, wrote his final letter with confidence and joy and an unwavering testimony. And that's what we're going to look at today in 2 Timothy chapter 4. So Paul is writing from a Roman prison, and he knows his execution is imminent. And listen to what he writes in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verses 6 to 8. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth 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. And so we're going to look at three crucial truths that come from this passage today. And first we're going to look at Paul's example of finishing well. Then we're going to look at the threats that keep us from finishing strong. And then finally, we are going to discover some keys that help us to continue running faithfully until the end. So let's look at Paul's example of finishing well. And he uses three powerful metaphors in verse 7 to describe the Christian life: fighting, racing, and guarding. And each one of these tells us something very important about finishing well. He begins with, I have fought the good fight. Now, the word he uses for fought is where we get our word agony from. It's agonizmai in the Greek, right? You can hear the word agony in there. And in Paul's time, this word was used for athletes who competed in the arena or even in the Colosseum. It was used to describe an intense struggle or a competition. And it was also used to speak as soldiers during military conflicts. And so Paul is saying that he didn't simply participate in a casual stroll in his Christian life. It was an all-out fight. Now he isn't just saying he just fought, he also says he fought the good fight. What he's saying is that the Christian life is a life worth fighting for. His life wasn't easy, it was not comfortable, and it was not safe. But he says it was a good fight because he knows that he was living out God's purpose for his life. But what are some of the things that Paul fought against? Well, number one, he faced religious opposition from Jewish leaders who plotted to kill him and whipped him in the synagogues. He faced government persecution. He was arrested repeatedly and beaten with rods and imprisoned on multiple occasions. He had physical suffering that he endured as well. Five times he was beaten with 39 lashes. Three times he was beaten with rods. Once he was stoned and left for dead, and he was shipwrecked three times. And he also had personal betrayal. False teachers had infiltrated the churches that he had started, and people he trusted abandoned him. And then finally, there was spiritual warfare. So not only did he have to battle human opposition, but demonic forces as well. And through all of this, through decades of hardship and suffering and disappointment and pain, Paul kept fighting. He didn't quit when things got hard. He didn't compromise when he faced pressure. He fought the good fight. Next, he says here, I have finished the race. Paul is saying, I have finished the race and it is done. Paul didn't just run the race, he finished it. And there's a difference. I know you're looking at me going, dude, what happened? Yeah. But, you know, and could very well be some of y'all have as well. And so oftentimes people sign up for a marathon, but for whatever reason, they don't ever make it to the starting line. They get injured or maybe they they quit somewhere along the way. But then you have those who show up to the starting line and they begin the race and something happens and they don't finish it. They get injured or tired or things happen and so they don't finish. But then there's a smaller group that starts the race and they run and they finish. And for all the marathons I've run, each time you finish, you get a shirt that says finisher. Right? I didn't get a medal, right? But I got a shirt that's finished. It tells people, I finished the race. I went through all the hard work. And this is what is Paul getting at here. He talks about finishing the race. And this connects to what he writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 24 and 25. He says, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. What Paul's getting at in all this is that the Christian life is not a hundred-meter dash, it is a marathon. And marathons require several things to run well. It requires endurance through difficult seasons. I remember training, and uh I was with this running group, and we occasionally ran hill repeats where you would run up a hill and then back down and then up another hill. Why? Because in races, they're never flat. You're going to go up, and when you are tired and exhausted, here comes a hill. Right? That requires a lot of endurance. Also, marathons require consistent training in spiritual disciplines. That's what the Christian life requires of us training in spiritual disciplines every day. As we run these long distances, we train ourselves. I love pizza. I really do. I didn't eat it when I was trained to run a marathon because I knew it wasn't good for my body. Right? So, discipline in eating, in running and getting rest. And then we have to focus on the finish line rather than on temporary distractions. We will get things that try to throw you off in your Christian walk. And you have to remember that's not the goal. The goal still lies ahead of you. And I remember running several marathons here, and I would take off my shoes at one point to put more Vaseline between my toes because they started to bleed in between from all the friction of things running. But it's like, I can't stop now. I'm a mile 21. I'm gonna just put more Vaseline on there and suck it up and then go, right? Because that was not what was going to cause me to finish. And then also the Christian life requires us to have a willingness to sacrifice for the ultimate prize. Basically, this comes down to something. If you're in business, you know this opportunity cost. If I'm going to do this, I if I'm going to do this, I can't do that. So we have to decide what is the ultimate priority for us. And if it means then being faithful and doing all the hard work, then it means we have to give up certain things to gain that prize. And then Paul says, I have kept the faith. And the word he uses for kept me, it means to guard, to watch over it, to protect it carefully. And so it's the same word that you'd use for watching a treasure or a shepherd watching over his sheep. Now, the word he uses for faith, it can mean one of these two things, or both. One, it can mean his personal trust in Jesus. He's kept that relationship the entire time. It could also mean that he has kept the entire doctrine of the Christian faith, or it could be both. And so Paul protected both of these dimensions. His personal relationship to Christ did not change despite all the difficult circumstances he endured. His commitment to the gospel, truth, it never wavered despite pressures to compromise. And when false teachers tried to add works to the works of grace, he resisted. And when cultural pressure mounted to dilute the message, he refused. And so this was a lifelong commitment of Paul's that he maintained until the very end. Now in verse 8, Paul writes about a crown, and he says this. He says, henceforth, oops, I got a little ahead of me there on the slides. Sorry, I'm off somewhere. I did not include it, I'm sorry. So, verse 8, for 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 8, henceforth 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. He says that there's a crown laid up. What he's saying is that it's already there. It's simply being stored, it's being reserved for me. Paul knows that at that very moment, the crown that Christ has prepared is simply waiting for him. And he knows that this is something that he hoped that he didn't hope for. He says, I know this is guaranteed, this is certain. And so this crown here is a symbol here of a victor, a symbol of achievement and honor. But here is the beautiful part because he adds this at the very end, not only me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. And so the crown is available to everyone who desires to finish well. Not just the apostles, not to some super pastors, but to all who love his appearing. And that means me and you. And it is a great thing for us to look forward to. There is a uh a story in 1967, Catherine Schweitzer ran the Boston Marathon when women were officially barred from marathon running. She registered as KV Schweitzer, hiding her gender. A few miles into the race, a discuss a an official discovered that she was a woman, and he tried to physically remove her from the course, and he grabbed her and yelled to her to get out of my race. Well, she kept on running. She'd already made headlines. She had proven that women could run marathons, but that wasn't enough for her. Because for her, she wanted to finish. She kept on running, mile after mile, despite the verbal and physical assaults, despite the emotional trauma, after four hours and 20 minutes, she crossed the finish line. She finished the race. And her courage helped open marathon running to women nationwide. And this is exactly what Paul is saying. He didn't merely start the Christian race, he finished it. Despite the opposition, he kept on running until he crossed the finish line. So, what does this mean for us? How do we look forward to finishing well? Well, there's a few things. Number one, we need to take stock and renew our commitment. We need to honestly assess where we are in our spiritual race. Is our relationship with Christ stronger today than it was five years ago? Or have things kind of just drifted, or maybe we've fallen a little bit away from Him? Are we more passionate about God's kingdom now, or have we become comfortable with mediocrity? If you keep living the way you're living right now, will you finish well, or do you need to make a change? And if you have done your assessment and you realize I've drifted, I'm not on the right race course. Well, the good news is the race is not over yet. You can start running again today. We need to simply renew our commitment to Christ and admit that we have been coasting, and today we want to get back in the race again with Him. And not only is it just words, though, we need to actually do something about it. So for you, maybe it is consistent Bible reading. Maybe it is spending regular time in prayer with him. Maybe it is confessing sin that you've been hiding in your life. Whatever that is, take that first step and begin to renew that relationship. Now we need to realize that we're always facing threats that would prevent us from finishing well. Now, first of all, we have things like moral failure and compromise. And we see this quite a bit, especially with a lot of high-profile pastors, right? There is oftentimes stories about sexual immorality and financial dishonesty. And so we see then in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 12, Paul says this, therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. We need to be careful not to become puffed up and self-assured, thinking, you know what, this will never happen to me. Paul says, take heed. In other words, watch out, stay alert. Because the moment you think you are immune to sin is the moment you become vulnerable. Moral failures, they destroy families, they ruin testimonies, they wound churches, and dishonor Christ. And here's what's traffic, what's tragic is that these things rarely happen overnight. They start with small compromises, an inappropriate relationship with a friend, a lustful thought that's entertained, a financial shortcut, a particular website that you visit just once, but then the seeds of destruction are sown long before the harvest of destruction. The seeds of destruction are sown long before the harvest. So not only do we have moral failure and compromise, but then we also have bitterness and unforgiveness. This is a second threat to us finishing well. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 15 says this. And again, he uses the word root, something that is hidden deep underground, and it produces no visible fruit until some point later it feeds things at the surface. Bitterness grows from unresolved anger and nourished grudges. Someone hurts you, maybe deeply and maybe unfairly, but instead of forgiving that person, you hold on to it. You replay the offense over and over again in your mind. And then you rehearse what you'd say. Oh, I should have said this. I should have done that. Next time I see them, I'm gonna tell them this. And you get yourself all worked up holding on to this bitterness. And so that root grows and it colors everything that you think and it makes people cynical and hard. And notice he says here that many become defiled. And so your bitterness doesn't simply hurt you, it also hurts others. Another threat to us finishing well is pride and self-reliance. Proverbs 16, verse 18 reminded us that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall. And here's how pride can creep in. Okay, you experience some level of success. And then God blesses your ministry or your family or your business. And then gradually you start thinking that it's because of you, it's because of your wisdom, it's because of your gifting. And then you forget that every good gift comes from God above, and you rely on yourself instead of God. And then when trials come, you crumble. So we need to watch out for pride and self-reliance. We also need to be on the lookout for losing our first love. Okay, this is our fourth threat here because uh Jesus warned the Ephesian church in Revelation chapter 2, verse 4. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love that you had at first. Jesus is saying here, you've let go, you've forsaken this relationship that you've had with me. Now, they maintain correct doctrine. He didn't tell them they were wrong on that. He says, though they've lost their love for him. And so this might be the most common way that Christians fail to finish well. They don't fall into gross sin, they just simply allow their relationship with Jesus to cool off. Spiritual disciplines become a duty, something they feel obligated to do rather than a delight. Prayer becomes something that is wrote. They just go through the motions. The passion is gone, and they are just going through the motions. In 1912, the Titanic received six separate warnings of icebergs in the area that day. But the captain was under pressure to make record time. And everyone thought that the ship was unsinkable. So the captain ignored the warnings and maintained full speed through dangerous waters. But then at 11:40 p.m., a lookout spotted an iceberg dead ahead. But at full speed, the massive ship couldn't turn quickly enough. And so it struck an iceberg and then eventually sank. Now the tragedy wasn't the iceberg, it was the arrogance and the overconfidence and the refusal to heed warnings. And this is what happens to us as Christians when we don't finish well. We receive those warnings from the Holy Spirit, but then we say, you know what, not me. I'm not like this other person. I'm strong. I'm unsinkable. And so we ignore those warnings and head full speed ahead right toward the iceberg. And so we need to identify our vulnerabilities and set safeguards. You know, which one of these threats is most likely applying to you? Where are your weaknesses? And then we need to set up specific safeguards. If you struggle with things like lust, set filtering software on all your devices and give someone else the password. If you struggle with bitterness, commit to forgiving those who hurt you. Not because they deserve it, but because you need to be freed from the sin that has enslaved you. If you struggle with pride, establish accountability relationships where people can speak honestly into your life. And if you're losing your first love, go back to the basics and spend time with Jesus in reading the Bible and through prayer. And then let's talk about some keys to finishing strong. And this perhaps is the most important section here. How do we finish well? Well, let's look at five essential practices we can engage in to help us finish the race. Well, number one, stay connected to Christ. I'm reminded of what Jesus said in John chapter 15, verse 5. He says this, apart from me, you can do nothing. And if you look at the way that the sentence is constructed in the original Greek, it is emphatic. There's absolutely nothing of spiritual value that you and I can do when we are disconnected from Christ. So we stay connected through regular prayer and consistent Bible reading and ongoing repentance and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Because you and I cannot run the race well in our own strength. But when we stay connected to Christ, he sustains us for our lifetime. We also, again, I talked about accountability relationships. Ecclesiastes 4.12 says, a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Proverbs 27, 17 reminds us that iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another. You need people in your life who know you well enough, who can spot when you are drifting, who love you enough to tell you hard truths, and are committed enough to help you walk through those struggles. The third we can thing we can do is we can continue to growing and learning. And so lifelong learning. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 13, Paul says to Timothy, bring the books and above all the parchments. Even when facing persecution and death, Paul says, I want to continue to learn. I want to study. And the moment that you think you spiritually arrived is when you begin deceiving yourselves. Also, the fourth thing we can do is we can pass the baton on to the next generation. So this key involves multiplication. If we look in 2 Timothy 2, chapter 2, verse 2, Paul charges Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, 2, what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, and trust a faithful men who will be able to teach others also. And so part of finishing well is ensuring the race continues after you're gone. And then finally, we need to live with eternity in view. Paul could finish well because he lived with eternity in view. Here's what he writes in Philippians chapter 1, verse 21. And so Paul was looking at death, he did some calculation, and he determined it was profitable for him because it meant being with Christ. And so when you live with an eternal perspective, suffering becomes bearable. Sacrifice becomes worthwhile. Priorities become clearer, and death loses its sting. And so the way you live today is shaped by what you think about tomorrow. It's so true, isn't it? The way you live today is shaped by what you think about tomorrow. There is a farmer named Mr. Johnson, and when he was in his 80s, he still worked the land. Every Sunday he sat in the same pew. Every Wednesday night he was at the prayer meeting. And every chance he got, he was serving somebody. And his pastor asked him, Mr. Johnson, why do you still work so hard? You could retire. And the old farmer looked at him and he said, Pastor, I am not done yet. As long as God gives me breath, I'm going to keep planting seeds in my fields and in people's lives. And you never know which seed is going to bear fruit that lasts forever. A few years later, Mr. Johnson died. He collapsed in his field while harvesting corn. And he'd been mentoring a young man from his church, and that young man went on to be a missionary in Africa, and he planted multiple churches. Mr. Johnson finished well, not because he was perfect, but because he remained faithful until the end. And so we need to choose our focus and write our own legacy. Of these five keys, which one do you need to be applying right now in your life? Pick one and make a specific action plan this week. Write out your legacy statement. Write out your obituary. What do you want people to say about you? And then do an evaluation of your life. Am I living consistently with that vision? And if you're not, make a plan to have those changes in place today. So let's look in closing here at Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. The writer says this, 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 set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. We are in a race, and we are surrounded by witnesses, and that is those saints who have gone on before us, those ones who finished well, and they are cheering us on. Keep running, don't quit. You can do this, finish well. And Paul is one of the people in those cloud of witnesses. I know that towards the end of the marathons I've run, especially when you get into the early 20s and mid-20s, and you have a mile left, it is exhausting. Everything inside of you just wants to quit. There are people on the sidelines yelling for you, you got this, keep going, you're almost there. And that's what you need to hear. Keep going. I know it hurts. It is painful right now. Don't quit. And that's what you and I all need to hear at times when life becomes difficult for us as followers of Jesus Christ. Don't quit. You have people who are cheering you on. And so here's my question: will you finish well? Not have you started well, but will you finish well? Will you be able to say at the end of your life, like Paul did, I fought the faith, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I've kept the faith. Because you can, by God's good grace, you can. It doesn't require perfection. Paul clearly wasn't perfect. It doesn't require being a spiritual giant. You simply need to be faithful and obedient. But it does require intentionality. You don't finish well on accident. You finish well by being deliberate about it. And here is the promise, right? It is this crown that is waiting. It's not a perishable wreath that withers, but it's an imperishable crown of righteousness. And God, the righteous judge, already has it stored up for you. And one day, when you cross that finish line and you see Jesus face to face, you will hear these words Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master. Now that is a race worth running for. It's worth living for. And the good news is the race isn't over yet. There's still time to run. There's still time to make course corrections. There's still time to remove those weights that are holding you back. So run, fight, keep the faith, stay connected to Christ, and by God's grace, finish well. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for the example of Paul and countless others who finished well. We confess that we're often distracted, discouraged, and tempted to quit. Forgive us for those times when we slowed down, when we've compromised or lost our first love. Give us the strength to run the race with endurance. Help us to guard against moral failure, bitterness, pride, and spiritual coldness. Keep us connected to Christ, dependent on your spirit, and focused on eternity. And when our race is finished, when we see you face to face, may we hear you say, Well done, not because we're perfect, but because we're faithful. Help us finish well for your glory and for our joy. We pray this in Jesus' mighty and powerful name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

Thank you for that. Now, one of the things that we do each and every week is we take a moment after the teaching time and just sort of go through and restate and maybe look at it in different ways. The the key takeaway, the big idea, the principle that we need to be thinking about as we walk away from today's time together. So, Pastor Darrell, thank you for that word. Now, what what is that key takeaway for us today?

SPEAKER_01 33:33

Well, the way you live today is shaped by what you believe about tomorrow. That's heavy. Can you say it again, please? Sure. The way you live today is shaped by what you believe about tomorrow. And so that really should drive the things that we say, the things that we do, uh, how we plan, because we need to be looking at the future. And so many times where where leaders and and and others go wrong is that we are thinking just in the short term, maybe even as short as that moment. What am I thinking about in this moment without thinking about if I do this thing, what is the impact it's going to have tomorrow, or a month from now, or a year from now, or 10 years from now. So as long as we keep looking ahead, going, what if I do this thing now, what is it going to do to my life and the lives of others at some point in the future?

SPEAKER_00 34:33

Good word on that. And we have to remember God's playing the long game. Absolutely. Um, you know, it's our sanctification that is prime motivation for him, which is wonderful because he cares.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

Absolutely. And as I mentioned during the teaching time, we have to remember that the Christian life is it's a race, it's it's a marathon. It is not a sprint. And there will be pain, there will be hardships, there will be disappointments, there will be trials along the way, but we're called to persevere. And so, in those moments where we want to compromise, in those moments where we feel like giving up, when we when things are going well and we are tempted to become prideful and self-reliant, we need to keep that long-term view in mind and help that shape how we live going forward instead of just living in the moment.

SPEAKER_00 35:28

Very good word. Can I have a bunny trail today? I haven't done one of these in a while. Go ahead, Peter Cottontail. Thanks, bro. Our society has an impulse control problem. And it has in affected the church. Yes. That we no longer look at the fruit of the spirit, you know, or we the patience or kindness or whatever it is. We we want to be right, we want to be right today. We want to be proved right. We and that and it's an impulse control. It's not looking at the the long game. And I I see it, you know, even in the best of churches, in the best situations where people aren't in control of themselves.

SPEAKER_01 36:15

Right. And what we're seeing is this behavior is typically being pushed and rewarded just in in in everyday life. Right? Buy this now. Well, I don't have the money. It's okay, we can put it on credit. You know, and just charge it and worry about this later. And so there's a we're we have been conditioned not to have to wait for anything, not to take the short, to take the shortcut, you know, to take the path of least resistance to get us what we want now.

SPEAKER_00 36:44

Oh, I don't like what this person said. I'm gonna post a nasty reply to them and I don't have to look them in the eyes. I don't I I can just be as ugly as I want to on social media. Right. Well, all of that's infected our personal relationship, interpersonal relationships now. We I think we forget the long game, which is what ties us back into that. And then I think sometimes we forget um that the person we're talking to is made in the image of God. Yes. What's that, oh, what's the Latin term? Logodave. Yeah. Where, you know, we we're made in God's image and we should treat people with the respect of. I mean, I know that we have some some of those weirdos that like throw paints on, you know, like oil on paintings and glue themselves and that sort of thing. But for the most part, you know, you you look at a beautiful painting, people are in awe of it. And they go, oh, that was painted by Michelangelo, oh, that was painted by Picasso, oh, that's a, you know, this or that, uh, this is a Matisse or what a Monet. We are so infinitely more worthy than anything that's ever been constructed by the hands of man, and we treat each other like trash sometimes. Yes. Because it might feel good for eight seconds. Right. Okay, back on the trail. So thank you for all of our listeners for that bunny trail. Now, what's the application? So let's restate it the point because they've probably all forgotten because I got us off track. And then let's talk about some really practical ways to make that happen.

SPEAKER_01 38:18

Sure. So the main idea is is this is it's the way you live today is shaped by what you believe about tomorrow. So, what are some ways that what are some practical steps that we can take to help us stay on the right track, or if we're off that track to get on that? And there's a few of them. Uh, we just need to stop and every once in a while conduct a self-assessment, an honest one. And we can ask questions like this Is your relationship with Jesus stronger today than it was five years ago? Okay. Are you more passionate about God's kingdom now, or have you become comfortable with mediocrity? And here's another good one. If you keep living the way you are living right now, will you finish well? So good question to ask. And and as we answer those, there are, I think, some really four or five different keys to finishing well. Number one, we need to stay connected to Christ. Okay, because when we don't, we begin to become self-reliant, we become prideful, we think that all our success is due to us. And so we need to stay grounded in Christ. Number two, maintain accountability relationships. So we talked about those pastoral leaders that went off the rails. This often is a leading contributor to that. There is no accountability in their lives. Now, again, you can sit here and say, Oh, I look at these structures. They have these boards, then these other elders, they have these other people. Yes, the structure existed, but there was no authority there, right? So maintain accountability relationships. Number three, continue growing and learning. Okay, we there was always more for us to know and learn in our Christian walk. And the moment we think that we've learned enough or we don't need learning anymore, is when we become self-conceited. Right. Also, we can pass the baton on to the next generation. We need to be mentoring others and leading and growing this next generation of leaders. And then finally, live with eternity in view. Again, knowing that this life, even though it may seem long in earthly years, it is nothing compared to all of eternity. So get that perspective and live knowing where our eternal home is going to be and getting used now to living the life that would please our Heavenly Father.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

There's a lot to think about there, isn't there? For sure. Anything as we kind of wrap up? Anything on your mind, your heart? No, that's all I have right now. Well, good, good. Well, thank you for joining us today. Um, we we know you could be doing a thousand other things, and it makes our hearts smile that you have stuck through with us this long. And we pray that God would just continue to speak to you through his word, because we know this his word is active and living, and it can change your life, it's change ours, and we hope the same for you.