I. The Central Questions for us Finishing Well Hebrews 12:1-3 A. The Main Questions - "How can we finish well"? "How can we sail (run) to the right destination in the timeframe and manner that will give us a good finish to our course?" B. The Supplemental Questions 1. What will inspire us to finish well? 2. Who didn't finish well? 3. Why didn't they finish well? Hebrews 12:1-3 Quote - Howard Hendricks: The bulk of people who failed to finish well in Scripture failed in the last half of their life." (Only 30% finished well.) a. a clear and/or major choice(s) that wasn't wise or thought through (study of 1,200 contemporary/historical figures). Barriers to a good finish: 1) Misuse of money; 2) Abuse of power; 3) Pride/success; 4) Sexual Misconduct; 5) Family Dissention; 6) Complacency. Source: R. Clinton b. an accumulation of small choices that slowly moved them from the course God had chosen for them to follow, e.g., Demas 2 Tim. 4:10. II. The Call to End Well A. The Apostle Paul was obsessed with finishing well Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; 2 Tim. 4:7; Rom. 15:4 B. Daniel was inspired and committed to finishing well, too! Daniel 1:5ff; 6:1ff C. Others who inspire us to end well 1. George Mueller 3. John Sung 5. 2. Oswald Chambers 4. Jerry Cook D. How Bible Characters Finished: Running (Abraham, Joshua, Daniel, Paul, Peter); Walking (fell short of God s intention, ramifications of disobedience plagued them, even though they finished with God): David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah; Limping (on a decline in the latter phases of their life): Gideon, Eli, Solomon; Disqualified: Absalom, Ahab, Saul. Summary: The real problem is character development, not skill.
III. The six characteristics of those who finished well Heb. 12:1-3 A. They had a network of meaningful relationships with peers and those they discipled, as well as important mentors and examples during their lifetime. Heb. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses... 1. Chapter 11 tells who the cloud of witness are: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Moses' parents, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets, etc. 2. We have the stands full of our contemporaries, too - our mentors, disciples, peers and parents, who have left their mark on us in a continued fashion. 3. The people of Scripture and our contemporaries help and encourage us with all the other aspects of the race described in Heb. 12:1-3. (See 13:7-8.) Stats: Those who finished well had 10-15 significant people/mentors who helped them at various stages in their life. (R. Clinton) Heb. 12:1b gives us another characteristic of those who finished well. B. They all had a weight problem and were clumsy, but they were constantly working on it. Stated another way: They all needed to be honest and confessional about their weaknesses and sins. Heb. 12:1b "Let us throw off everything that hinders (KJV, "every weight") and the sin that so easily entangles." Phil. 3:10-15a Summary: To finish well means we have to deal with those weaknesses and sins that tangle us up. C. They "persevered" in difficult times, were "passionate" about their race, and were "disciplined" in the important areas of their lives. Heb. 12:1c "...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." 1. Perseverance: finishers are "hupomone" people Acts 27-28; 9:25; 2 Cor. 11:33. 2. Passionate/compassionate about their race (with a touch of craziness) Matt. 9:35-38. 3. Discipline is a synonym of this word "persevere" 1 Cor. 9:19-27. Definition: It's training that develops self-control, character, orderliness, and efficiency.
Summary: Discipline, passion and perseverance in the right areas for the right reasons will sustain growth and set us up to respond to God's grace, Spirit, and the challenges of the race. D. They had a perspective that enabled them to focus. Heb. 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter (finisher) of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 1. Perspective stands out as a characteristic of every good leader and finisher. 2. Perspective allows us to see beyond what others might do to us and focus on how Christ might use our circumstances to help advance the race Phil. 1:12-19. 3. Perspective: Seeing the end of the race enables a person not to be discouraged when he sees an evil person prosper Psalm 73:16-17. 4. Perspective is acquired and developed as we make a study of the priorities of the Author of the race, and then try to personalize them, i.e., make the Lord's priorities our own. Summary: Therefore, in order to have perspective, we must find out from God the joy, the prize, at end of the race. If it's from Jesus, then we'll receive all the perspective we need. E. They experienced intimacy with Christ and repeated times of inner renewal. Heb. 12:3 "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Friendship with Jesus is at the core of those who finish well. What happens when we only focus on human witnesses in the stands? What enables us to keep going in the race? When Jesus is the focus, what will be the result? v. 3b Friendship is enabled by creative and personal disciplines in keeping with who we are: silent retreats (Westminster Abbey), prayer walks, journal writing, prayer retreats, meditation on Scripture, caffeine enhanced creative Bible studies, etc. F. They maintained a positive learning attitude and lifestyle all their lives, and were committed to the Lord and His Word as the main source of that learning Heb.12:3; Phil. 4:9; 2 Tim. 4:13; 3:16; 2:15; Matt. 11:28; Dan. 1:17; Prov. 1:5; 9:9. They became life-long learners. Conclusion: The writer of Hebrews is saying, in effect, "Don't give up too soon; don't relax before the tape; don't stay down if you fall; get up, refocus your attention on the Author and Finisher of the race, and finish the race."
Perfect people won't make it; eventually they will fall big time and their perfection may keep them from getting up. Christ followers are those who stumble, fall, and are sometimes weak. "For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all. And all you have to do to win is to rise each time you fall." (See Psalm 37:24.) Do you want to finish well? GET UP AND WIN THE RACE!! Application Questions 1. What symbols, pictures, stories, or people inspire you to finish your race? 2. Which of the characteristics of those who finished well do you think is your biggest challenge? 3. How will you include each of these characteristics in your present lifestyle? 4. What characteristics would you add to the list? 5. How have your mentor(s) helped you most in your life? 6. What are a few of the lessons from your life you want to pass on to others? 7. How do you respond to this statement: We can retire from our jobs but we can never retire from our calling. Calling gives us our sense of task or responsibility, right up to the last day we spend on earth when we go to meet the Caller. Os Guinness 8. Project: Take a person to lunch who has cracked the code on how to be effective and fulfilled in Life II (a second adulthood). Ask how they re doing it? Mimic the best ideas. Become Lifelong Learners 1) Establish a pattern/a habit of study and prayer Dan. 6:10; 9:2. 2) Get a study/prayer buddy(ies) Dan. 2:17-18. 3) Be a committed observer/student in every area of your life. Excel in learning Dan. 1:17-20; Prov. 1:20ff; Be a doer Matt. 7:24-27; Heb. 5:12-14. 4) Know principles of interpretation Dan. 2:17-23, esp. 21b-23. 5) Let Scripture impact your emotions and volition Dan. 7:28; 1:8-14. 6) Read biographies throughout your life George Mueller, Oswald Chambers; Eric Liddell; Florence Nightingale; C.S. Lewis; William Wilberforce; Sir Winston Churchill. 7) Read great books on Finishing Well and begin to work toward that goal, e.g., Halftime and Finishing Well by Bob Buford; Starting Well and Finishing Well by Richard Clinton and Paul Leavenworth.
Elijah and Burnout What do we need to learn from Elijah? Here s a summary that will help us prevent discouragement and burnout 1 Kings 19:1-18. We need: Fresh spiritual disciplines let s keep our devotional life creative. Time off for rest and restoration - a Sabbath day. A support network - we need to nurture supportive relationships. An enriched home life that brings joy and diversion into our life. To dedicate our body to God and take care of it for Him (e.g., get regular exercise, eat right, and get the sleep we need). Periodic reflection on where we have been: needs, stress, and how we are coping. Have a debriefing with God after all major events and crises in our life. Check our spiritual, physical and emotional gauges. To focus on fewer things - set goals for ourself and our ministry that are doable. To remember when God provides we sometimes rejoice in the gift and forget the Giver. We can t forget Him in our rejoicing. To revel in His love for us. To enjoy His presence. To acknowledge that whatever we have comes from Him. To continue to walk with Him. He wants to keep whispering to us the questions we need to answer. To not forget the lesson of the desert, or we will repeat the same mistakes over & over. Bob Stone, Shoreline Community Church, 125 NE 185th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155 (See expanded version: www.eagleflight.org/character-studies/elijah) Burnout Overview What are the symptoms of being burned out and depressed? Your body begins to reject new information: You don't hear a lot of what is said to you, and you don't remember much of what you hear. You re overloaded. Loss of options: Your mental horizon closes in; you have trouble seeing alternative courses of action. Regression: Stress overload can make you act childish - breaking things, or hiding your head, as you may have done as a frustrated or frightened child. Inability to change harmful patterns: When under stress, you may find it too complicated to say no to additional demands. It's easier to just heap on more commitments. Fatigue: When under excessive stress, your body craves more rest and sleep than usual. Give in and rest. Depression: This is usually related to change, or loss of someone or something close without taking time to grieve over your loss. Stress can precipitate depression, as can anger. Physical illness: Stress upsets your whole glandular system, raises blood pressure, and keeps body systems in a flight/fight state of tension. This constant state of ferment makes you vulnerable to everything from colds and muscular aches to ulcers, heart disease and strokes. Most people who burn out today don't experience all the symptoms at once, but if the burnout or discouragement progresses, most of the above will likely be experienced.
WE NEED TO READ THE GAUGES Bill Hybels developed this test for himself. He asks 3 questions: 1. How am I doing spiritually? To keep my spiritual gauge where it needs to be, I have committed myself to spiritual disciplines: journaling, fasting, solitude, sacrifice, study, etc. 2. How am I doing physically? I know that if I push my body too hard over time, I will experience a physical breakdown, or psychosomatic complications associated with high stress. If I don't exercise, eat properly and rest, I will offer the Lord only about 2/3 the energy I have the potential of giving. The Holy Spirit tugs at me to be wholly available mind, soul and body, for the work to which He has called me. Consequently, I have committed myself to the physical disciplines of running, weight lifting, medical checkups and watching closely what I eat. 3. How am I doing emotionally? When my crisis hit, I didn't realize my reservoir was depleted until I: a) began to feel vulnerable morally, b) found myself getting short and testy with people, and c) felt a desire to get out of God's work. Suddenly I knew the tank was nearly dry. Replenishing emotional strength takes time, usually more time than it took to drain. It's like recharging a battery. A slow, consistent charge is the best way to bring a battery back to full power. Likewise, to properly recuperate from emotionally draining activities takes time. (See Reading Your Gauges, Bill Hybels, Leadership Magazine.)