Running the Race

2nd Timothy chapter 4. And what's on my mind for the opening session this morning, for those who weren't here last evening, I don't know whether the messages are being recorded, but if it was recorded last night it's a message you will want to hear. It was on prayer by our brother David Valens, and there were a lot of practical details and helps given last evening. And this morning for the opening session I would just like you to think, often we speak on something like this at the end of a conference, about running the race and coming to the finish line.

But this morning I would like to start off with some words from 2nd Timothy chapter 4, verse 1. So the setting here is Paul is awaiting his execution. He is about to go into the Lord's immediate presence any day now. And he's writing his last letter to a younger man that he loves and has worked with.

Verse 1 of chapter 4, I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned on to fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions.

That's pretty hard sometimes, isn't it? Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry, for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me in that day, and not to me only.

He wasn't just thinking about himself. Sometimes when we're in afflictions and trials, it's all about me, my mind. It's such a world where when we're in the midst of a trial, it's all about me.

Do people care for me? Are they praying for me? Do they really understand what I'm going through? But here the Apostle Paul is not just thinking about his future, but he's saying to all them that love his appearing, do thy diligence to come shortly unto me, for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica, Christians to Galatia, Titus on to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry, and so on.

Thirty years or so of faithful service, and now the Apostle Paul, he's in the Mamertine prison, originally known as the Thulianum. You know, before the days, this goes back a long, long way, before the days of Daniel, before the days of Ezekiel, the Romans created this underground cavern as a cistern for a springs in the floor of a second lower level for water. Prisoners now were lowered through an opening into the lower dungeon.

And history tells us that in a little while after this, Paul was beheaded at the third milestone of along the Austrian way, outside of the city of Rome. So, Second Timothy is really Paul's last will and testament after three decades. I don't know how long you've been living for the Lord or say, well, I know how long I've been trying to live for the Lord.

Okay, I know what you mean. I hear you loud and clear. But Paul had been, well, we'll say trying to live for the Lord for three decades.

And after 30 years of rigorous, definitely not easy, not a stroll through a park, not a walk through a picturesque meadow. No, his Christian life was nothing like that. And you'll probably say, can I put up my hand? My life isn't like that either.

There are a lot of struggles and trials. Well, Paul knew all about that. And now he's reflecting on his service for the Master.

We read the account and we say faithful and fruitful service for the Master. And he's closing a quiet, on a quiet note of confidence and praise to God. And of course, the supreme example of a life that was totally lived for God.

Paul had his failures. You know, sometimes we speak of Paul as if he was almost not a man. But he was.

He had his shortcomings and he was keenly aware of the shortcomings. But there was one who had no shortcomings. And he is the supreme example of a life that was totally lived for God.

The Lord Jesus died at age roughly 33. And he left nothing undone. He left nothing unfinished.

And he was able to say, it is finished. And so we're here this morning, Saturday. What is your purpose in life? What is your focus? Why did God leave you here? When he saved you.

It's been often said that he could have whisked you away. He wouldn't have needed to suit you out with a space suit or anything. The moment he saved you, he could have said, up with me you come.

And out of this planet. But he left you here. Why? Do you discover why? Did he leave you here to grow hens and fatten pigs? Or grow corn? Teach school? Fix tractors? Was that why he left you here? You say, no, I know better than Peter, than that Peter.

I know that that's a rhetorical question Peter. I know that I'm left here for a bigger purpose than that. Those are just the ways a person makes their living.

How they put butter on their bread. Because you're supposed to put butter on your bread. Away with those health fads.

Listen to Dr. Valens' lectures on the value of butter. And you won't be using margarine anymore. I've listened to it since I was in Stark Road.

And no, those are all just ways of making a living. He left you here for a purpose. I was preparing for this conference and our son gave me an article that he read in university.

It was an article from the Harvard Business Review. And it was written by a Harvard professor who has this Doctor of Business Administration. And his Master of Philosophy from Oxford, who is a Rhodes Scholar.

And he's the best-selling author of five books. And Forbes said he was one of the most influential business theorists of the last 50 years. In 2011 and 2013, he was voted and ranked number one thinker in the top 50 thinkers in the world.

And the title of his article is, How Will You Measure Your Life? I was quite excited when I read it because of the questions that he asked about how you measure your life and the purpose for your life. And I thought, wow, they really do have professors like that at Harvard. Until I understood that the author of the article is a devout Mormon.

And the book that he reads is the Book of Mormon. And he reads it faithfully. But here's what he says.

On the last day of class, I asked my students to turn those theoretical lenses on themselves. To find cogent answers to three questions. How can I be sure that I'll be happy in my career? How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness? And third, how can I be sure I will stay out of jail? And he goes on to talk about people that he graduated with.

Rhodes Scholars who ended up in prison. He said they never planned for their life to take those turns. And he says, I go to reunions and he said, I can't believe how many of them have divorced and they were in miserable relationships.

And he said when they were in school, they never dreamed that their life would take those turns and become so dark. And then he goes on to say, over the years I've watched the fate of Harvard students. Watches the fate of them.

He said it's quite startling that a significant fraction of the 900 students of the Harvard Business School graduate each year from the world's best have given little thought to the purpose of their lives. 900. I tell the students that Harvard Business School might be one of their last chances to reflect deeply on the question of the purpose of their lives.

If they think they'll have more time and energy to reflect later, they're nuts. Because life only gets more demanding. You take on mortgage, you're working 70 hours a week, you have a spouse, you have children.

And then he goes on to say that when he was a Rhodes Scholar, a very demanding academic program, trying to cram an extra year's worth of work into my time at Oxford, he said, I decided to spend an hour every night reading, thinking, praying about why God put me on this earth. And I thought, if someone who reads the Book of Mormon has that question on his mind, and he devotes one hour a day at the peak of his academic life to read and to pray and explore the question, why did God leave me on this planet? What is my purpose here? I thought when I read that article, how much more those of us who are saved and we've known something of the preciousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and our sins forgiven, if he would spend an hour searching, why am I here? How much more would you think that we would be? What is the purpose of your life? It seemed Paul was crystal clear on his purpose. If I was to ask you for a show of hands just now, and I won't because somebody here already reminded me that if I did ask for a show of hands, that's that candlestick fellow back at the back, he was going to stand on a chair and and show his hands, but then he said, no, relax, I won't do that.

But if I was to ask for a show of hands, who would like to finish their Christian journey on a high note like Paul or on a low note like Demas? I think the overwhelming majority would say, I want to have a good finish. Have you lost your sense of purpose as a Christian? Have the bumps along the way, have the distractions, have the discouragements, have they taken their toll on you and you know it, and you're attending today, we're glad everybody's here, I'm glad I'm here too, but are you attending today as a hollow Christian, adrift on the sea of life? Are those ideals gone? Does the joy of the Lord seem like a distant, nostalgic dream? You mean I was once there in my Christian experience? I was once enthused, I was once bubbling over with joy? What happened to me? The years are slipping by. Is my spiritual energy almost completely gone, totally depleted? I'm going to ask you this question.

If you could have, if you could have that zeal and that joy and that sense of purpose and that spiritual vitality and that energy and spiritual robustness, if you could have that back again today, would you want it? Would you want it? You know, this is the first ministry session for this Saturday and we could give this at the end of the day, but maybe starting the day will give you an opportunity. Yes, I want it. And I'm going to listen to the ministry in a way that I haven't listened to the ministry in recent conferences.

And I would like to be restored this Saturday. At the end of the day, you might be distracted by the supper and many other things. But this is the opening session this morning.

Would you like to be restored at the Garneville Conference? Are you willing to do business with the Lord today about your spiritual condition? Would you be willing to tune out the speakers? And without making any big show, just to quietly bow your head and your heart and say, Oh God, I need to be restored today and commence the path of restoration this Saturday. There are two options. You can finish like Demas.

What happened to Demas? What happened to Demas? Do you ever wonder? Could the same thing happen to you? Could it happen to me? What happened to Demas? I mean, he was happy. He was enjoying the Lord. He was a part of a, can I say it, an evangelical gospel team.

And they were, oh, they loved their times together. They were seeing souls saved. I went online this morning to see all the different cities that the Apostle Paul went to.

And I looked at the map and I thought, wow, how many of those did Demas go with him on? Sailing here, leaving port. And where are we going, Paul? Well, the Lord has laid it on my heart to go there. Well, we're 100% behind you, Paul.

We're so thrilled to be a part of the gospel work on planet earth. Happy. Oh, and another one gets saved.

Sorry to interrupt you praying, Paul, but I know this will be good news to you. But did you hear that two get saved this morning when out in the open air work in the city? It's just the reports have just come in. Two.

Praise God. Let's sing together. And, oh, you think I'm dreaming this up? These were real people.

Experiencing the joy of being engaged in work for the Lord. Let's get on our knees right now and pray. And they would get down together and pray together, huddled in prayer.

Get up and maybe they'd hug. Oh, Paul. Oh, Demas.

I love you, brother. Keep at it. That was a wonderful thought you enjoyed from the Lord this morning.

Keep on cheering them, Demas. Colossians 4 and 14 and Philemon 1 and 24. Paul was writing from an earlier prison experience and he called Demas his fellow worker.

And then some bumps and some trials and maybe some tears. Maybe some internal disappointments. Maybe it was the external threats from the authorities.

Maybe Demas started to doubt. I don't know whether I'm a strong enough Christian for this. It seems like the clouds of persecution are rapidly gathering on the horizon.

And I don't know whether I have the spiritual strength to allow my head to be severed from its body. I don't know whether I can go through the persecution. Paul seems to be unflinching in his desire to please God and take the gospel.

And there seems to be no threats. But I don't think I'm the Christian that Paul is. I don't know what was going through Demas' mind.

The Bible doesn't tell us much about that. And maybe one day, Demas said, I don't think I can take this persecution anymore. And maybe he walks into Paul's room and says, Paul, I need to talk to you.

Yes, Demas, what's on your mind? Paul, I've decided to leave. And I guess I'm going to go to Thessalonica, the city. It's, I don't know, something about it I really like, I love there in Thessalonica.

Imagine the look on Paul's face, the swollen eyes from weeping, the sick feeling inside, the sadness of heart as he sees his fellow worker, Demas. What are you doing? I'm packing, Paul. He packs up, he picks up his bag, puts them over his shoulder.

The wonder of Demas walking down the road in a different direction. Was Paul there, wiping his eyes? We know from this account in 2nd Timothy 4, Paul's heart was broken. He felt like he was deserted, abandoned.

Demas gives Paul maybe a hug, a last embrace. I tried to imagine, say, someone like Luke trying to locate his comrade down in Thessalonica. Maybe Luke, this is hypothetical, total conjecture, fanciful imagination on my part.

Going to Thessalonica, I wonder where you'd find Demas. Where would they find me? Where would they find you? Thessalonica City Council, Rotarian of the Year, maybe. Thessalonica Young Entrepreneurs Association, the Macedonian Republicans for a Brighter Future.

I don't know where they found Demas. Says that he really loved, he loved the cosmos. He fell in love with the present world, the here and now, the temporal.

He fell in love with it. And I don't know what it was. Where would I likely be likely to be found if, oh, I wouldn't have to leave the assembling.

I wouldn't have to leave the gatherings of God's people. But my love could shift and I could become totally absorbed in something else that became the love of my life. Oh, I could still make it to the the meetings.

I could rush into the prayer meeting on a Wednesday night and wipe the mustard off my face from having gone through the McDonald's drive-thru. And I could do the little thing. I could stand up and pray.

I could contribute something in a Bible study and think, well, I'm still I'm still around. You know, the reality is we lose some physically. They're gone from us.

But many of the fellow believers that we lose are still with us here physically, physically. They're still here, but their heart is gone. Where's your heart? I think of Ira and Zelma Stampville, that beautiful hymn every time I hear it sung.

The cross upon which Jesus died is a shelter in which we can hide. And I picture Ira and Zelma, they wrote it and together sitting around at a piano. They penned these words, the cross upon which Jesus died is a shelter in which we can hide.

And its grace so free is sufficient for me. And deep is its fountain as wide as a sea. There's room at the cross for you.

You know that song. There's room at the cross for you, though millions have come, there's still room for one. Yes, there's room at the cross for you.

They were only young, Ira and Zelma, in the ministry. And they sat at the piano and they composed that hymn and Ira went on to write many gospel hymns. But Zelma did not.

Sometime after she wrote that hymn, she left the ministry. She started visiting nightclubs. Soon she left Ira and she began singing in these clubs.

And years later, after a late nightclub singing engagement, Zelma was killed in a car accident. And nobody knows if she was ever restored to the Lord. Writing beautiful hymns, appreciating the room at the cross, and then to get off track.

Are you off track today? So I say bow your head now and say, Oh God, don't let me go any further on this path. I want to have my steps corrected. I want to be restored.

Oh, Demas, finally I tracked you down in Thessalonica. Oh yeah, I'm busy from morning to night. Busy, busy, busy is how it goes here.

You don't know what it's like to live in the city, the real life, Luke. No, I'm hooked. My schedule is jam-packed full with such important matters.

I can only give you really, Luke, 15 minutes because I have another appointment. I just checked my phone and there's something else coming up. I have a very important business meeting.

And we'll just have a coffee and a brief chat and then I'll have to run it. Take no offense. Take no offense, Luke.

It's just the way life is in Thessalonica. And so Luke probably listens to him and his plans and his hectic schedule. It's crazy, man.

I'm run off my feet. Business plans, strategic plans, goals and objectives, cutting-edge technologies. We have to, like Luke, be reasonable I'm a Christian just like you are, but we have to stay ahead of our competitors.

That is a mean, dog-eat-dog world. It might be good for you to, you know, out there preaching the gospel and reading your Bible and doing all those things, but this is real. Somebody has to work.

It's so hectic, Luke. I had to get away in a Mediterranean cruise. Well, it's all about Demas' life.

I wonder when you've seen Demas so energized with such a gleaming eye. When? The day he first fell in love with Christ. The first time he fell in love.

Demas fell in love twice, with Christ, then with the world. Maybe Luke would say to Demas, your good old friend Paul is expecting to die for Christ at any moment now. You were right, Demas.

The persecution is intensifying. Nero is out to kill every follower of Christ. But your friend Paul is happy.

He has run the race. He's kept the course and he's reaching the finish line for Christ, Demas. He never seemed to lose his burning love for Christ.

He has lived for eternity. And maybe you'd say to Demas, you're right. Paul is happy.

He never really got over when you left him. You really let him down. He said he was forsaken.

He was left on the lurch. He just felt deserted. Demas, he loves you.

He weeps for you. Your departure was a crushing blow. Demas probably had a flashback.

If there was ever a possibility of this happening, he would think of those early days of joy in his soul. But then the 15 minutes were up and he had to move on, his next appointment. That's one way to live your life.

But Paul was finishing his life. I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight.

I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. He understood what his purpose was.

He knew there were challenges. But he's reaching the finish line and he doesn't have those regrets. He doesn't have the remorse.

There is a note of triumph for Paul. There's no hint of disappointment or bitterness or defeat. For him, he was leaving the shores of earth to be with Christ on the heavenly shore.

He wasn't under any illusions about his current situation, imminent martyrdom. Under no cloud about his past, what was behind him, the way he lived his Christian life. And as for the future, free from all fear, he anticipated his heavenly reward.

I am now ready to be offered or I am already being poured out as a drink offering. Maybe that initial pouring started way back. Remember in Romans 12, 1, by the mercies of God, present your bodies a living, holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Paul or Demas. Paul's ship was about to sail. He had sailed on the Mediterranean.

He had left one coast and arrived in the harbors of another. He had survived three shipwrecks, but now he was lifting anchor. He was loosing and tossing the ropes of earth aside and he's joyfully sailing to the better land.

He says, I have fought the good fight. You could comment about that. I have finished my course.

Paul's mind, he was in a race. Way back in the day back in Acts 20 when he was talking to the elders in Ephesus with tears, he talked about none of those things move me, all the tribulations, nor do I count my life dear to myself. I want to finish my race with joy.

He was well aware that he was in a grueling, challenging race. Dear believer, this morning you're in a race. There are two ways you can remain focused to the finish line or you can become distracted.

If the cares of this life have been distracting you, something in your life is impeding your spiritual growth and vitality, this is a time to deal with it. Don't let it drag on any longer. Paul could say, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Paul didn't have it easy. A lot of people forsook him. He had a lot of disappointments.

He had a lot of trials. But if you were to go up into heaven now and say, Paul, do you have any regrets that you were steady and you focused on the finish line and you kept the faith and you kept faith, do you have any regrets? I'd say I'm thankful to the Lord that I was preserved in the measure that I was preserved and that I had the privilege on earth for those few brief fleeting years to honor the Lord and not to cave in to the demands of this world, not to fall in love with the world. You see, you could fall in love with the world and not be at nightclubs.

You could fall in love with the world and still be singing hymns in a local assembly, going through the motions. And so as the morning session continues, just remember this, there's a hymn that Esther Kerr wrote, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ.

One glimpse at his dear face, all sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race till we see Christ. You distract a Christian or are you a focused believer?