Finishing Strong Pt. 1 - Men's Bible Study by Rick Burgess - Jan. 23, 2019

okay welcome to the Wednesday Bible study it is high noon is when we do this live now a lot of you who are listening to it now our kitchen at different times we thank you for joining us wherever and thank you guys for being here with us we're going to go ahead and start a new curriculum today this will be a brand new study that will start today we're going to be in Steve Farrar's book called finishing strong Steve Farrar has actually spoke to our men and one of our men's man church a while back and of course he was he's best known for his first book which was point man which every single young man should read and of course this one there's another one in his long list now of great books that he's put out and it's a topic that we want to apply to our lives today and we're gonna spend the next several weeks on this topic and if you want to get a copy of the book that's fine it's not required remember because keep in mind we've got you know we're gonna go through every chapter here and you can take notes and pretty much get what the book is all about but if you're somebody who likes to go ahead and read ahead or to read what we're doing as we go I know amazon.com has got some back orders I think some people had a hard time getting it others didn't I know we had somebody went out and found it at the book store rush didn't you find it at a bookstore yeah so whatever grab it and get yourself a copy and it's always one to keep anyway so Lissa let's open up with a word of Prayer or thank you for today we are challenged by the term finishing strong finishing well and we're also challenged by the fact that Lord in this side of heaven and in a falling creation it doesn't happen to too many people very often and of course the mistakes as we'll walk through or I've been around since the fall of mankind and help us Lord to maneuver through those keeping ourselves properly aligned under your authority we pray this sword in the name of Jesus amen men of shades that are here shades Mountain Baptist Church are any of you guys who want to come Sunday night Patrick Nicks will be speaking to us there's no tickets you need or anything like that it starts at 6 o'clock they'll be tailgating probably starting about 5:00 5:15 if you want to come to cookout before we start and they'll be there at the conference center five minutes from here at shades Mountain Baptist Church you're all welcome to join us okay so chapter one of finishing strong with Steve Farrar now we're going to continue this so those who to come into man church when I get up there and they let people get around me will you know just come up there but you know we've already started won't have to tell the new people but let's be honest if we look at our at our history the new people don't last very long anyway so so we don't that's why I don't start catering to them very much so raise your hand if this is like you've been here less than a year you just start okay so some of you guys so we have some do consummated okay good you're still here so what we'll try to because well it doesn't really you know I'll tell some of the guys that are not really good ambassadors to this class and it's not really true you know we love to exaggerate and I had one of the members of the class one time tell me they said well I had a guy from work I was trying to get to come and he an hour and son just go together over the church and I'm and he's not gonna come and I said well what did you tell him he said well I tell him that Rick has a Bible study every Wednesday over the studio and we go in there we sit down he kicks us in the Guerlain for an hour then we leave and and I said well no wonder he won't come we can sell it better than that and that's not accurate but anyway but the conviction is the Word of God is always a conviction so in Chapter 1 Steve Farrar talks about that the this number one out of ten it comes into play and he starts off the chapter with a and and of course with the Jewish proverb that says truth is heavy so few men carry it it's so heavy there's so few men ever carry it and you could probably think in your own mind I don't know that we need Steve or studies to tell us sadly that there's not a lot of men that they finished strong in the Bible outside of the Bible and and there's some that may surprise us a little bit as we go through so he brings up the example of the 1994 NBA Draft they had Grant Hill and Jason Kidd and Glenn Robinson and he said of course kid in Grant first time ever we had Coe Ricky's of the year and Robertson was a close second and all three of them impacted their team all three of them did and then he says so there was also something that happened very similar inside of ministry in 1945 and he said this was this was remarkable - you know in 1945 he said it was an unbelievable year for rookie evangelist in that year 27 year-old Billy Graham came storming out of seemingly nowhere he also was speaking to as many as 30,000 people a night and he also was hired as a full-time evangelist for Youth for Christ you know that's where he started and his reputation as uniquely gifted preacher roared across the country and the rest of course as we know is history so we've all heard of Billy Graham writing about her to the ground we all heard a big rap but also have you ever heard of Chuck Templeton or bran Clifford no I had never heard of them until I started reading this reading this Templeton and Graham were friends they both Minister for Youth for Christ both were extraordinary preachers and I thought this was interesting it said that in those early years most observers would have probably put their money on Templeton becoming what Billy Graham become nothing became not Billy Graham and then why as a matter of fact they says in 1946 the National Association of Evangelicals published an article on men who were best used of God and in that organization's five-year existence the article highlighted the ministry of Chuck Templeton Billy Graham was never mentioned but so they thought that Templeton would be the next Babe Ruth of evangelism now bran Clifford was another gifted 25 year old fireball in forty-five many believed that Clifford may have been the most gifted and powerful preacher the church had seen in centuries and that same year Clifford preached to an auditorium of thousands in Miami Florida people lined up 10 to 12 deep outside the auditorium trying to get in later that same year when Clifford was preaching in a chapel at Baylor University the President ordered class bells turned off so that the young man could minister without interruption to the student body for two hours in 15 minutes he kept the students on the edge of their seats as he preached on the subject cry in the Philosopher's Stone so at this time all three look fantastic and as a matter of fact Billy Graham of the three you probably would say was the least impressive if the way the world looks at it so it said this about bran Clifford at the age of 25 they believe that bran Clifford touched more lives influenced more leaders and set more attendance records than any other clergyman of his age in American history national leaders vied for his attention he was tall he was handsome he was intelligent and eloquent Hollywood invited him to audition for the part of Marcellus in the robe it seemed he had everything so that's how they all started I think he'd probably know where this is going so in 1945 all three came out of the blocks and why is it that most of us in the room other than a few have never heard of Chuck template owner bran Clifford especially when they came out so strong five years later Templeton left the ministry to pursue a career in this hurts because it sounds like that this is problematic as a radio and television host and a newspaper columnist now that I could believe we could corrupt somebody Templeton decided he was no longer a believer in Christ in the Orthodox sense of the term by 1950 the future Babe Ruth of evangelism wasn't even in the game no longer believed in the validity of the claims of Jesus Christ he completely gone so then it says well what about what happened to Clifford in 1954 Clifford had lost his family his ministry his health and then his life alcohol and financial irresponsibility had done him in he wound up leaving his wife and their two down syndrome children at the age of 35 the once great preacher died from cirrhosis of the liver and a rundown motel on the edge of our murillo his last job was selling used cars in the panhandle of Texas he died as John Hagee put it he put it this way unwept unhonored and unsung some pastors in our Murillo had to take up a collection among themselves in order to purchase a casket so his body could be shipped back east for a decent burial in a cemetery designed only for the poor hmm so so here we are we have these three men who started incredibly well but only one finished only one and as a matter of fact one of the things that I that I learned and it kind of ties in you'll see this analogy before we go as we go through the whole book but my wife was a sprinter and and of course you know I know some people I won't mention any names who are more distance runners and so the difference is and my wife talked about this she said when you're a sprinter the starting blocks are everything if you mess up the starting blocks you lose the start is the key to the whole thing well I just watched her and this would even a very long race but it was a distance race and even on something as short as a 5k but I've seen those that are half marathons and full marathons the start is meaningless I mean I've literally seen people drinking coffee in a coffee shop because the race is so big they're waiting for it to clear out the race has started they're so far back they're still drinking coffee and talking and eventually somebody says the race has started and they say well we know we're gonna wait till we get some room and then we'll kind of will join in so the race mean I mean on a marathon the beginning means nothing it's all about the end and we live in a marathon we don't live in a sprint and so the and and the thing that will get in some pretty tough things today some great challenges from Steve Farrar here he said in the Christian life it's not how you start that matters it is absolutely the way you finished so then we go on and when we hear this story about John and I didn't know how to say his name Bassanio as I said John Bassanio and he's First Baptist Houston been there for a number of years he was a and he was about to finish college at this point and he was having dinner over this fiancees house one night after supper he was talking with his future father-in-law and that's dr. Paul Beck on the porch now dr. Beck had been in ministry for years and eventually no way to get around at the subject toward you know their conversation got into ministry and he said John because he was in her entering ministry he said as you get ready to enter ministry I want to give you some advice start true this is this is a good write down rather gate start true to stay true to Jesus make sure that you keep your heart close to Jesus every day and this line rocked my world you know when you ever get to the point where you think you've studied so many things you think what the person is gonna say Nick next you've already heard it then I've said you have it and I thought to myself oh I know where Steve is going with this but I wasn't ready for this line stay true to Jesus make sure that you keep your heart close to Jesus every day it's a long way from here to where you are going and Satan's in no hurry to get you so that's you don't you don't hear that a lot you always say rightfully so that the enemy is ready to destroy you and that's true but what this older man was telling the young man going into ministry but he's patient as matter of fact he knows back to the start if he rushes you too quick you probably won't fit though but if you'll just kind of hang out and he'll just kind of be around you and just kind of watch what's going on and kind of take his time because it's a long journey to the end that eventually if he'll use that strategy if he could what we talked about in many of our studies if he can coax us out from under the authority of Christ those of us that have claimed to have already been justified by Jesus over time if he can coax us out as he did these two evangelists who didn't finish well he'll destroy you so what he said is don't think that you need to be close to Jesus some days be close to Jesus every day and I'll tell you this in my own life I've developed this visual but as as all these things we're talking about in this book I'm seeing them and I'm living them because now realize I've hit that age of life when men start falling away you know when I was younger you to give me these stats that have been that I don't know about that but as I've gotten older I realized as the as the next disappointment comes in the next Tech's have you heard you know the next Hey you hear what happened someone's no you know and all this kind of stuff is starting to happen all the time now you know why because we're far enough down the journey it's time for people start falling off they can't finish and what I'll live I'm so terrified hear me now this is important I'm so terrified of failing Christ and not finishing strong that the vision in my head is this because even though people have had to talk to you because you need to keep your humility even when somebody Falls and you may not have yet what I've told them over and over again if I step out of the authority of Christ I can do worse than you you are doing now or you have ever done I'm capable of horrible things and I had a guy call the show one time said I've really disappointed in hearing about that about you do you mean to tell me if you want to follow of Christ that you would be a evil person you know what I said apparently so all I have to do is look at my life outside the authority of Christ and to look at my life as I continue to grow in Christ how pathetic I looked last year compared to this year because of the power of Christ not not any kind of great self control of my part or this code of conduct that I am I have willpower it's just about Jesus is so powerful if I cling to him he changes you and I literally have this visual everyday that I just take my hands and I wrap my arms around the waist of Jesus figuratively in my mind and I'm afraid to even look away I want to hang on to him and just stare him say if I cling to you then you know what I'm not gonna fail because you don't fail the only way I can fail is to leave you so I make a commitment that make a commitment like these that we have all these men that keep falling away and being unfaithful to their wives and you have to be careful with this but I really did I said Lord I care about you so much that I don't embarrass you that I don't shame you and see if I don't want to shame Jesus and I don't shame sherry if I try to not shame sherry and don't check in with Jesus then you start justifying all kinds of things because human beings are so flawed you can justify just about doing anything to any other human being but what you can't justify is how you're going to betray Jesus after what he did for us on the cross so if that's our focus we're not gonna betray him then we find ourselves not betraying others that he's placed us with as well who are trusting us and and and I really think that that sin is so severe like we talked about in the last chapter of James that many times God has killed people within the church because of the damage they do how many of you have talked and had to minister to somebody and pretty long it didn't take you long to get to the point that you realized that this person is betrayed the faith because of someone who claimed to represent the faith now you can say Rick that's not fair it may not be fair but it's reality we're all flawed Rick it that's right that's why we need Jesus but Jesus does provide what we need not not to use it as an excuse that we're on this side of heaven it's almost like I think too many men and too many people think that not finishing strong is just to give it nobody does no yes they do I think when when I hear that the people went to see Billy Graham's he was mentioned here we went to see him in North Carolina in the final months of his life and they look at in his house and gigantic riding his scripture because he's so old he can't see very well and and and that when they asked him what's this scripture up everywhere is this how it was decorations for the home and you know what Franklin said no he's memorizing Scripture he has it up here now it's big enough we can still read it Billy Graham months ago was still memorizing Scripture if anybody could have knocked it out of gear and said on the porch of North Carolina and said he's still memorizing Scripture in the final days of his life and so if Billy Graham had not arrived does anybody think you've arrived if the Apostle Paul said he had not arrived and he spent worked out his salvation with fear and trembling that's what I'm talking about remember remember what we were talking about we got to get to the point where we fear God more than we fear the world so we don't become world pleasers because they might not like this or sometimes we'll come against this now what we need to realize is I don't want to I don't want to shame you and if we adapt that attitude there's where the strength is it's like I finished the book I'm sorry about that about how to finish strong well let's wrap it up the books over so so anyway so when we're doing the same story so back to the older man so he's telling that you cling to Jesus everyday because it's a long journey and Satan's in no hurry to get you meaning he'll take time so here's what he said the older guy said that's this where we get to the one out of ten it has been my observation this is this is a Paul Beck talking to the younger man 1 out of 10 who start out in full-time service for the Lord at 21 are still on track by the age of 65 he says 1 out of 10 who start full-time service by the age of 21 are still on track at the age of 65 they're shot down morally they're shot down with discouragement they're shot down with liberal theology hello they get obsessed with making money but for one reason or another 9 out of 10 fall out now at this time the young pastor is 20 years old he said I was shocked and he said I just can't believe that I think that's impossible this just can't be true he said so then this younger pastor says he talks about how he went home he took out a blank piece of paper and on the back of his Scofield reference Bible he wrote down the names of 24 young men who were his peers and contemporaries man they were all young men desiring to go into full-time ministry these were young men in their 20s all sold out for Jesus Christ by all accounts they were trained for ministry burning and desire to be used for the Lord they were committed as young preachers to to make an impact for the Lord in their generation and he says I didn't reflect with a sigh I mean this book was written I'm now 53 years old and from time to time as the years have gone by I've turned back to that page in my Bible and crossed out a name I wrote down those 24 names when I was just 20 years of age 33 years later there are only three names remaining of the original 24 21 of the 24 had left the faith I had some great moral failures up and so he realized that maybe the old man knew he was talking about then the next one is when John MacArthur jr. we all loved John was approached by a man after a service when he was in Ireland he said is your name Jack MacArthur the man said Mark MacArthur said yes he said your father came to Ireland over 30 years ago with two other men to hold a revival in Belfast in other parts of the country I went to hear your father speak and at that meeting I received Jesus Christ I dedicated my life to the ministry I'm a pastor because the Lord used your father to minister to me would you please tell me you know how your dad's doing when you see him tell him you met me and then MacArthur indicated that he would and then the man asked another question what's your father doing now MacArthur thankfully told him that his father was still preaching and pastoring then the man said is he still faithful to the word John MacArthur Jr said yes he is faithful and still standing and then he said well what happened to the other two men who were ministering in Ireland with your father how are they do MacArthur replied I'm sorry to report that one has denied the faith and the other died and alcoholic there it is again three relatively young men completely committed to Christ make their way to Ireland to preach the gospel they see God do great things but 30 years later when the dust had settled only one out of three was still standing these are staggering figures and so when you think about that I think you go back to what was what Paul Beck said to the young pastor who was going on do great things he said Satan is in no hurry to get you do you think Satan had any shot did all these young guys when they first rolled fire for Jesus do you think he just kind of laid back notice what he's saying 33 years later 30 years later it's a long journey to the end and Satan played and the adversary played and their sinful desires were not completely put away and over that long slow fade he wiped them out so as if Farrar goes on to talk about you know some other things that he and when I'm gonna skip some of that just for what we have today about all these stories but one of the things that I don't want you to get here today and this is one of the things that's that Farrar made clear and everybody in this room needs to get this he says please don't hear these stories and think well these are all vocational ministry people this didn't apply to me well these are guys that that's gonna be their vocation well it certainly may not be that your vocation is ministry but the Bible says that every single person listening to this Bible study and in this room who claims the name of Jesus Christ and says you've justified me I'm now one of yours every single person is in ministry and there's nothing in scripture that says part-time completely full-time all the time and that is the point that these if you look at ephesians 4 if you have something write this down ephesians 4 11 and 12 one of the scriptures that's referenced it's and this is a Paul writing to Ephesus and he said he gave the Apostles the prophets the evangelists the shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ well who are the settings he says look here's what I've set up in the church I've got apostles I got prophets I got evangelists I got shepherds I got teachers and what are they there to do to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ at our church we have a phrase when our called live sent you know what that means the guys who are invoke and women in vocational ministry there certainly glanced her to God but they've been given to the body to get them ready to go out and what does the what does Paul say in to ministry full time so you see the biggest mistake we make and I remember have this mentality if I don't get a check for ministry then I'm supposed to give money to those who are in ministry and there's certain nothing wrong with that and there's a call to do that but that does not mean that's your whole role I provide the money for the ones who go out and advance the gospel you certainly certainly should give what God tells you to give and to the people that are in vocational ministry certainly however that does not exempt us from the ministry he's given us as well beyond the giving what wherever you are you're in the marketplace and we're there so so don't you think well this doesn't apply to me these numbers wonderful I know it applies to all of us if we're serious about following Christ were in full-time ministry if we're a husband we're in full-time ministry if you if you are a dad you're in full-time ministry and and and he and this is what for our says he says what the enemy wants you to think is that that's not true the last thing Satan wants everybody in this room to realize is that we're a ministry what he would prefer to make the army these fighting against smaller is for the majority of to say well that's not us we're not we're not in ministry but the Bible completely in conflict with this Colossians 3:23 and 24 I use this as a coach I use as a coach I try to tell people that I'm coaching what we're doing here today is worship when I worship and I see I hope I can stick to that for this practice is over but but what let me feel wants worship you're gonna do today something God's gifted you to do are you are you been put here to do to go out here and do this without excellence is sin it's not about winning games it's about you saying god I can mentally think I can I can physically move and these gifts you've given me in the influence of sport has been given me I'm gonna come out here and do it the best I can do it and if I don't do it for any other reason I'm doing it to worship you know someone what Paul says in Colossians 3:23 and 43 23 and 24 whatever you do work hard early as for the Lord and not for men that's that's big you know you can sit there and say I don't like my boss I don't like who's in charge you know what the Bible says who cares let me tell you who you're working for you're working for the Lord can you go to him today and said I did a good job I represented you well because I love this don't even worry you certainly want to be excellent I just got through teaching this past weekend Daniel and Babylon and I love that that the people who were going against him to try to find a way to get him in trouble with King Darius and six with the lines they said we can't just get him on the normal stuff because he has an excellent spirit you know what they were saying we can't get Daniel with a woman he won't go there we can't get Daniel on him stealing from the king he won't do it we can't get him on getting behind somebody's back and running them down to get them removed his place of authority he won't do that you know what somebody said and I hope they say this about me and I hope they say this about you if you want to get Daniel he's so excellent and above reproach the only way you can get him and put him in a position if he rejects God he'll get in trouble now that he'll do he will not reject God we'll get him on that and whether they set up a scenario where the only way Daniel can get in trouble was to be in conflict with God and then Daniel said well then I'll have to be intro with the King here on earth not the King of Kings I love that the minute he got the document that had sealed his fate said he went upstairs he opened up his windows he faced Jerusalem like he did three times a day every day and he prayed out loud to the one and only living God holding the document that was going to doom infra do it but up to that point there was no way to get him because he wouldn't fall for the things everybody else falls for the people who didn't believe what he believes said he had an excellent spirit King Darius when you realize he's been trapped as telling Daniel good luck in the lines I hope to god that you continually serve and continually pray to I hope it gives you a break hope he saves you there is Sydney believe at that point you know what I love about that tell about us in the workplace this is good it hit me like a ton of bricks this week God called the children of Israel to be his priesthood to take Jesus Messiah to the world and when they were rejecting that and they rejecting God to be his priesthood he then took the excellent remnant out placed them in here me now Babylon and their influence and their salt tonight in Babylon caused the king of all Babylon that covered quite a big bit of territory to be the priest that is all people wouldn't be Darius came back and said I got a new document we're all going to serve the god of Daniel he couldn't get his own people to do it so he took the remnant who was obedient to them put them in Babylon to force Babylon to honor him that's that's our call you don't think you're in Babylon you're absolutely immune USA red white blue all you want to this is Babylon you heard on sanctity of life Sunday our pastors say we get a new Congress and the first thing they do in the very building that was attacked on 9/11 they take that building that we rebuilt painted it pink you think we're good that's for Breast Cancer Research oh no they put it up there because they said hey good news we're now gonna make access to abortion and late term abortion more more available than ever before that's our first move as a new Congress and we're gonna smirk and smile and we're gonna sign it in the same building on the place where we were attacked on 9/11 you talk about a stiff-necked people we don't learn anything so we're in Babylon but we got a lot more freedom than Daniel had and God's giving us the opportunity to influence this country to finally either point to God but you know what whether it does or not we're going to Amen even if has to be one individual at a time if we can't influence the government we will influence individuals in the country we're gonna influence the world because that's what we were called to do and I News for you so that means all of us also fall into the one out of 10 category and then we talk about Jesus being the light of the world jesus said we're the salt of the earth he did not say that we were part time and then comes the statement boys Steve's dying to see him get his pants hey guys hey guys and I've had the opportunity to speak with Steve a few times you know he came to speak to us and he's been to our church a couple times and here's what he says and it's gonna rock everybody in the room what makes you think you're the one out of 10 so you're not the 9 the odds are not against you I mean the odds are against you so everybody here thinks they're the one what makes you think you're one I 10 I remember reading that going okay well here's what I'd like to say about our room I hope that we would be the 1 out of 10 of whatever group we're in because I don't want to do it in here because if we do it in here they ain't many of us gonna finish strong I hope we can be 1 out of 10 kind of men wherever we go will be the one I attend there so the so let's ask ourself the question what makes us that well what is it about us it says that that we're yes I'm gonna finish strong you know what Steve says the odds are against you he said but you know what there's a difference in impossible and improbable it's improbable but it's not impossible it will take tough choices and it will take the things how many Bible studies have we done in here I remember Calvary roads when it jumped out at me it's gonna take brokenness it's gonna take brokenness I will tell you in my own life I celebrate I celebrated again this past weekend I celebrate that God did whatever he knew he needed to do to finally break me I'm thankful for that I'm gonna be reunited with my son he's got that resolved but I'm gonna tell you until I was broken cuz I always thought it was about strength you guys keep in mind when this happened to me eleven years ago I'd been a follower of Jesus since 96 but I had still not gotten to the point where God said you don't you still don't quite get it you're still trying to allow this under your own self control or hey I'll tell you what you give me a tough challenge and I'll take it but I realize that this falling creation and this sinful flesh was a bigger opponent than I could handle but I thought I had to keep trying to you know be be self confused stronger and what Jesus said I got to do something here to break you down you still haven't buried you yet you know what I love now I talked about a young man about two young men about this yesterday and he started doing it to somebody else a something negative I saw so over it that's already I said you talk about a Rick this dead that rig doesn't exist anymore I had a guy get mad at me on Twitter yesterday said I did something that upset him 20 years ago I said well you're upset with over it I said 20 years ago I'd only been saved for two years I bet I wasn't worth anything to anybody I said you know I said something let me apologize to you I wish you would have come to me sooner and not going on social media with it but but let me apologize to you whatever I did to you if it if it bothered you for twenty years I apologize I said but please I said but you're dealing with old Rick Oh Rick's dead and I that wonderful moment when I realized that I couldn't even tie my shoes without Jesus helping me and I understood that if I was going to try to be the one I the ten and I was gonna finish strong it wouldn't but I didn't need to get stronger I needed to get weaker I need to be broken and now will you get up you just clean to Jesus every day to do the simplest things it's rare the man who finished is strong and I love this it's exceptional the man who finished is strong it is the teachable man that's big who finish the strong you ever been around people aren't teachable in sports we say not coachable how so and so they said player we're not coachable I love those players that if you say here's what you're doing wrong here's the situation do this do that do that and they go back to a book a book do just like you told me and they come back say you're right that was better you got to be coachable you got to be exceptional it ain't gonna happen with some half approach to we'll see when one degree that want one of the great things again about the story of Daniel and I'll take this word and I'll write it down we talked about even yesterday and that is with the young guys with me I said I our word to be resolved I will tell you something about me this good end dad ah if I get resolved about something oh you can count on me but here's the bad news I don't get resolved about many things I'm not a kick guy you know you were going to my life say is Burgess interested in very many things no not really ah there's not many things I'm resolved about I just there's nothing to me things I'm all that part of about but I will tell you this Daniel said in Chapter one of the book of Daniel before you ever get chapter six in the beyond he was resolved that he would not do anything that compromises God for young people that's you don't you any of your single guys whatever in here that that means say you don't say I think I'd like to adhere to God's standard for sexual purity but we'll see I can tell you how that's going to go the men that I see it's interesting because I have one that they love very much and I've realized the reason why he didn't struggle with it the way I did he's already resolved he's been resolved about it I'm coming up with all these things and he finally just kind of looked at me like you know I don't think like that oh I wish I was you at your age I'm resolved no I'm smart I'm not gonna put myself I'm not go out there and test God you know say let me see if I can get in the worst situation ever and see how it goes resolve means what you don't put yourself in those situations that's part of resolution I already know what I will and won't do before I ever get in that situation so you got you got to be exceptional you got to be teachable and you got to understand the nor to do this you're gonna have to do some things that nobody else does you know what you have to take exceptional measures we got to take exceptional measures in our own life if we ever intend to be 1 out of 10 that's gonna tell you this out of 10 people if you're the only one who survives that is exceptional less exceptional and I love that the Dajjal love the Charlie Grimes story our Grandma Harvey say his name he was a he was the Scout that was that was out there when he was actually the manager of the Cubs and he gets a call from the Scout who says I have just come across the young the greatest young pitcher I've ever seen he struck out every man who came to bat 27 came up and 27 struck out nobody even hit a foul ball into the ninth inning I got the kid right here you want me to sign him and the manager coach there's no sound me the kid that fouled the ball off in the ninth inning he said I'm not looking for pitchers I'm looking for hitters and if he's that good a pitcher that guy that found that I won't him and so what we're saying to this is we have to understand what God's looking for and he says there's a lot of guys who started the Christian life but God's looking for what he's not looking for starters who start a Christian life he's looking for finishers you see that changed everything doesn't it is it impossible to fulfill what is required of you if you never know what it is you ever had those kind of people in leadership or I don't know if I'd call them leaders people who have a title but you can't ever figure out where we're going so what do you wants to do and if we don't if you don't get that right and you say well God wants a lot of people that start out really good no no that's really not exceptional there's a lot of people that start out with it there's a lot of believers out there not everybody's against Jesus just very few people serve him you know so what he's saying is God is looking for finishers so don't go out and say I got a bunch of great starters because God would say on the phone no go get me the guy that fouled the ball the ninth in and I think what finishers that's what was exceptional to me and so we have to understand what he's talking about so so when we talk about the one out of ten you know and and you know Farrar acknowledges this which is funny he says a lot of you are asking me to give you Scripture that gives you the one out of ten and he says I can't do it he said but I'll give you 2 out of 12 and then and then he takes us to numbers chapter 13 if you want to jot that down he has to turn to now remember we all remember this it's time for God's people to be given the promised land and the Lord spoke to is saying send out for yourself men so that they can spy out on the land of Canaan this is verse one into which I'm going to give to the sons of Israel and don't miss this part you shall send a man from each of their father's tribes every one a leader among them I know first of all God clarifies what I'm going to give this land to the sons of Israel I'm going to give it to you now we got to get to the point that if God says something's gonna happen this gonna happen right is it true faith for God to say something's gonna happen and you don't really think it will are you doubt you look at and say that looks harder than I don't see how we're gonna do that well I can tell you my life most of the things that have had to me that changed me were miraculous and couldn't be done other than God doing it and so but but God has said and don't miss this because I think a lot of times we think that it's only the weak it's only the ones well I expected that God failed well right here God says I don't want just anybody out of 12 go get me the leader of the 12 I want the leader from each two I want I want the best 12 send me send me the exceptional 12 of course we know the God already handed over the keys to the promised land we know that and and we know that he'd brought him out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery under Moses we know they've been liberated 2 million plus people left Egypt with gold and riches of Egypt in their possession and now they're poised to enter the rich and prosperous land that will be their new home given to by God and they're instructed what Moses give me give me the best of the best from each tribe I want leaders but then what happened 10 of them said I'm out we can't take it it's too big I've seen these people only Joshua and only Caleb came back and said we're in so here's 12 of the best of God's people and only two of them finished and I love I love the point that he makes I don't know that I can say all these names right but would I thought for our made a good point he said Joshua and Caleb and then he goes on to name the other ten I'd never heard their names he said they all look good on the surface but got only God can see a man's heart endurance is the key endurance is the fruit of a godly character long races don't require speed they require grit determination and finishing power and only Joshua and Caleb had that and he says you he said I love what he says right now he said I have a kid named Joshua that's playing in the pool with his friend down the street named Caleb and he goes I don't know anybody that is named Shamu uh tschappat a gul Goodell Gaddy a meal sether not Nabi not be a gavel he says anybody use those names anymore you know why because they're shameful Joshua and Caleb we remember because they finished they said I'm in and we know that God said what of these ten I'm a wonder y'all around out we going back out to the desert and I'm on weed out this doubt I'm a weed out these people I'm not gonna hold it against their children but I'm gonna weed them out and then we're gonna come back again and we're gonna start fresh and guess who didn't get weeded out Joshua and Caleb and they came back and got the job done I heard Danny preach on the film Caleb one time we came back he was in his 80s you know he said give me the hardest play give me the heels let me go into the mountains and take on these Canaanites in the hardest place to remove them he didn't come back and say well you know I didn't I didn't I didn't turn on God and I've wandered around out here for another 40 years and now 80 something years old I was true the first time and by golly giving me the beach or something to take at 80 something years that years old he said still here give me the hardest job you got because you know why that's gonna go with me into those mountains we're gonna start with these even with an 80 something-year-old man leading them give me the hardest job because I won't fail not because Who I am because I believe God is who he says he is you know we've heard the David and Goliath analogy of zillion times but the bottom line is this David didn't think he could beat Goliath you think a young boy thinks he can beat a 9-foot tall giant he knew God could beat you he was not a giant compared to God he was just a giant compared to David into these men but not to God to God he was quite beating and David said God's gonna hand him over to me because he's blaspheming his people he trash talked to him and said God's gonna kill you and I'm gonna cut your head off when he does which I don't know that that was necessary but wow it really gets the point across doesn't it but here's the problem what was wrong with the other 10 e Stanley Jones said it they were afraid 10 guys saw God had done and were afraid to take the land east stanley Jones fear is the sand in the machinery of life bad sand in the machinery I love that line 10 leaders started but did not finish a whole generation perished because of those 10 men and their inability to finish hey guys it's gonna affect more than you if you can't finish it's gonna affect a lot of people think about that thank you how much damage like I said before we go over and over over again with the studies of the power the influence of the males in the house and society in the church but we cannot forget you can take that and flip it negative impact by men do I don't have to say you're on this doer how many more communities you got to go - how many more places you got to go how many more churches you got to see turned upside down and every single time you know what you find the men turned they either were apathetic they didn't care or they were evil and lost and I Got News for you and this is not gonna be popular so that's why you can email speedy at Rick and Bubba calm this and this is a night look men and women are equal please don't hear any other thing I praise God for my great mama and mamas have done a million great things and women in the church do mean great things the women in the Church of Acts did great things but I will tell you this when you know that on death row right now that 94 percent of the men on death row either hate their father don't know their father are they are they have rejected their father all of them have mamas and many of them mamas who love them dearly but they couldn't overcome the insult of the man who abandoned them could do it by Sherri said in in chapter 4 my pastors trying to help me my friends are trying to help me our families trying to help me but we all know one thing and nobody here can replace my husband and nobody here can replace the children's father so we'll wait on him nobody can replace you nobody and that's what we discovered so we must endure if you have the book of Hebrews I so get real quick hebrews chapter 12:1 and 2 and we're getting close to the morale for the day therefore since we are surrounded by such a great 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 look at this what's the key who we looking at look into Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God hey it's been set before us and what does it say we got to do we got to finish we got to finish what set before us now I want to take this on I've been this guy some of you are saying Rick I'm all-in I hear this I appreciate that this is all nice I know endurance is the fruit of godly character I'm buying into all this I got one problem you don't know what I've already done you don't know what I've already done hey I can relate to that some of you know some of what I've already done but you don't know all of it very few people know all of it let me tell you this is bad it's really really bad but it's redeemed and it's defeated and it's done but here's the thing if you're thinking that it's never too late as long as you're breathing let me tell you when it's too late if you're already dead then we can't do anything about it it's not too late to confess your sin to the Lord in genuine repentance and receive His forgiveness you have time to make up ground I loved when he said this look in the Bible at some of the people who finished strong it does not mean finishing unblemished doesn't finishing strong doesn't mean to finish perfect that would be impossible you ever seen buddy get to the end of a long race they look really bad I mean first I went to my with my wife she was running a half marathon and the marathon people were in there and some those people are thoughts just wake up I mean they're coming to the line I mean lark I mean at one time I look them I said now the second is that was on beach look like I mean I said so that guy's going to die that guy's not gonna make it and they're bleeding and they're their knees are bleeding and their feet are bleeding and he says see we're not gonna get at the end and be with no blemishes and we're not gonna have it's not we don't get to the end I have a setback that we got to overcome or even we might drop off have to get back up he said that's not what I'm talking about he said you look at the Bible some who finished strong were sexually immoral at one time some were late to surrender to the Lord some had midlife crisis crisis that were filled with utter failures he said many of those who finished strong were bitter and frustrated by the issues they created in their own life I'm you know what I say every day you know my biggest obstacle is me and how many times have you gotten in a situation today nobody got me in this situation but me you know what you're not alone there's great people in the Bible that finished strong that there were times their life going I've created a myth but they were able to overcome it because of because of Jesus not because of anything they were able to do and he said here's another one many who finished strong their lives had major personal failures in major setbacks and what did they do they they overcame it by embracing the grace of God strong I love this it said finishing strong is difficult but this is this is a grid this is something great right here I never thought about this finishing strong it's difficult but here's something even though we can't forget it is difficult don't you love with somebody just tells you the deal hey we're about to go through and it's gonna be awful you know what I remember one time I'm in I'm in a whitewater raft and I always hate I don't like to whitewater people make me because it's a good time to spend with family but I don't like it I don't like being out there and what do they always tell you let's pull off to the side I hate when they pull off to the side because you know what that means we got to get ready for this and I'm like I hate when we go off to the side I don't like this so I remember in the front because the burgesses have to be up front so we're up front and I'm on I'm on the right of the boat and Brooks is on the left and he says I want to talk to the burgesses in the front of boat we're about to go through the roughest rapid of the day and none of us in this boat wants y'all to put us in the water and I thought how did I become the guide hey I paid to get in here you're supposed to get us there I know we all got to work together so it would you he said he's a mr. Burgess you got to follow my instructions yes sir he said and Brooks you got to do exactly what your dad is doing there's a great teaching moment he said mr. Burgess can you go over and roll for Brooks I said I cannot he said so highs Brooks gonna roll the way we need it in a row I said by watching me you know he said well then you better get it right because all he's gonna do is emulate what you're doing so if you're wrong he's gonna be wrong and so so we know that the road is difficult but he you we always forget and I bet well about to hear some amens some of y'all I know personally if you don't a man I'm a man for you you know what else is hard transgressions doing doing the things that God said not to do why do we I like that's been bring bad stuff that's awful some of the hardest points of my life is because of my sin where did we get that the only hard thing is following Jesus he is but I got news for you not following Jesus can be equally if not worse hard and terrible because you follow Jesus even if you physically have a tough time or you go through some dark days you're not gonna have the repercussions for sin because of you with him you're not gonna be in it most of my problems in my life revolve around sin they certainly don't revolve around my devotion to Christ now do I have some difficulty because they're being devoted to Christ I hope so I hope I remember one day my wife said to me she goes do you think some of these people just think we're crazy and I said unfortunately probably not yet we got work to do but I hope to get to the point where everybody thinks we are raving lunatics when it comes to our devote our devotion to Jesus I think we're still too normal I think we're still too normal let's keep working to where we're unrecognizable and people see Jesus and thing you know what that's crazy but what are they doing so peaceful and so calm and the midst of such tragedy because we clean in Jesus we're cleaning to Jesus so we'll close on this he talks about this rowboat if you have the book I know somebody don't have this picture this was the picture that that this Steve has on the front of mine and that's one of those row boats now I'll notice it's not on all of them but it's on the one I have and so yours is a little different than mine say this is a rowboat and he said I use this analogy because how many of you have ever seen rowers before you ever seen these people at Rome you ever done it I've never done it you know like sodomy might be in that raft I can get in one of these so anyway but have you ever noticed their back is is facing what the finish line they can't see it so the person that makes sure they know where the finish line is is the guy sitting there with that that little little megaphone that's right so they're back they don't know where the finish is but he does he see he says see we're rowing and Jesus has got the megaphone and we just wrote and we just wrote and he says so so Jesus sees the finish line he sees it and he so when you're in the boat and you're rowing through life don't fix your eyes on where we're going just fix your eyes on Jesus and then he has the megaphone and he says go left go right row harder don't row so hard slow down they're gaining on us push to the finish watch out there's an obstruction move the boat this way see Jesus we just got to look we kind of fix your eyes on Jesus it's not the finish line and I think sometimes you know that one of the worst things when you see the finish line too quick you start what you know some people push on to the end but if I say the finish and I think thank the Lord this is almost over you know and so we're gonna be rolling as hard as we can roll totally committed to the voice of Jesus and our eyes fixed fixed on him and as long as our eyes are fixed on him we will finish strong let's pray lord thank you for today thank you for all that you've taught us and will continue to teach us as this study goes forward I just thank you for Steve Farrar and his obedience to you Lord I really do and and Lord Aion I thank you for him reminding us that you know this one out of ten thing is not some you know toxic masculine or if you're a woman list of this somehow there's something so wonderful about me that I can be 1 out of 10 no the only hope for any man or any woman to be one of the 1 out of 10 totally lies and our devotion to Jesus only he makes anybody exceptional because of who he is and our pray Lord that our devotion to you if it has anything that needs to be corrected that will correct that and will be committed that with you guiding us to the finish line we'll blow through the tape in the name of Jesus we pray amen all right guys thank you very much we'll talk to you next week

Channel: Rick & Bubba

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Id: N3M1T_92uag

Length: 57min 30sec (3450 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 23 2019