Be A Finisher

Gen 1:11
And God said, Let the earth put forth [tender] vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind, upon the earth. And it was so.

Each plant brought seed according to its own kind – 3 Laws of Sowing and Reaping

* Every seed reproduces its own kind.
* Plant mediocrity, sow mediocrity.
* Do as unto the Lord (Jesus is standing there with you…)
* Becomes the harvest we create in our lives

* Don’t base your diligence and hard work on the money, do it as unto the Lord, what we are supposed to do. God is a rewarder.
* Will always reap more than you sow
* Can be good and bad
* Good seed – good harvest
* Mediocre seed – flood of mediocre in our lives
* If we are going to reap more than we sow, need to be careful of the quality of the seed being sown.
* 100:1 harvest?
* Reap in a different season than you sow
* People TRY excellence for 2 days, then are upset that they haven’t seen a return – excellence doesn’t work
* Consistently do more
* Some people won’t like that – makes them look bad
* We have to do things as unto the Lord, and decide if we are more afraid of God, or more afraid of men.
* The more you do, the more you’ll stand out, be noticed
* Somebody will notice, somebody will like

To shine in this world, all you have to do is put in 40 hours of work for 40 hours of pay. The 40 hours has to be YOUR BEST!

Business world – works on least / least principle:

* Employee works the least possible to get by
* Employer pays the least possible to keep the employee

Back to our scripture:
Gen 1:12:
God saw it was good, and He approved it.
Gen 1:31
And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

Chapter 1:31 comes just before chapter 2:1 – originally there was no chapter and verse. Let’s read them together.

Gen 2:1
THUS THE heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

God is not only a starter – but He doesn’t stop there – He finishes what He starts!

* never see one winged butterfly
* never see one-legged dog
Isn’t it good He didn’t stop in the middle?

For us to conform to the image of God, we must not only start… we must finish what we start.

We cannot just start projects, we must also complete the things that we start – to the satisfaction of those involved. We can’t complete the task if we can’t see the BIG PICTURE.

Story: Men filling holes

If we can’t see the whole picture, we haven’t finished the job. What was required to be able to call this job, project, or task completed?

Starting a job, but not finishing – does not help your boss.
Starting a job, but not finishing – does not help God.
Starting a job, but not understanding the big picture, and finishing wrong – does not help.

Starting something new is exciting – carrying through to the end can be hard.
We want to be remembered as someone what finishes what we start – as a finisher, not a starter only.

We have to discipline ourselves to be finishers, not because it is exciting or fun, but because that’s what God did, and we want to conform to His image.

God is a finisher, Jesus is a finisher.

Hebrews 12:1-2
1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

To conform to the image of Christ, we have to finish what we start.

How great is it that Jesus will finish our faith, not humans. Humans don’t finish what they start, unless they are driven and determined, striving to conform.

We must look away from distractions. Look away, and TO Jesus.
Finishing MUST be a priority in our life.

John 19:28 (Jesus on the cross)
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished (ended), said in fulfillment of the Scripture, I thirst.

Jesus was tempted in the Garden. He said “Lord, take this cup from me”
“I don’t want to finish this project – take this away from me!”

Thank God Jesus did not yield to that temptation – did not give in! He has to be our example, we can’t look at people that don’t finish and use them as an example.

Jesus said “It is finished” – He overcame the temptation and the distraction to not finish. We have to do that also.

When we start something without finishing – the world sees us as they are, as non-finishers. We don’t stand out or shine.

John 19:30
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

Jesus took his call, his project to the finish.
What if Jesus didn’t finish our salvation?
What if Jesus only healed one of the blind man’s eyes?
What if he only fed part of the crowd of 5000?
What is he only made it so the lame man could hop on one leg?

Jesus was so meticulous in finishing…
In the tomb – the head napkin – neatly folded up. Jesus took the time to fold the napkin neatly.

John 20:7
But the burial napkin (kerchief) which had been around Jesus’ head, was not lying with the other linen cloths, but was [still] rolled up (wrapped round and round) in a place by itself.

Jesus is a FINISHER

Acts 20:24 (Paul speaking)
But none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have obtained from [which was entrusted to me by] the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news (Gospel) of God’s grace (His unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and mercy).

Paul was interested in finishing!

2 Tim 4:7
I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race, I have kept (firmly held) the faith.

Paul was a FINISHER.

* Went on three missionary journeys
* Back to the same cities and towns where he was stoned and left for dead
* To help those churches and believers grow – concerned about not only his finish, but theirs, and strengthening them in their belief that Jesus is Lord
If you are going to take on a project or task, finish it.

If you can’t meet the deadline, talk to somebody – tell them you can’t meet the deadline, and work out something else, or MEET IT!

If you have to be constantly hounded to finish something – you aren’t a finisher. God wants His children to finish, not because they get bugged all the time, but because it is their NATURE.

We all need to improve – this is striving to conform, striving for the spirit of excellence.

Titus 1:5
5 For this reason I left you [behind] in Crete, that you might set right what was defective and finish what was left undone, and that you might appoint elders and set them over the churches (assemblies) in every city as I directed you.

This is how concerned Paul was about finishing. He wanted every job to be finished, so he sent Titus to manage that.

Finishing is a habit, just like being late. We have to purpose in our heart that we WILL BE A FINISHER.

Imagine inviting friends over for dinner, but not finishing? Serve half of a dish, or only half-cooked? We will not tolerate others not finishing, but we don’t mind us not finishing. We expect things finished around us, but we don’t expect us to be FINISHERS.

1 Cor 9:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but [only] one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] and make it yours.

This is all so that we can finish the call on our lives.

What good is a call on your life, if you don’t finish?

Jesus says, to the one that finishes, “Well done, good and faithful servant…”

When we are faithful to FINISH the things that God gives us, He will be faithful to give us more.

God is not only a STARTER, but He’s also a FINISHER. He finishes what He starts.

Jesus is not only the AUTHOR, or STARTER of our faith, but He is also the FINISHER. He finished His work, even though He was tempted not to. He finished the healings and miracles that He performed.

Paul followed Jesus’ example, and was a FINISHER as well. His life was devoted to finishing the call of God that was placed on his life.

We cannot operate in the Spirit of Excellence if we are not finishing the things that we start. We must be FINISHERS, which is another way that we stand apart from the world.