The 2000 movie, "The Patriot" starred Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin, a Revolutionary War hero. Martin’s 18-year-old son, Gabriel, enlists in the conflict and he spends the first half of the movie diligently repairing an American flag he found in the dirt.
Tragically, Gabriel becomes a casualty of the war, and, suffering deep loss, his father Benjamin Martin appears ready to quit the cause. While Martin is grieving at the side of his dead son, Colonel Harry Burwell, a Continental officer, tries to persuade Martin not to quit. He recognizes Martin has a great influence on the soldiers and his departure would demoralize the troops.
As the scene opens, the colonel says, "Stay the course, Martin. Stay the course."
This was the same thing Martin’s wife, who died years earlier, had said to him when life got difficult. And always, her admonition to "stay the course" would give him the necessary courage to continue, whatever the obstacle.
But in this instance, totally grief-stricken, Martin responds to the admonition "stay the course" with, "I’ve run the course." Resigned to the outcome, the colonel informs the troops and they ride on, leaving Martin behind.
As Martin loads his son’s personal effects on his horse, though, he finds the American flag Gabriel had successfully restored.
As the dejected soldiers ride away, certain they have seen the last of Benjamin Martin, Martin appears in the distance, carrying the flag. With determination in his posture, he rides upright in his saddle, face like a flint, the Stars and Stripes whipping in the wind. Martin has been a symbol of perseverance for the men, and there is a triumphant shout of both relief and excitement from the once-weary troops as they see "the patriot" crest the hill.
(Story from PreachingToday.com, "The Patriot": Perseverance in Heartbreak)
My goal today is to help us all find something in the Word of God just like Martin found something in his son’s personal effects to cause us to "stay the course".
The Apostle Paul was certainly a follower of Christ who "stayed the course". Listen carefully to his enlightening words from his First Letter to the Church at Corinth, chapter nine, verses 24 through 27 (NIV):
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
From these insightful words of Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we learn...
ATTRIBUTES OF PEOPLE WHO FINISH WHAT THEY START.
1. FINISHERS LEARN FROM OTHER FINISHERS. (1 Corin. 9:24 - "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.")
Paul instructs us to run like the ones who won the race, not like the ones who lost. "Run in such a way as to get the prize."
The "prize" for Christ followers will be the rewards given by Christ when we see Him one day in heaven. We do not run the race in order to get to heaven. Christ has already finished and won that race. All who have placed their faith in Him have already obtained eternal life.
We run the race to bring glory to Christ. Those who honor Christ in this life will be rewarded to various degrees.
But the important question is, How do winners do it? How do they finish the race? After all, everyone eventually encounters the temptation to give up; to quit; to throw in the towel. What makes some folks quitters and other folks finishers?
The answers can be learned by observing finishers.
That’s why I have always enjoyed reading and sometimes collecting biographies. From characters on the pages of the Word of God, to historical figures, to sports figures, to literary figures, in every field of endeavor there are folks who finished and we can learn from them.
I’ll tell you a couple of things I’ve learned from reading about the lives of finishers.
a. FINISHERS LIVES AREN’T ANY EASIER THAN OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES.
It’s easy for all of us to justify our quitting attitudes with statements like "if I only had as easy as so and so I’d be successful too."
If you will read about the lives of successful people you will find they didn’t have it any easier than the rest of us.
Take John Wesley for instance, one of the greatest preachers of the last millenium.
Here’s a single page from his journal:
"Sunday a.m., May 5 - Preached in St. Ann’s; was asked not to come back anymore.
Sunday p.m., May 5 - Preached in St. John’s; deacons said, ’Get out and stay out.’
Sunday a.m., May 12 - Preached at St. Jude’s; can’t go back there either.
Sunday p.m., May 12 - Preached at St. George’s; kicked out again.
Sunday a.m., May 19 - Preached at St. Somebody Else’s; deacons called a special meeting and said I couldn’t return.
Sunday p.m, May 19 - Preached on the street; kicked off the street.
Sunday a.m., May 26 - Preached out in a meadow; chased out of meadow when a bull was turned loose during the service.
Sunday a.m., June 2 - Preached out at the edge of town; kicked off the highway.
Sunday p.m., June 2 - Afternoon service, preached in a pasture; 10,000 people came."
(Bob Hartman, "Plugged In", 9-16-97)
Finishers aren’t folks who don’t run into difficulty - FINISHERS ARE JUST FOLKS WHO RUN OVER DIFFICULTY!
Here’s something else you learn if you observe finishers closely:
b. FINISHERS MAINTAIN THEIR PASSION.
What motivates you? Whatever it is, maintain your connection with it.
George Mueller had a passion for taking care of the orphaned. So he maintained a number of orphanages.
J.C. Penney had a passion for the Golden Rule, so he incorparated it into his business and acheieved great success.
Adoniram Judson had a passion for the gospel to be preached to the millions in Asia who had never heard about Jesus. He and his wife Ann sailed for India, but when the government refused to allow them to enter the country, they went to Burma, where they worked for six years without winning a convert.
During those years they were plagued with ill health, loneliness, and the death of their baby son. Judson was imprisoned for nearly two years, during which time Ann faithfully visited him, smuggling to him his books, papers, and notes, which he used in translating the Bible into the Burmese language. Soon after his release from prison, Ann and their baby daughter, Maria, died of spotted fever.
Judson withdrew into seclusion into the interior, where he completed the translation of the whole Bible into Burmese.
In 1845 he returned for a visit to America, but the burning desire to win the Burmese people sent him back to the Orient, where he soon died.
As a young man, he had cried out, "I will not leave Burma, until the cross is planted here forever!"
Thirty years after his death, Burma had 63 churches, 163 missionaries, and over 7,000 converts to Christianity.
FIND YOUR PASSION AND YOU’LL BE A FINISHER TOO!
HERE’S ANOTHER ATTRIBUTE OF PEOPLE WHO FINISH WHAT THEY START:
2. FINISHERS FOCUS ON THE FINISH LINE. (1 Corin. 9:25 - "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.")
There are a lot of distractions in life! One big distraction to finishing for Christ is getting caught up in life’s little rewards along the way.
Make a little money, gain a little prestige, experience some sort of success...and before you know it, you take your eyes off the finish line and the real deal.
The real finish line is not in this life. I’m not trying to get "mystical" on you. That’s the clear truth from the Bible. The real finish line is after this life is over.
That’s what we have a tendency to forget.
In his autobiography "Just As I Am", Billy Graham recalls a story that illustrates this tendency.
"Some years ago Ruth and I had a vivid illustration of this on an island in the Caribbean. One of the wealthiest men in the world had asked us to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears. ’I am the most miserable man in the world,’ he said. ’Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want to. I have my private plane, my helicopters. I have everything I want to make my life happy, yet I am as miserable as hell.’ We talked to him and prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning to life.
Then we went down the hill to a small cottage where we were staying. That afternoon the pastor of the local Baptist church came to call. He was an Englishman, and he too was 75 - a widower who spent most of his time taking care of his two invalid sisters. ’I don’t have two pounds to my name,’ he said with a smile, ’but I am the happiest man on this island.’"
Billy Graham relates how he asked his wife Ruth after they left, "Who do you think is the richer man?" She didn’t have to reply because they both already knew the answer.
You see the poor pastor was focused on the finish line. He knew that his reward was in heaven, not here on earth.
LET’S CONSIDER PAUL’S THIRD ATTRIBUTE OF PEOPLE WHO FINISH WHAT THEY START:
3. FINISHERS ESTABLISH GOALS FOR THEIR LIFE. (1 Corin. 9:26 - "Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.")
Paul had a purpose and he had a plan. He had a course to run and he would "stay the course". He wasn’t a "spiritual shadow boxer".
Entire shelves of books have been written on goal-setting so we certainly can’t cover all the bases of this principle here and now.
A couple of quick spiritual principles on goal setting:
a. INCLUDE GOD IN YOUR PLANS.
The wisdom of the Word leads us to consult God in setting our goals.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5,6)
This doesn’t mean come up with a plan without consulting God, then expect Him to rubber stamp it. It means praying, reading the Word of God, meditating, seeking the counsel of godly people - then, and only then adopt a plan.
b. GIVE GOD TIME.
We’re in such a hurry sometimes God cant’s get through to us. We have instant messaging on our computers, cell phones in our hip pockets, (I led a young man to Christ on the front pew last Sunday after church and his cell phone went off while he was praying to receive Christ!), microwaves, two jobs...etc. Somewhere in today’s fast-paced society we have to learn to slow down and listen to God and wait on the Lord.
Finishers have patience. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)
HERE’S PAUL’S FINAL ATTRIBUTE OF PEOPLE WHO "STAY THE COURSE":
4. FINISHERS RESPECT THE RULES. (1 Corin. 9:27 - "No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.")
Finishers are people who have high regard for playing by the rules. They won’t risk disqualification by giving in to temptation to ignore the rules. They don’t try to change the rules to fit their lifestyle.
Does this mean finishers have never broken the rules?
Well if finishers had to be perfect no one would receive the prize. Not Abraham, not David, not Moses, not Peter, or a host of other Bible greats.
Finishers simply know that it is wrong to live by the adage, "anything goes, as long as you win."
As I said earlier, the Christ follower does not run the race in order to get to heaven. Jesus has already finished that race for us on the cross.
We run the race to serve the Lord, to bring glory to Him,and to be rewarded by Him one day for our faithfulness. The only way to bring glory to God is to finish the race in accordance with His guidelines.
Will you determine to be a finisher?
ARE YOU IN THE PROPER SPIRITUAL SHAPE TO "STAY THE COURSE?"
