1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,440 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the love quest International 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,560 church podcast, where we seek to love all nations, equip the 3 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:09,520 church, mobilize the equipped and serve all. 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,040 We're super glad you're joining us from whenever and wherever 5 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,760 you're at in the world. Welcome to the family to get 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,440 your Bibles ready, get some water, get some coffee, maybe 7 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,640 some tea and get ready to receive. 8 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:22,680 It's go time. Let's get into it the. 9 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,080 Title Today is the good fight of finishing faith. 10 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:32,200 Everyone say finishing faith this morning we talked a lot 11 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:34,240 about a lot of things. I'm not going to go over that 12 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,040 very much, but I do want to highlight a few things. 13 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,760 Some of this the topic I was talking with Pastor Terence 14 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,360 during some conversations while he was away and he talked about 15 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,000 how God was bubbling and stirring these kind of things up 16 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,400 and, and we just kind of chopped it up a little bit and he felt 17 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,280 God was really impressing upon some things. 18 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,320 And, and, and as he talked about it, he said, Hey, I think God 19 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,800 wants to go move forward with this subject matter. 20 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,800 And that's how it came about. But a couple things that that 21 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,200 stood out for us, at least for me, as he was talking and 22 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,760 through the days that came after, God began to drop a few 23 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:09,920 things that kind of registered with me. 24 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,360 And that is number one. And I said it this morning, that 25 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,280 God is making us a Nehemiah force to help build a remnant. 26 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:21,800 Nehemiah was a force for the remnant. 27 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,960 There's a verse that says there's a remnant in Israel. 28 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,600 The walls are down. We need to go build the rebuild 29 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,640 the walls for them. OK, I need to finish that. 30 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:37,080 But also too as a church, God is also making us a remnant, right? 31 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:39,560 We are a remnant for the remnants. 32 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:43,720 We are a church for the church that the roles we take on can 33 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,760 vary. Part of our role as a remnant is 34 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,000 to build walls so that others can can grow and prosper, so 35 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,760 that the marketplace build walls in the marketplace so that 36 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,280 people can receive God's blessing in God's grace in that 37 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,360 space. To build walls within the church 38 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,880 context so churches can grow and ministry can grow and other 39 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,800 things can grow. So that's what we are and 40 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,280 that's, that's what we're doing. But in order to do that, we have 41 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,000 to really be committed to finishing what God is saying for 42 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,880 us to do, really have to be committed to that. 43 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,000 And so I encourage you, I admonish you, I adjure you, I 44 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,400 urge you go and listen to the word, the introduction that I 45 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,960 provided from this morning's time of the experience. 46 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:24,880 I think going to bless your hearts and give you some things 47 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,440 to meditate on and to feed on and the like. 48 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:33,400 I want to pick up this afternoon with the God is training a 49 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:41,080 generation to finish. He's training us to be a 50 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:46,840 generation of finishers, not just stoppers, not just 51 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,040 completers, but finishers that there's a finishing thing in us. 52 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,240 We are generation that's finishing things that have 53 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,280 strong hearts that won't fail when facing generational 54 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:57,960 defining threats and difficulties. 55 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,840 To finish when there's no opposition is great, but to 56 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,160 finish in the face of a generation defining difficulty 57 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,000 is something that's more extraordinary. 58 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,160 We see some of that from the past. 59 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,920 That's why we so honor those who go off the war, those who 60 00:03:13,920 --> 00:03:16,720 honored those who went off from World War Two in particular, 61 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:18,480 they called the greatest generation. 62 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,560 Why? In the face of a generational 63 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,160 threat, they rose to an occasion to finish your work and finish 64 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,280 what was required to be done. And so God is raising up a 65 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,480 generation for his Kingdom, a generation in our context for 66 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,760 the same, for the same purpose. What are the threats and 67 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,800 difficulties that may be coming? I believe, and I'll speak to 68 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,520 this later on as we finish, as we move forward in the message, 69 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,480 I believe some of these difficulties have to do with 70 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,200 economy, have to do with marketplace that we're getting 71 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,120 ready to face. And God is saying to us, I need 72 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:50,720 you to learn how to finish some things. 73 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,640 I need you to learn how to walk out some things in the 74 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:58,320 marketplace, in the economy type of context, much like Joseph did 75 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,400 in his day. I need you to understand how to 76 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:05,840 do that because it's going to be required for you to be standing. 77 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,760 And if you and your standing is going to be the hope to the 78 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,080 world, your standing is going to use provision for everyone else. 79 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,040 So I need you to understand how to do this and how to access 80 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,720 this in ways that are really important for your times. 81 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,760 As I said earlier, this is a message I think for our times, 82 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,560 not just for our church and our house. 83 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,680 So it is So I want to talk to you today and pick up this 84 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,360 afternoon part about some of the aspects of a finishing faith. 85 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,360 We talked about a lot of aspects of a finishing faith earlier 86 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,920 today one, but I want to pick up on a few more that we hadn't 87 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,320 covered off. So a finishing faith rejects 88 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:46,960 time pressure. Now, now, now I should say this. 89 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:48,800 Let me preface one we did talk about this one. 90 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,240 I don't want to hit before I get to this one. 91 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,200 A finishing faith decides to finish before it starts. 92 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,120 OK. A finishing phase decides I'm 93 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,080 deciding to finish before I start. 94 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,400 You make that commitment to that ahead of time. 95 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,200 You're not trying to decide whether you're going to finish 96 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,560 as you move forward. I got married to my wife. 97 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,360 That's it. I've decided I will die in this 98 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:18,920 thing. That's it. 99 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:21,840 Meaning that that's the only thing that's going to separate 100 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:22,720 me and her. That's it. 101 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:25,800 I decided to finish before I started. 102 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,800 And so from that standpoint, a finishing faith makes that 103 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,560 decision. That's the quality and the 104 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,360 character for it. If you're having a faith to 105 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,920 start, that can be great and you need to act. 106 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,080 You need to move out without any question. 107 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,440 But there has to come a place and as soon as you possibly can, 108 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,600 you have to convert that starting faith to a finishing 109 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:54,760 faith because if you don't, you can start and be discouraged 110 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:58,640 from finishing something that God's calling you to because you 111 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:02,120 hadn't made a commitment to finish before you started. 112 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,520 So a finishing faith rejects time pressure as well. 113 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,480 Is this is preached really early. 114 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,080 I'm not above like getting inspired by other folks in the 115 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,320 house, but this is preached Exodus 32. 116 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:17,800 One, you have to turn the verse there. 117 00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:20,520 But what does that mean? It says the people. 118 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:22,920 Moses led the people out. He was talking with God up on 119 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:27,200 the mountain and the people said it was taking too long for Moses 120 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,960 to come down. These folks ain't heard from God 121 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:34,640 in 400 years. These folk been in bondage 400 122 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,520 years and now because Moses is taking a few extra days, it's 123 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,120 taking too long for Moses to come down. 124 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:43,360 Come down with what? He ain't coming down with like a 125 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,840 happy meal. He coming down from what? 126 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:50,360 Thus saith the Lord from a God to make of the heaven and the 127 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:55,200 earth. Their pressure for time caused 128 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,560 them to abort what happened in their life, and they didn't 129 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,800 finish. That choice in that space, in 130 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:04,280 that place, resulted in them being a generation that died in 131 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:08,840 the desert. OK, a finishing faith rejects 132 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:11,880 time pressure. I decided to finish when I 133 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:14,680 started. I don't care how long it takes, 134 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,960 where it takes, how it takes, whatever it takes, I've decided 135 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:23,280 to finish. When I start, I'm impervious to 136 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,080 time. I'm not moved by the any way, 137 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:29,000 shape, form, or fashion. Therefore, I'm not agitated by 138 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,960 things that seem to be taking whatever amount of time too 139 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:36,040 short or too fast. And so finishing faith rejects 140 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,360 time pressure. And it makes sense why? 141 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,520 Because if our faith is in God, and God is without beginning and 142 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:43,640 without our end, then he's not subject to time. 143 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,640 So why should my faith be subject to time that God is not 144 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:50,720 subject to? Finishing Faith understands the 145 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,920 nature of the race. In order to finish, you got to 146 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,080 understand the nature of the race you're running. 147 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,360 I was talking with a young man the other day about this. 148 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,840 Just on Saturday in our prayer time, we come and we gather 149 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,040 together in prayer on Saturdays. I encourage you to come. 150 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,600 A lot of stuff happens. Stuff like this I'm about to 151 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,480 tell you about. So we were talking and, and he 152 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:11,400 happens to run track, run track, that kind of thing. 153 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,120 And we were saying this and you got to understand what a victory 154 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,080 is in a Sprint race versus a marathon. 155 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:24,800 See, in a marathon, you may win by yards, meters, minutes, OK? 156 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,920 But first of all, you don't get to winning by minutes right away 157 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,159 in a marathon. A lot of it stays close because 158 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:35,440 people are conserving energy with each other and near the 159 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:36,799 like my marathon run. Yeah. 160 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:40,000 And then and near the end is when you start getting the 161 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,480 separation. So for most of 26 miles, 26.2, 162 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,520 whatever the number is miles, it looks like we don't know who's 163 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,600 going to win this thing, OK, Even though by the end you may 164 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:57,880 get some distance, but in a Sprint, the distinction fact of 165 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:03,480 winning is .0001 seconds sometimes, right? 166 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,520 That's the difference between between you still can't even 167 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:08,320 tell. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, 168 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:14,680 it's, it's a hairlash, OK? But when you decide that that's 169 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:17,360 the race I'm running, you understand victory's going to 170 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,960 come by a hairlash. So I'm not going to sweat, I'm 171 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:24,520 not going to get concerned when it's a close race. 172 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,880 I'm not going to get tight at the finish because they're next 173 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:28,600 to me. Why? 174 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:31,720 Because victories in this race come by a hairlash. 175 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,320 When you understand the context of the race you're running, you 176 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,720 understand what victory is like. So you have finishing faith in 177 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,320 running races. It says this that when when a 178 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:46,320 sprinter gets through all the phases, starts starts 179 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:52,000 accelerating, gets to the top speed, It says sometimes one 180 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,560 racer runner has a better top speed than another, you just 181 00:09:55,560 --> 00:09:58,640 lose. But in most instances in world 182 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:03,680 class competition, the runner that wins when they hit the top 183 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:10,160 speed is not the fastest runner. It is the one that maintains 184 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:14,600 poise and form. Typically the folks that lose 185 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,280 are the folks who get tight all of a sudden at the finish and 186 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,640 their form starts getting off. And the one who's not moved by 187 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,200 pressure, not moved by time, just maintains their form and 188 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,040 they win. Not necessarily because they're 189 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:33,240 faster, but they weren't moved by the pressure and the time. 190 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:34,960 They understood the nature of the race. 191 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,560 And close means I'm winning. It don't mean I'm losing. 192 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,720 Finishing faith understands the nature of the race you're in. 193 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,560 A finishing faith fully commits with consistency. 194 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:52,120 You got to fully commit with consistency, and that's the 195 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:53,440 challenge. You have to ask yourself, am I 196 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:58,040 fully committed? Am I conditionally committed or 197 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,960 am I fully committed? Full commitment means there's no 198 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,680 conditions on my commitment. I'm giving my all period. 199 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:11,440 Whether you show up, I'm giving my all period that matter. 200 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:16,600 A finishing faith is important because why? 201 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:21,080 God remembers your consistency in Acts 10 one through 4. 202 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:23,640 Again, these references are there for your reference to go 203 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:25,720 back and look at the Scriptures. Not necessarily we're going to 204 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,240 pull them up today, but in Acts 10, one through 4, there was a 205 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,800 man, Cornelius, and God came to him. 206 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,400 He was a man of the Italian band and says he wasn't a Jewish guy. 207 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:38,040 He was a guy who was loving God with all his heart. 208 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:41,400 But outside this revelation of what Jesus had done. 209 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:46,160 But God said to Cornelius, Cornelius, I have seen the 210 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:50,000 consistency of your prayer to me and I've can seen the 211 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,080 consistency with which you have given to the poor to help those 212 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:56,360 in need. And on the basis of your 213 00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:02,800 consistency, I have come and I'm sending you to someone who can 214 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,800 lead you in the fullness of the faith that you're seeking so you 215 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,240 can know me better. God remembers your consistency. 216 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:14,200 A finishing faith fully commits with consistency. 217 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:17,760 It fully commits to the Word with consistency. 218 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,840 I'm not an in and out study of the Word or standard on the Word 219 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:25,000 or meditated in the Word. I'm not in and out believing 220 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,160 this verse, but I don't believe that verse. 221 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,000 It fully commits to the word with consistency. 222 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:34,920 I commit to the word of forgiveness when it's easy to 223 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,240 forgive, when it's hard to forgive, when I have to forgive 224 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,960 a thing that that something no one should ever experience. 225 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,960 If the Word is to forgive, I have to be as committed in that 226 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:55,200 instance when I have every right to hate and to want to destroy 227 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,720 someone for the heinous thing they've committed to me. 228 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,040 Has to be as committed to forgiveness there as I am when 229 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:06,320 someone cuts me off on traffic and I say I forgive you fully 230 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:08,160 commits to the Word with consistency. 231 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,440 It fully commits to love with consistency. 232 00:13:16,850 --> 00:13:21,570 It fully commits to worship with consistency. 233 00:13:22,930 --> 00:13:25,770 What does that mean? Well, if I'm committing to love 234 00:13:25,770 --> 00:13:29,000 with consistency, that means I'm going to love you whether you 235 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:33,320 love me back or not. I'm going to love you because 236 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,000 I'm called to love you. I'm called to walk in love. 237 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,720 I'm called to forgive. I'm called to do to do the hard 238 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:43,040 parts of love. It fully commits to worship with 239 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,400 consistency. That means when it's hot, I'm 240 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,160 worshiping. When it's cold, I'm worshiping. 241 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,760 That means when I when I'm angry at God, I'm still worshiping 242 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,360 when I'm crying with tears because I'm confused in the 243 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,880 midst of my tears. God, I don't know, but I just, 244 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:00,440 I'm still choosing to worship you. 245 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:04,480 I don't have any understanding about this, but I'm going to 246 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:06,280 continue to remember that you're good. 247 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,160 I'm a remember of the goods you've done and the good that 248 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:15,320 you are fully commits to worship with consistency. 249 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:19,600 How's your worship? Is it fully committed worship or 250 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:21,400 is it consist and is it consistent? 251 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,080 Is it full throw passion or is it consistent? 252 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:30,360 Is it full and giving myself to it or is it consistent and is it 253 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,680 consistent? It fully commits to pray with 254 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,600 consistency. It fully commits to be rooted 255 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:41,120 with consistency. Are you committed to be rooted 256 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,280 in your church community with consistency? 257 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,000 I'm going to be rooted when it's easy and rooted when it's not. 258 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,160 I'm going to be rooted when I'm challenged. 259 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:52,800 I'm going to be rooted when I want to run. 260 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,840 I've told several people in years, I've talked with them and 261 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:57,720 I've just admired their journeys. 262 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,480 I said, you know, the thing I appreciate about you the most 263 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,640 is, is that you didn't off ramp. What does that mean? 264 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,280 There comes times where you could be offended or you could 265 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:10,440 be confused or you could be whatever. 266 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:14,760 God is being faithful, but because of your experience, 267 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,360 confusion is entered. And yes, you have the and 268 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,880 there's a a moment where you can decide I'm just going to take 269 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,800 the exit. Now, it doesn't mean I'm bad, 270 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,000 doesn't mean God doesn't have a plan for me, but it means I'm 271 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:33,520 just going off ramp. But I've seen some of people 272 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:38,560 battling to live this out, literally pull over at the off 273 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,880 ramp, put the blinkers on and bang on the steering wheel 274 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:44,640 trying to fight through and see God. 275 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:47,840 God, I so want to get off this highway today. 276 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:59,840 Right? And then after a while they 277 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,840 wiped their tears and they said I'll at least go one more exit, 278 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:10,040 if nothing else, and they get back on the finishing. 279 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,840 Faith is fully committed, fully commits to being to be 280 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:18,080 discipled. Being mentored is not being 281 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:23,120 discipled. You can want people to help you 282 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,040 with your situations. That's mentoring. 283 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:30,080 Being discipled means I'm willing to walk, walk with you 284 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,760 as you live your life, to help me learn how to live mine. 285 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:36,320 I'm willing to let you speak into my life, into the hard 286 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,960 parts, the easy parts. And I'm going to offer you 287 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,120 opportunities to do it. I'm not going to make you hunt 288 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:44,160 for it and make you have to work for it. 289 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,160 I'm going to be vulnerable and trust. 290 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,000 A finishing faith fully commits to be disciple. 291 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:56,120 A finishing faith fully commits to disciple others as well with 292 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,600 consistency. But you can't be, you can't 293 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,960 disciple others unless you're being disciple first. 294 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:06,400 That's part of where you learn it, a finishing faith. 295 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,960 Elijah said to Elijah, go ahead. What you want, Elijah. 296 00:17:11,319 --> 00:17:12,960 Elijah said, I want a double portion of what's on. 297 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,640 You say OK, He say, if you see me when I get caught up or 298 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:19,280 wherever I'm carried away, then you can get it. 299 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:23,119 And after he said that time passed, Elijah said to Elijah, 300 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,640 I'm hungry man, why don't you go get me a sandwich from town? 301 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:28,440 Elijah says, brother, I'm not leaving your side. 302 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,840 There's something about being in proximity with those that are 303 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,400 disciple in you. When you pick up something more 304 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:39,240 than just information, you pick up impartation and the character 305 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:41,040 of God and the character of things. 306 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,720 You have to be fully committed to disciple with consistency. 307 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,520 A fully a finishing faith fully commits to fight with 308 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,720 consistency. I'm talking about fight. 309 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,720 Stand for it. Fight, fight, fight. 310 00:17:58,040 --> 00:17:59,520 You don't want to come to church, fight. 311 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,120 You don't want to worship. Fight with consistency. 312 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:05,760 I'm going to get there, then I'm going to fight the next fight. 313 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:08,440 You don't have to fight every fight every day. 314 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,000 Just fight the one that's in front of you and win that one. 315 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,040 And then let that be a momentum. So if you got to fight to get 316 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:20,600 here, I fought them here. But I don't want to worship God. 317 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:22,840 I don't want to say God is good because they don't feel good to 318 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,760 me right now. But then you fight through that 319 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:31,000 moment, OK? You got to be willing to fight, 320 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:33,960 man. You got to be willing to battle 321 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:35,760 to do something, open up your mouth. 322 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:38,120 You got to be willing to lift your voice. 323 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:40,760 You got to be willing to move your body, change your position. 324 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,760 I can't fight. You'll fight for you. 325 00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:46,760 I can fight on your behalf. I can createspace for you to 326 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,280 fight. I can try to impart, impart my 327 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,680 fight to you, but ultimately you're going to have to be in 328 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,640 the ring. You're going to have to fight 329 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:58,720 and a finishing faith fights, and it doesn't fight only at the 330 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,720 big fights. It fights at the little fights 331 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,080 when I'm beginning to get a little bit of offender when I 332 00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:07,240 think, I think I could feel some type of way, I'm going to fight 333 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,120 that thing out right now before it blows up into something else. 334 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,440 OK, you got to be committed to a fight. 335 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,560 A finishing faith fully commits to tie with consistency. 336 00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:26,880 Have you committed to tithe? What, what, what does that mean? 337 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,840 Abraham did it with his whole heart and gratitude to God on 338 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:32,720 recognition of God's blessing on his life. 339 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:36,600 So it wasn't God's idea to tithe, and it wasn't your 340 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:40,120 pastor's idea to tithe. It was our great, great, great 341 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:43,480 granddaddy's idea to tithe. The one whose blessings we walk 342 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,280 in right now, the one whose faith we walk in right now, the 343 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:48,640 one whose righteousness we walk in right now through Jesus. 344 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:52,600 It was his idea. He was so grateful to have 345 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,040 encountered God and God released a blessing upon his life. 346 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:00,160 He was so grateful out of that gratitude, he said man, God, us 347 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:09,680 want a gear and gave 10% of a major victory that he had won a 348 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,360 finishing faith. You have to be committed to 349 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:17,040 tithing because it's a commitment to recognizing the 350 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,400 generosity of God's blessing on your life. 351 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,280 It's a commitment to recognizing that you didn't do your life by 352 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,760 your own hands. The dress you wear, the car you 353 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:28,400 ride, the pants you got, you didn't get that by the might of 354 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,560 your own hand. It was about the breath God gave 355 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,120 you and the grace God gave you. I got a job who gave you the 356 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:35,520 mind? Who gave you the thought? 357 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:38,520 Who gave you the opportunity? Who gave you the space? 358 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,720 It's a recognition of God's graciousness and goodness to 359 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:48,160 you, and your consistency and commitment to that anchors you. 360 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,680 The one of the things that's kept me and my wife throughout 361 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,840 all the ups and downs of our marriage, we made a commitment 362 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:57,920 to tithe, period. We didn't make a commitment to 363 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,800 money and then tithe. We made a commitment to tithe 364 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,760 and then money. Our commitment to tithe was 365 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,160 like, we're going to do it, and we're going to press in with 366 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:09,960 gratitude and faithfulness to God. 367 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:12,320 We're not going to wait for much to come. 368 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:13,720 We're going to do it whatever we got. 369 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,520 And there's a time where it seems like it's going to be 370 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:23,320 hard, but I've already lived at that time in my life. 371 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:25,200 I'd already lived on the other side of hard. 372 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,840 No hope, no gratitude, no recognition of God's blessing. 373 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:36,280 My parents had a bunch of money. I've been to Super Bowl. 374 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,960 My first car was I drove was a Mercedes-Benz 450 SCL. 375 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:43,400 That's not a brag. What I'm telling you is I've 376 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:46,920 been on the other side of money with no blessing and no God and 377 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:52,520 no gratefulness. And if my tithing meant I had 378 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,720 the faith being without, but I had a blessing of God and I had 379 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,960 a good encouragement to know God, I'm done. 380 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:00,320 I'm just remembering the blessing that you had on my 381 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,360 life. I'm not getting you to bless me. 382 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:04,120 I'm recognizing what you've done. 383 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,400 I trade all of that for the to know God that way and that has 384 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,120 kept us. How did you move here with no 385 00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:15,160 job? Tithing got us here because we 386 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,760 knew to God that blessed us there is going to bless us here. 387 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:27,440 Abraham did it with his whole heart and gratitude to God and 388 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:29,400 recognition of God's blessing on his life. 389 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:34,280 You can't serve God 2 masters. You can't serve God and Mammon. 390 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:37,280 What you're going to do with the one, you're going to hate the 391 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:41,640 other one for the reason God is, is is encouraging you to 392 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:45,240 maintain the commitment, the voluntary commitment of Abraham, 393 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,560 your great, great grandfather. Is that where your money is? 394 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:52,240 That's where your heart is, where your treasure is, that's 395 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:56,400 where your heart follows. It's an easy way to draw close 396 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,080 to God, because you're paying for God. 397 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,160 No, but if you're put, if you're willing to sacrifice and put 398 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,800 some of your currency, some of your wealth, some of your 399 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:09,600 resource there, it's going to anchor you there in ways that 400 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,840 other things don't. It's easy to leave a church 401 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:21,450 you're not supporting. Have you committed to tithe? 402 00:23:22,010 --> 00:23:25,130 God said it would draw you nearer to Him when you put your 403 00:23:25,130 --> 00:23:27,970 whole heart, your whole faith, and your whole mouth into it. 404 00:23:28,770 --> 00:23:33,440 What do I mean by whole mouth? Malachi through Malachi three 405 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,120 and four talks about this. The people were doing the 406 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:39,760 tithing or the generous or the giving thing, and after they did 407 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,480 the giving thing, they were like, man, this ain't working. 408 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,160 This don't matter, man. The eve, the wicked folks, the 409 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,880 folk who don't man it, it's not doing nothing, man. 410 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:49,760 God, God forgot about us. So you're doing one thing, 411 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,680 expresses trust and generosity to God, and with your mouth 412 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:58,480 you're canceling it all. Abraham gave his whole heart and 413 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,880 his whole mouth to it. God said if you do that, he's 414 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,760 going to honor it by pouring out a blessing too big for you, 415 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,120 rebuking the attacks against you, restoring your family, and 416 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:10,400 bringing your sons and daughters home as a result. 417 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,320 That's God's faithfulness. That's what he says because why? 418 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:16,840 Because when you tithing, what you're saying is God, you got my 419 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:20,440 heart. And if you giving God your 420 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,880 heart, God's going to give you his in a more extraordinary way. 421 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,800 His heart will be towards you in a more open way for you to 422 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:35,840 receive a finishing faith. Fully commits to bold sacrifice 423 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:40,400 with consistency. Bold sacrifice with consistency. 424 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,520 Have you committed to bold sacrifice? 425 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:49,520 Again, this is not stuff you do based on your resources. 426 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:52,440 It's what you do based on the number one. 427 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:56,480 My commitment to the Word. My commitment to my relationship 428 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,440 with God. And it's not something for old 429 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,160 people either. It's not something for working 430 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:06,200 people either. It's not something just for non 431 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:10,240 students either. It's something for everybody. 432 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:17,080 What I found is that when you make that commitment to God, God 433 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:21,760 sees that and he stands by it. This is my son right here. 434 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:33,680 We're from the South Side of Chicago, African American 435 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,360 people, and he came up here and he went snowboard. 436 00:25:42,390 --> 00:25:44,990 That ain't like us. We didn't know nothing about it. 437 00:25:48,470 --> 00:25:50,910 Only thing I knew about snow in Chicago was I didn't want to be 438 00:25:50,910 --> 00:25:57,910 in it very long. But I saw his commitment that I 439 00:25:57,910 --> 00:26:01,960 just want to do it. And when I saw his commitment, 440 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:06,720 it moved me to resource OK, where we got to get a coach, 441 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,080 what kind of car we need to get up a mountain. 442 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,960 His moved his Mama to drive through blizzards to be there. 443 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:27,600 His commitment moved us. Had he not been committed, there 444 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,280 would have been no movement in that. 445 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:32,560 It wouldn't matter that I knew it, I didn't know and it 446 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:34,920 wouldn't matter it was foreign to me or familiar to me. 447 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:37,760 I saw his love and I saw his commitment. 448 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,400 I saw the sparkling in his eye. I saw it was something he needed 449 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:46,440 to do because it gave him life, not because he could be good at 450 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,360 it. He was competitive, high-ranking 451 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:52,000 in Canada, but I saw he just enjoyed it. 452 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,720 I saw the joy he got out of it, and his commitment moved me. 453 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:01,800 His commitment to your tithing and sacrificial giving. 454 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,080 Now you notice I talked about a bunch of other stuff too. 455 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:05,640 Remember that when you leave the meeting. 456 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,720 But his commitment to that moved me and moved us. 457 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:16,920 And in moving us, we met people who prayed with who we stood 458 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:22,560 with, who stood with us. Or have you committed to both? 459 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:28,240 Sacrifice Abraham's sacrifice The best land to pursue peace. 460 00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:34,560 Bold sacrifice Rahab risked a certain death for treason for 461 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:37,120 her and probably her family. To save the spies. 462 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,240 She hid them. What if they never came back and 463 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:42,360 work that out? She hid them. 464 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,280 Her family dies. She committed the bold 465 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,600 sacrifice. Solomon's sacrifice 144,000 466 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,440 animals to dedicate the temple so people could come and 467 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,480 experience God. Part of his prayer dedication is 468 00:27:57,480 --> 00:27:59,280 God. Wherever people are, if they 469 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:03,400 need help, just let them even just turn towards the temple and 470 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,080 receive your presence and your help just by even acknowledging 471 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,240 you with that simple gesture. Think about that when you look 472 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,640 at these condos around here and what we're trying to do on this 473 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:17,840 property. Solomon sacrificed 1000 animals 474 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,480 just to hear from God on how to lead God's people. 475 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:26,200 David sacrificed his life to slay Goliath and rally his 476 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:31,400 people to God. And it was a sacrifice. 477 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:35,360 God did not ask him to do that. He saw an opportunity. 478 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:39,680 He saw his God being mocked and he saw his people in need. 479 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:44,480 And he said that's enough for me to move because I'm a finisher. 480 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:49,480 I finished lions, I finished bears, I finished my ego 481 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:55,520 watching them sheep. Noah sacrificed his friends and 482 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:58,840 his family and all he had known to trust God. 483 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:03,920 Have you committed? Are you committed to bold 484 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:07,120 sacrifice? 3 Hebrew boys sacrifice their 485 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:11,000 lives to a furnace. Bold sacrifice. 486 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,800 Daniel sacrificed his position in order to have a prayer life 487 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:19,960 and communion with God. Not for money, not for wealth. 488 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:23,520 He just says, I just want to pray in communion with God. 489 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:26,520 If it cost me my life, then it cost me my life. 490 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:29,440 If it cost me my position, it cost me my position. 491 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:31,840 What does that tell you about prayer? 492 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:40,880 Mary sacrificed her womb and her virginity to carry Jesus. 493 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:46,880 Think about that. A gift she's supposed to reserve 494 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:51,280 for a husband. She said, honey, I'm going to 495 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:56,720 give this to God and you will never know what it is to have 496 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,320 your first born be that which opens my womb. 497 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,800 She gave, she sacrificed that treasure to carry Jesus and I 498 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:12,520 sacrificed decades of getting remarried to draw near to God. 499 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,280 She got married young. Her husband died young. 500 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,840 She was a widow a long time, she could have got remarried, it 501 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:20,800 wouldn't have been no problem with God or nobody. 502 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,640 But she sacrificed in service to God. 503 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:27,920 And when Jesus came to the temple, being to be circumcised 504 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:29,920 by his, his parents brought him to the temple. 505 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:37,160 She beheld him in the midst of that sacrifice, Zacchaeus 506 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:42,200 sacrifice half of all he had and repaid what he stole after 507 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,320 accounting Jesus. Are you committed to a bold 508 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:49,320 sacrifice? Not just money, but both 509 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,240 sacrifice to love the folk you hate. 510 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,280 Both sacrifice to have peace with the folk that only want war 511 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,960 with you. Both sacrifice to serve in 512 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,080 places where you you need it. But maybe don't feel it's my 513 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:06,040 first call. Jesus sacrificed his glory in 514 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:12,720 heaven to put on a body so we can know God as Father, the Holy 515 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:18,240 Spirit that sacrifice. His life should be to live in us 516 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:20,800 so we can live as children of God. 517 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:27,040 In Acts, people sold houses and sacrificed lands to expand the 518 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:30,480 Kingdom of God. Sacrifice. 519 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:33,280 Are you committed to bold sacrifice? 520 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:36,920 Finishing Faith commits to bold sacrifice. 521 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,520 Kobe Bryant didn't start training at 8:00 in the morning 522 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:42,760 when the other players did, he said, I'm going to get up at 523 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,720 4:00 in the morning and train. That gives me two more 524 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,280 opportunities to train than other people do. 525 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,120 And over the course of time, that's 10s of thousands or more 526 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:53,480 training hours than I have. I'm going to commit bold 527 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:58,320 sacrifice. Not even knowing. 528 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:13,480 Not even knowing the least of us is far greater than all of those 529 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,760 people combined. All in people that both 530 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:20,720 sacrifice the least of us is greater than all of them 531 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:25,520 combined. Why is that? 532 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,880 Jesus said this. There's a prophet, John the 533 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:34,200 Baptist, though he's a great prophet, the least in the 534 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,360 Kingdom is greater than him because you have the opportunity 535 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:42,120 to have the Lord live in you. That makes you far greater than 536 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:48,000 knows who God had to come on, you got something you 537 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,640 experienced something greater than even Moses did. 538 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:55,880 So if we experiencing something greater, let's stop merely 539 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:59,640 reading about their sacrifices and let's start exceeding their 540 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,240 sacrifices. Let's start exceeding their 541 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:06,720 sacrifices of comfort for love and for grace and for soul 542 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:10,000 winning and for ministry and building up the faith and taking 543 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:11,440 care of and building our families. 544 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:14,320 Let's start exceeding their sacrifices. 545 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,360 A finishing faith knows how to fight. 546 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,040 The Scripture references there said there were those that 547 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:23,120 fought with both the right hand and the left hand, that we 548 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:26,960 equally skilled. You got to know how to fight. 549 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:30,240 The other reference there, Gee, David said, shall I go up and 550 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,160 fight the Philistines? He fought them the first time 551 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:35,440 and went one way. He knew enough to say, God, this 552 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:38,320 is a different fight. Is it a different strategy? 553 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:44,960 And God said, yeah, this time take your rest bro, I'm going to 554 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:48,200 take care of it on the front side with the angels. 555 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:52,040 Knowing how to fight means there's different strategies, 556 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:53,560 there's skillfulness that's required. 557 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,920 What you do in this one season to finish your faith fight, 558 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,360 maybe something different need to do in the next season to 559 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:04,400 finish your faith fight. A finishing faith has increasing 560 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,680 joy because of the joy that stood before Jesus. 561 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,320 He endured the cross despising his shame. 562 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:15,239 He finished the fight with increasing joy, exceeding joy. 563 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,199 A finishing faith has increasing joy. 564 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:20,920 A finishing faith knows how to stand. 565 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,880 Having done all the stand, I'm going to stand because I'm not 566 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:25,880 moved by fear. I'm not moved by time. 567 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,840 I'm going to stand. And having done all the stand, 568 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:31,560 I'll stand. I'll stand and I'll stand. 569 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,000 But let me tell you how standing also looks. 570 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:40,560 It looks like Moses when he sat on a rock and folks had to hold 571 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:42,280 his arms up because he was tired. 572 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,000 That's still standing. Sometimes when you're on your 573 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:52,000 knees crying, not sure, but you're still pointing your heart 574 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,600 and your spirit towards God. That's still standing. 575 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:03,720 Sometimes you fall and you say to yourself, I can't stay here. 576 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:08,360 Just that thought alone is still standing. 577 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:13,880 And then you get up. That is still standing. 578 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:26,040 A finishing faith finishes through contact, Knows how to 579 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:29,800 take contact, take blows and keep going, knows how to hit and 580 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:35,240 not quit, knows how to get bad news and still declare the good 581 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:39,440 news. 2nd Corinthians 4 says this. 582 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:43,440 We are hedged in on every side, troubled and oppressed in every 583 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:48,120 way, but not cramped or crushed. We suffer embarrassments and are 584 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:50,040 perplexed and unable to find a way out. 585 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:53,200 But we're not driven to despair. It don't matter the contact we 586 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:54,440 have. We're not quitting. 587 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:56,600 We're not giving up. We're not giving in. 588 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,640 We're going over. We're not going to stop. 589 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,680 It doesn't matter what happens if I fall. 590 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:08,360 If I fall, then brother, you walk across my body to keep the 591 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:11,880 victory going, OK? It doesn't matter. 592 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:15,760 A finishing faith doesn't say I get there. 593 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:21,280 A finishing faith says we get there and when we get there you 594 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,880 carry my faith with you, you carry my spirit with you, you 595 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:26,840 carry me with you. When you get there. 596 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:30,640 This body is passing away. The real me is when we bonded 597 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:32,720 together. You go when we get there. 598 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,040 Joseph said this. I'm not going to see when you 599 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:43,040 get to the new land, but when y'all get out of Egypt, take my 600 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:47,120 bones with you. I will have been dead, but if 601 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:50,560 you take my bones, I'll get there with you as if I visited 602 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:57,760 when I was alive. We're pursued, but not deserted. 603 00:36:57,760 --> 00:36:59,840 We're struck down to the ground, but never struck out and 604 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:03,440 destroyed. Romans 8 says this, and I want 605 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:04,800 to read. This one's pretty small. 606 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:07,600 What things shall we say to all of this? 607 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,640 If God is for us, who can be against us? 608 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,880 Who can be our foe? If God is on our side, don't 609 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:15,640 matter the contact, I'm going to finish. 610 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,120 He who did not withhold or spare his own son, they gave him up 611 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,680 for all of us. Will he not also with him freely 612 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:25,360 and graciously give us all other things? 613 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:28,520 I'm going to keep going because he's for me, not against me. 614 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:31,960 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect when it is 615 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:35,040 God is the one who justifies, who puts us in the right 616 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:37,880 relationship himself. Who's going to come forward? 617 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,720 Who's going to think they can knock me down enough and accuse 618 00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:43,040 me enough? And pinch me enough, when God 619 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:46,040 has chosen me, who going to tell me I ain't qualified? 620 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:48,080 When God said, Son, you go gaster it. 621 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:55,160 Who was there to condemn us? Well, Christ Jesus, if not full 622 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:56,600 stop, we can leave it right there. 623 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:00,400 He's the one that died for me. He knew exactly what the 624 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:03,400 condition I was in and he died for me nonetheless. 625 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:08,120 And if he's not going to condemn me, who am I to be? 626 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,320 Have my face stopped by anybody else who says we can't? 627 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:14,040 You too small. You a Church of 300, you're 628 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,600 asking for too much. You believe it too big, you're 629 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:21,920 trying to reach too many people who shall ever separate us from 630 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,720 Christ's love shall suffer that affliction. 631 00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:26,960 Contact, I'm still going to finish. 632 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:30,080 Tribulation, Contact, I'm still going to finish. 633 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,640 Calamity, distress, contact, I'm still finishing. 634 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:38,680 Or persecution, or hunger or destitution or peril, or sword, 635 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:43,200 or people not liking you, people trolling you on IG, it don't 636 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:45,320 matter. Contact, I'm still going to 637 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:52,080 finish. Even as it's written, For thy 638 00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:54,600 sake we're put to death all day long. 639 00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:59,360 Doesn't matter even if my life looks like it's in the balance. 640 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:02,360 We regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter. 641 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,720 Yet amid all these things, we're more than conquerors. 642 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:08,280 I know how to finish through contact. 643 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:10,160 See. See, You only have more than 644 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:12,800 conqueror if you had something to try to conquer you, and you 645 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:15,280 conquered it. That's the definition of 646 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:21,040 finishing through contact. For I'm persuaded beyond doubt 647 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:26,320 that neither death, nor life, nor angels or principalities, 648 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:29,480 nor things impending and threatening, nor things to come, 649 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:33,520 nor powers, nor height or depth, or anything else in all 650 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:38,040 creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God 651 00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:39,840 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 652 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:46,000 And it's that knowledge and that surety that allows me to finish 653 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:52,560 through the midst of contact. A finishing faith endures to the 654 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:55,800 end. A finishing faith gets stronger 655 00:39:55,800 --> 00:40:00,920 at the end A finishing faith gets stronger at the end. 656 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:09,720 Jesus on the cross, it says after being beaten strapped, he 657 00:40:09,720 --> 00:40:12,760 said with a loud voice. He cried out. 658 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:17,720 A finishing faith will get stronger at the end because. 659 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:20,280 It comes from your spirit, not from your body. 660 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,440 It comes from divine resources, not stuff for this natural 661 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:27,120 world. A finishing faith gets even 662 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:30,320 better at the end. Jesus took turned the water into 663 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:33,520 wine, and the one he did at the end of the way, it was better 664 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:38,960 than the one they did before Jesus. 665 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:41,920 A finishing faith knows how to increase momentum. 666 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:46,160 A finishing faith knows how to increase momentum. 667 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,640 You need momentum to finish. You need momentum to get out of 668 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,320 ruts sometimes you need momentum to get ahead. 669 00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:57,720 Sometimes knowing you're going to fall back a little bit and 670 00:40:57,720 --> 00:40:59,720 then finish. Your faith knows how to increase 671 00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:02,440 momentum, knows how to Stewart momentum well. 672 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,080 You increase momentum by facing facts and getting focused. 673 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:11,880 The Bible says Abraham face the fact that his body was dead and 674 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:15,760 his wife was too. When you face the facts, it 675 00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:23,400 takes all the fear out to fight. I done looked at the worst that 676 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:28,680 can be and I still ain't scared because my God is bigger and I'm 677 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:30,320 bigger in him and he's bigger in me. 678 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:33,320 Face the facts will get you focused. 679 00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:37,440 OK God, it's clear I came. That means I got to really focus 680 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:42,600 on you doing, eliminating any confusion about whether I still 681 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:45,800 have the ability to, and I'm totally trusting in you. 682 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:48,600 Increased momentum through worship. 683 00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:52,000 It says that Rome is one of the ways he increased his momentum. 684 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,160 He said he began to worship God. He said increased his worship 685 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,960 under God, facing the facts. But God's your provider. 686 00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:00,360 God, you told me I'd be a father of many nations. 687 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:02,880 God, you're faithful. God, you visited me. 688 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:06,080 I remember the blessing you put on my life. 689 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:09,320 I remember that it moved me so much and prompted me to tithe. 690 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,080 Are you seeing a connection? I remember you were present. 691 00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:16,040 I remember you were there, He continued worshipping. 692 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:21,080 You increase momentum by loving. Love never fails. 693 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:25,240 They hurt me, Love. I don't understand love. 694 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:27,840 You don't know what I've been through love. 695 00:42:27,840 --> 00:42:30,080 Anyway. You increase your momentum by 696 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:32,960 intentionally loving the loveless, the people that are 697 00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:36,760 hard for you to love. What about people like like, 698 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:40,160 like my family? Why I intentionally love them 699 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:43,520 more, more consistently, more intentionally. 700 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:47,440 You increase your momentum by increasing your love. 701 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:50,000 You increase your momentum by sowing. 702 00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:53,120 God is not mock whatever a man sows that shall he reap. 703 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,640 You increase your momentum by praying, because the effectual 704 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:03,080 fervent prayer of the righteous avails much power. 705 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:09,600 When you dial up heaven Heaven dials in on your circumstance 706 00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:14,440 you ever had. I was in my car the other day 707 00:43:14,640 --> 00:43:17,320 and I called one guy and it wouldn't the other guy there's 708 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:19,760 two guys with the same name and the first guy I wasn't trying to 709 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:23,400 call and I happened to call him and the and the phone went and I 710 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:26,880 turned it off. I didn't really hear it ring I 711 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,400 just saw the name pop up. OK Then I called the other guy 712 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,000 with the same name I was trying to talk to. 5 minutes later the 713 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:35,120 first guy calls me and says hey man did you call me? 714 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:46,560 All I did was very faintly make contact with him and he was 715 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:49,560 moved to respond and call me back and see what is it you 716 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:54,640 need, my friend? Increased momentum by just 717 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:58,160 showing up to pray you increased momentum. 718 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:00,800 That's like that little contact I did with that fellow on the 719 00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:02,160 phone. I just showed up. 720 00:44:04,720 --> 00:44:07,280 Increase the momentum by receiving God's grace. 721 00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:11,240 His grace is sufficient for you. His power is made perfect and 722 00:44:11,240 --> 00:44:13,880 weakness is by His grace. That you live, by. 723 00:44:13,880 --> 00:44:16,120 His grace that you move is by His grace. 724 00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:20,560 You increase your momentum by not deviating and not wavering. 725 00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:26,440 If I am a track runner and I'm in a Sprint and this is the 726 00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:30,640 center of the lane, if I begin to drift even this way a little 727 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:34,960 bit, I'm getting behind. I'm deviating from my course. 728 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:38,000 Don't deviate. Stay the course right on the 729 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:40,120 middle. Don't deviate not to the right, 730 00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:41,920 to the left. Don't get distracted. 731 00:44:41,920 --> 00:44:45,560 Don't let people pull you aside. Don't waver. 732 00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:48,760 You increase momentum by seizing challenges. 733 00:44:49,680 --> 00:44:52,840 David came to bring lunch and left with a giant head and a 734 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:56,680 Kingdom because he sees the challenge. 735 00:44:56,680 --> 00:44:59,720 Do hard things. Shout out to Rachel and Matt. 736 00:44:59,720 --> 00:45:04,280 Do hard things. You increase momentum by walking 737 00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:10,920 with momentum makers who are the folks that got momentum around 738 00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:14,120 you. The Bible says that when Saul 739 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:16,760 fell among the prophets, he became like them. 740 00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:22,360 The Bible says that to Peter. You sound like Jesus. 741 00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:26,000 It's clear to me you've been with him when you need momentum, 742 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:28,960 get among the folks that got it and watch it come on. 743 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:32,280 You get among those that know how to steward it and watch your 744 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:35,320 skill level and steward in the momentum of God increasing your 745 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:37,920 life to help you finish in faith. 746 00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:42,920 And finally, a finishing faith actually finishes. 747 00:45:45,720 --> 00:45:49,000 Don't get close to finish, it actually finishes. 748 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:52,960 It breaks the tape. You don't get closer than lose 749 00:45:52,960 --> 00:45:56,480 it at the end. A finishing faith is not almost 750 00:45:56,480 --> 00:46:01,080 finishing faith. Runners will tell you this that 751 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:03,360 I don't run to the tape. I run 10 yards past. 752 00:46:03,720 --> 00:46:06,360 My race is not 100 meters, it's 110. 753 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:12,320 A finishing faith goes all the way through the finish, not just 754 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:17,280 to the finish. A finishing faith actually 755 00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:26,480 finishes. So Father, we thank you for what 756 00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:28,520 you're doing and our time in this moment. 757 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:33,120 And this is just the context. I'm just setting the atmosphere. 758 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:37,640 Pastor Terrence going to come back, he's going to lay round. 759 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:41,760 He's going to lay layer after layer after layer after layer 760 00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:46,440 after layer to build us up even stronger in what finishing faith 761 00:46:46,440 --> 00:46:48,680 means. But in this atmosphere, I'm 762 00:46:48,680 --> 00:47:01,560 saying, God help us to finish. If that's you, if that's you, if 763 00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:07,280 that's you, he got it. If that's you, you respond the 764 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:10,080 way you want to respond. See, if I got to tell you how to 765 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:11,680 finish, then you're not finishing. 766 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:15,360 Father, we thank you that you're making us to be finishing 767 00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:19,680 people, people who respond to the moment, who respond to the 768 00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:21,800 opportunity, who respond to the grace. 769 00:47:21,840 --> 00:47:24,880 Lord Godfather, we thank you. God, You're showing us and 770 00:47:24,880 --> 00:47:27,920 giving us revelation of this and how to walk it out and live it 771 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:31,680 out in our lives. And we thank you, God, that we 772 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:33,720 are repeated after me say I am a finisher. 773 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:39,600 By God's grace, I'm a finisher. Paul's not the only one. 774 00:47:40,680 --> 00:47:47,280 I too am finishing my course. I too am finishing my race to 775 00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:53,080 the glory of God forevermore, in Jesus name, Amen. 776 00:47:54,840 --> 00:47:56,880 Thank you so much for tuning into this week's sermon. 777 00:47:56,880 --> 00:48:00,200 We pray you were challenged, equipped and encouraged. 778 00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:02,400 Make sure to follow us on all platforms. 779 00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:06,480 That's love quest Intl church. We out here for real. 780 00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:08,840 We're really doing it. That's Facebook, Instagram, 781 00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:12,080 YouTube and TikTok. You can find us anywhere you 782 00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:14,480 need to find us. But until next time, you know 783 00:48:14,480 --> 00:48:16,720 the drill. You know the motto, get your 784 00:48:16,720 --> 00:48:18,960 love fixed man and we'll see y'all real soon.