FINISH - You?re Not Done Until You?re Done 1

Under non-Christian God has a plan for your future as you begin to move forward.

Remember, as with every pursued the important part is how you about how you finish that I am Turning Point.

Dr. David Jeremiah opens God's word. For examples of what it takes to finish strong manager right from the series forward is this message finish not done until you got well today I'm talking very personally about were on life where you are in life and how we follow through with what God has called us to do all the way to when he takes his home and it's really an exciting message because for so many we've brought in to be on the mythology of early retirement them the best life is when you finish doing your work and you get to just sit around for the rest of your life. Nobody wants to do that and yet that's what everybody looks forward to is not strange. When I talk about retirement.

What does the Bible say about that in this message and so I'm glad you witnessed when you have a good discussion today and will finish it up on Monday. It's called finish. I wanted to call the title you not done until your dad but my publisher would let me do that.

They said no that's too harsh or not done until you're done and that's an important thing wherever you are if you happen to be a little bit later on in life and you go a little gray hair and maybe you think about hanging it up not working too hard anymore. I don't you think you can't do that but I want to challenge you to God's plan for your life. Talk about it.

Well here we go you're not done so finish unfortunate scrape you might hire Frank P. Luciana to represent you. He's a razor-sharp attorney in Hackensack, New Jersey, just across the Hudson from New York City.

You could spot Luciana in the courtroom daily dressed in a dapper suit with a pocket square shopping his hands in the air, letting people in trouble with energy and effectiveness. Luciana has been defending clients for quite a while.

I mean 45 years ago, a local newspaper claimed he was the city's busiest criminal lawyer 22 years ago the same paper called him a consummate showman and New Jersey's oldest active attorney today. Luciana still waxes eloquently for judges and juries at the age of 97 doesn't rest on his laurels. He said this is a very consuming profession and it's taken a lot out of my life that I'm constantly involved in preparing cases and it's a tremendous strain both mental and physical physical because when you go to trial your whole being is obsessed with trying to help the person you represent. And it places your body and mind under tension when he is asked about his future. Luciana said I hope God lets me continue doing this. I don't want to retire. I don't want to go to Florida. I just want to do what I'm doing.

Personally, I like going to Florida but otherwise I feel the same. I hope God lets me continue doing what he's called me to do. My name is in our compass, but I take the one verse addressed to him in the Bible just like it was written to me. Here's what it says telemarketers see to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord. Yes, you all may change your assignments may evolve in your situation may alter. You may have to make adjustments.

But even so one thing won't change as long as God leads you on this earth. He has ongoing work for you to do. There's no expiration date to the principles of this message, you never retire from the Christian life you never drop out of God's will.

In his book finish. Give yourselves the gift of done.

John Acuff describes how hard this can be set up only completed 10% of the books I own it took me three years to finish six days of P90 X home exercise program.

So I was 23 I made it to blue belt in karate. I have 32 have started moleskin notebooks in my office in 19 tubes of nearly finished Chapstick in my bathroom yards that he's not the only one who doesn't stick with things.

According to studies, 92% of New Year's resolutions fail every January.

People start with hope and hype, believing that this will be the new year that will deliver I know you and while 100% start. Only 8% finish during the 2020 pandemic. I released a book called sheltering God to encourage those struggling with the terrible crisis. One night, as the book was ready to go to press.

I awoke with thoughts of all the biblical characters who experienced sheltering like experiences.

The next day I compile my list to add to the epilogue at the end of the book but then I read a study that said 63% of readers never finish the book, the reading I call my publisher at the last minute and I said we need to change this. Let's don't make this the epilogue.

Let's make this the prologue.

I don't want anyone to miss the biblical emphasis of this truth. Let's face it, you have a great vision.

You can play godly prayers. You could choose the right goals and focus on the right things. So far so good. You can also pursue your dreams.

Make huge investments in God's word, his work and his wealth. But if you don't finish what you start, it's like building a tower that never gets done. Dr. Robert Clinton teaches at the school of intercultural studies at Fuller seminary, and he spent a lot of time in his life researching the subject of leadership development as part of this study, he identified a thousand men and women in the Bible who were considered leaders and national leaders, Jewish leaders, church leaders, patriarchs, priests, kings, and like that.

Many of these leaders were just mentioned in the text without any details and you may be as surprised as I was to learn. There's only 49 prominent leaders in Scripture, whose lives are surveyed as a whole and other words we know how they started and we know how they ended abuse 49 in the Bible, only 30% of them finished well. The other 70% fell short of God's plan for their lives. The fact that should jolt us some leaders such as Samson and Eli stumble at midlife.

Others, like Noah, David, Joshua fat Hezekiah stumbled near the end, but by God for the 30% for people like Joshua, Daniel, Peter and Paul, who walked with God all the way into their last years growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord they flourished and stayed fresh and green and they bore fruit, even into their old age. There are countless barriers men and women to finishing well. I've discovered that there are basically five major ones, talk to you about them today because I want us to learn how to finish well. But rather than talk to them like barriers.

I want to share them with you as challenges. I want you to think about the rest of this message like were in the locker room and were getting a pep talk delivered to all of us before we head out of the tunnel for the second half of the game. So here are those five things as you can well imagine, because where I am in my life. Perhaps this chapter means more to me than all the rest I've studied this diligently, I've spent probably more time thinking about this than all the rest of the chapters combined his reveler number one to finish well. You have to stay focused to your finished one of the great finishers of the Bible was Solomon king David sign in fact I discovered when I was researching this, that the word finish is connected with Solomon a dozen times, especially with his building of the temple, so I want to wear the yellow pad I made a list of all the references associated with Solomon finishing assignment to build God's house and I noticed something that escaped me in all the many times I've read the story. It's an account just one little word can escape you, and it can mean everything.

Solomon was not only a finisher he was a total complete absolute finisher.

I don't want you to notice this as I run to the Scriptures together number one first King 622 finished all the temple 638. The house was finished in all of its details, according to all its plans 751 so all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished second Chronicles 51 so all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished second Chronicles 711, Solomon successfully accomplish all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord when it came to building God's temple in Jerusalem. Solomon finished it all. He left nothing undone. And that's because I believe his father prayed him into this environment. Listen to David's prayer and his challenge to Solomon before David walked off the scene and Solomon took over first Chronicles 2820 is what he said, be strong, Solomon, and of a good courage, and do it. Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, he will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. We have to finish it all. We don't get to stop part of the way most of the way doesn't work almost all the way isn't enough. God wants us to finish it all.

When I was in high school my high school graduating class of 18 people.

I was one of 18 graduates went to school at small.

You have to be willing to do a lot of things I played in the band I play basketball I ran track. I did a lot of things over with my track career started the truck coach came to me and said we need somebody to run the half-mile in the race that were going to do coming up, and I'd like you doing what I was upset that I never thought of doing, but why not.

So I accepted it and I accepted the fact that for the rest of my time in high school and for a couple years in college I would run the 880 which is now the 800 m race. I came up with a strategy, then this is the way it worked.

First I would go out as fast as I could in the first lap and get a lead then at the beginning of the second lap I would lengthen my stride and try to hold the lead and kind of just stride and not coast but not go really fast as I came around the last curve I would try to find something deep inside of me and I would run with my whole heart as I focused on the finish line. This was called my tickle running through the wall without that final kick.

I didn't have a chance of winning and I still remember to this day the feel of my burning lungs and legs. As I crossed the finish line. But that's what it takes, that's what it takes in life you have to stay focused and keep your eyes on the goal and run through the finish tape and then you can celebrate the apostle Paul said it this way.

He said I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. So unforgettably finishers we have to focus tumor finished we have to focus to your face.

Don't say well I'm almost there. And then you walk away and you leave a not quite done is not anything more discouraging to you than to spend all of your time and all her energy to get almost all the way and then walk away before you get done.

Here's the second thing about finishing life stay resilient about retirement. I don't think anything's more controversial in the lives of people like me that retirement. I hear all the time. Somebody always brings it up and I want to tell you that the second key to finishing well is to approach the topic of retirement with resilience and with some sanctified resistance.

My friend Harry ball back is still active in his mid-90s.

I met him at Word of life. When I was a young pastor for the last 20 or so years people have been asking him if he was retired and he always says the same thing. Yes, I retired every night to go to bed so that I can get up the next morning and find out what God wants me to do.

Harry said he wakes up every morning he sits on the edge of his bed and he says God here's another day. I'm glad I'm still here. You must have some for me to do what I want to do is magnify your name. I want to please you and all that I do when psychologist Michael Longhurst left his high level management position in the corporate world, he decided to take a major research project and follow through on the subject of retirement. I read everything he wrote I don't have time to share it all with you but he interviewed over 200 retirees and he discovered that many of them are just totally unprepared for retirement, especially mentally and emotionally.

One man summed up the problem like this. He said I feel so lonely and depressed. I miss my job, the office my lunch buddies my friends at work.

I used to be very much busy at work and now suddenly there's nothing to do no deadline so this is what retirement is boring, and lonely. I wish I could be happy again like the good old days. I'm sure it's not as difficult for you to understand what I just said, as it was before 19 because many of us have been kind of quietly semiretired because we can go to work. We can have a schedule and many of you have discovered that what you always say don't be so cool dispel center at no it's not cool it's very difficult and people try to do it without preparing themselves for it. Often find themselves in trouble. I remember reading about a life who said to her retired husband.

What you do today.

He said nothing she said but you did that yesterday he said I know but I'm not finished yet someone said that a husband's retirement can become a wife's full-time job. Many people you see her follow the general expectation in America and the Western world that when we reach a certain age we retire.

This is what we do. Retirement has become the final rotation in the cycle of life just like we asked children what you want to be when you grow up we ask adults what you plan to do when you retire and sell them to rehear the value of retirement plans question and certainly not the value of retirement itself, but retirement men and women as we know it today was virtually nonexistent. Throughout history, retirement, made little sense when the average life expectancy was only 30 or 40 years, it has its roots in the early 1900s when many large American industries, including railroads, banks and companies began offering pensions 1935, of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt introduced the Social Security act, an employee's income was taxed throughout his or her working life to find a retirement income beginning at age 65 in America today, most workers expect to retire and the culture is geared to accommodated but what is the Bible say about this. Interestingly enough, the Bible has only one example of retirement.

I'll tell you where it is. It's a numbers chapter 8 verses 24 through 26 is what it says this is what pertains to the Levites from 25 years old and above, one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting. And at the age of 50 years. They must cease performing this work and so work no more. They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting to attend the meetings, but they themselves shall do no work while the Levite tabernacle workers were instructed to retire at age 50.

They were put out to pasture to spend the rest of their lives twiddling their thumbs and gazing at the sundial know they were charged to minister to the younger Levites took over their job. They became mentors and advisors. Today we will probably call them consultants so no I'm not saying you shouldn't take advantage of your Social Security income or pension benefits.

But you might want to avoid the word retirement. You don't have to continue in your profession until you're in the 90s. But if you do leave your job.

Remember, retirement is simply God's way of freeing you up for further service. So stay focused till you're finished and stay resilient about retirement. Here's the third thing I learned stay connected to your calling. Romans 1129 since this the gifts and the calling of God are revocable. That means you can undo them if God calls you, he is not good on call you the gifts and calling of God are in a revocable because Dennis had something to say about this. He said I think it's important to realize that we can retire from our jobs, but we could never retire from our calling. Calling gives us our sense of task or responsibility right up to the last day we spent on earth.

When we go to meet the caller.

I think that gives life incredible value and therefore the prosperity of finishing well is that we continue to have a sense of responsibility and engagement that makes every day we live in normatively important so to finish. Well, consider maintaining a connection between what you did before you retire and what you do after you retire. Someone has said your career is what you're paid to do your calling is what you're made to do one of the most influential people in my life to illustrate this was Howard Hendricks, Howard Hendricks was one of my professors at Dallas theological seminary, and my wife Donna was his secretary while I was a student. Howard Hendricks was an incredible teacher and a master motivator and when Bob Buford interviewed him for his book finishing well. Dr. Hendrix said the average person dies between two and seven years after retirement, and it simply because they lose their purpose in life. For most of them. Their purpose was wrapped up in their work and once they're no longer working.

They feel they have no meaning in their lives. They retire from something rather than something Hendrix went on to apply this principle to himself. He said I've got a lot of things in my life, but only one thing gives me ultimate satisfaction and batch teaching if I stopped teaching I lose the reason for which I was put on this planet. This is what I was born to do so. If the seminary decides it's time for me to move on.

I'll just go teaching another venue.

I will spend the rest of my life teaching have a good friend who loves to preach but he hates administration. When I heard that he resign from his church. I called asking about it.

He took my call but instead of saying hello.

He just said, free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I'm free at last, he meant that he was free now to do what he really love to preach without all the distractions that he patted his church ministry with administration and people problems, though you may not have a career that's transferable into your postretirement life. But if you're a follower of Christ you have a calling. You have a gift God has given you an ability for service so just keep using it for the Lord use it in a different context in a different environment. But don't stop doing what God has called you to do when Jesus had finished his work on earth was about to be crucified, resurrected and returned to heaven, he prayed this prayer about his life. John 17 four. He said God I have glorified you on the earth.

I have finished the work which you have given me to do read that verse carefully. Jesus didn't finish all the work that was to do finish the work that he was given to do that should be our prayer Lord, help me to finish the work you have given me to do if you do that you live a full and exciting life is interesting that sometimes we add stress to our life because were doing things that nobody expects us to do least of all God we get off on the side road and we burn up our energy and we lose our focus on the things God has called us to do. My father gave me a verse when I was ordained it was.

Acts 1336 Damon served his generation by the will of God, the one whose name my parents chose for me.

David case in the Bible and that's what it says about him. He served his generation by the will of God.

That was his purpose. My purpose as well. Have a great week and friends so excited that we start some more of us to talk about be back on Monday.

The next edition of Turning Point from David Jeremiah and Mrs. today came to him from shadow Mountain immunity church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as senior pastor.

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