Be A Finisher
God has predestined us to conform to the image of His dear Son; we have been
equipped, so we can be a finisher (Romans 8:29-30) “for whom He did foreknow,
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the first born among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He
also called; and whom He called, them, He also justified; and whom He justified,
them He also glorified”.
And in Ephesians 2:6,7,10 it says “and has raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus. For we are His workmanship; created in Christ Jesus to good works, which
God has before ordained that we should walk in them”.
As we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this is just the beginning of our
spiritual walk. I did a message “don’t stop at the cross”, indicating that when we
are born again, we became babes in Christ and we have to grow thereby; Peter
says in I Peter 2:1-2 “wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking. As new born babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby”.
We are instructed to “be you therefore followers of God, as dear children. And
walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor” (Ephesians 5:1-2). David as he
was seeking God, said in Psalms 63:1-8 “O God, You are my God; early will I seek
You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where
no water is. To see Your power and Your glory, so as I have seen You in the
sanctuary. Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise
You. Thus will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul
shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with
joyful lips. When I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the night
watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings
will I rejoice. My soul follows hard after You; You right hand upholds me”. Jesus
says in John 8:12 “then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, I am the light of the
world, he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.
In John chapter 17, Jesus said that He had finished the work that the Father gave
Him to do; and that’s what we are to imitate. When children imitate their parents,
they do what they do.
Jesus Himself told us “verily, verily, I say to you, he that believes on Me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go
to My Father”.
Jesus also says something similar in John 15:4-5,7 “abide in Me, and I in you, as
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you
except you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches, he that abides in Me,
and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it
shall be done to you”. As we abide in His words, and His words abides in us our
lives will change.
Jesus tells us in John 8:31-32 “then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on
Him, if you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed. And you shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. Many people as He was
speaking to the Jews believed on Him, but they do not continue in His words.
God has made the way for us, He has sent us apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-15) “and He gave some, apostles, and
some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That
we hereafter be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ”.
John says in I John 4:17 “herein is our love made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world”. John
goes on to write to the elder, commending them for walking in the word (III John 3-
4) “for I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in
you, even as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my
children walk in truth”. He tells the church in verse 11 “beloved, follow not that
which is evil, but that which is good. He that does good is of God; but he that does
evil has not seen God”.
Paul said “follow me as I follow Jesus”. Revelation 12:11 says “and they overcame
him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and
they loved not their lives to the death”. Paul gave a good example of this in Acts
20:22-24 which says “and now, behold, I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that shall happen to me there. Save that the Holy Spirit
witnessed in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But none of
these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself, so that I might finish
my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to
testify the gospel of the grace of God”.
Paul charges Timothy in II Timothy 4:1-8 “I charge you therefore before God, and
the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick 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 to fables. But watch you in all things, endure
afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of our 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. Hereafter 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 to all them also that love His appearing”.
So he is speaking not only to Timothy, but to whosoever will.
Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 3:16-19 “that He would grant
you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit
in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being
rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is
the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of Christ,
which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God”.
Meditate on this, because as you dwell on this in your heart, you will draw closer to
God.
God has a plan for the life of all mankind, and we need to find out God’s plan for
our life; as Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus, we can pray Ephesians 1:17-19
over our own lives and the lives of those around us. To finish what God has for
you to do, let us pray this prayer; it says “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you
may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us
ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power”.
A finisher is one who completes a project. Good news is that we have help
(Hebrews 12:1-2) “wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking to
Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God”; and again in Philippians 1:6 which says “being confident of this
very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day
of Jesus Christ”.
Our part is to “trust in the Lord Yahweh with all your heart; and lean not to your
own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your
paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, reverence the Lord Yahweh, and depart from
evil”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: November 5, 2010
God has predestined us to conform to the image of His dear Son; we have been
equipped, so we can be a finisher (Romans 8:29-30) “for whom He did foreknow,
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the first born among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He
also called; and whom He called, them, He also justified; and whom He justified,
them He also glorified”.
And in Ephesians 2:6,7,10 it says “and has raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus. For we are His workmanship; created in Christ Jesus to good works, which
God has before ordained that we should walk in them”.
As we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this is just the beginning of our
spiritual walk. I did a message “don’t stop at the cross”, indicating that when we
are born again, we became babes in Christ and we have to grow thereby; Peter
says in I Peter 2:1-2 “wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking. As new born babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby”.
We are instructed to “be you therefore followers of God, as dear children. And
walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor” (Ephesians 5:1-2). David as he
was seeking God, said in Psalms 63:1-8 “O God, You are my God; early will I seek
You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where
no water is. To see Your power and Your glory, so as I have seen You in the
sanctuary. Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise
You. Thus will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul
shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with
joyful lips. When I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the night
watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings
will I rejoice. My soul follows hard after You; You right hand upholds me”. Jesus
says in John 8:12 “then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, I am the light of the
world, he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.
In John chapter 17, Jesus said that He had finished the work that the Father gave
Him to do; and that’s what we are to imitate. When children imitate their parents,
they do what they do.
Jesus Himself told us “verily, verily, I say to you, he that believes on Me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go
to My Father”.
Jesus also says something similar in John 15:4-5,7 “abide in Me, and I in you, as
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you
except you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches, he that abides in Me,
and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it
shall be done to you”. As we abide in His words, and His words abides in us our
lives will change.
Jesus tells us in John 8:31-32 “then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on
Him, if you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed. And you shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. Many people as He was
speaking to the Jews believed on Him, but they do not continue in His words.
God has made the way for us, He has sent us apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-15) “and He gave some, apostles, and
some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That
we hereafter be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ”.
John says in I John 4:17 “herein is our love made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world”. John
goes on to write to the elder, commending them for walking in the word (III John 3-
4) “for I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in
you, even as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my
children walk in truth”. He tells the church in verse 11 “beloved, follow not that
which is evil, but that which is good. He that does good is of God; but he that does
evil has not seen God”.
Paul said “follow me as I follow Jesus”. Revelation 12:11 says “and they overcame
him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and
they loved not their lives to the death”. Paul gave a good example of this in Acts
20:22-24 which says “and now, behold, I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that shall happen to me there. Save that the Holy Spirit
witnessed in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But none of
these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself, so that I might finish
my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to
testify the gospel of the grace of God”.
Paul charges Timothy in II Timothy 4:1-8 “I charge you therefore before God, and
the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick 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 to fables. But watch you in all things, endure
afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of our 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. Hereafter 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 to all them also that love His appearing”.
So he is speaking not only to Timothy, but to whosoever will.
Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 3:16-19 “that He would grant
you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit
in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being
rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is
the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of Christ,
which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God”.
Meditate on this, because as you dwell on this in your heart, you will draw closer to
God.
God has a plan for the life of all mankind, and we need to find out God’s plan for
our life; as Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus, we can pray Ephesians 1:17-19
over our own lives and the lives of those around us. To finish what God has for
you to do, let us pray this prayer; it says “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you
may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us
ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power”.
A finisher is one who completes a project. Good news is that we have help
(Hebrews 12:1-2) “wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking to
Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God”; and again in Philippians 1:6 which says “being confident of this
very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day
of Jesus Christ”.
Our part is to “trust in the Lord Yahweh with all your heart; and lean not to your
own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your
paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, reverence the Lord Yahweh, and depart from
evil”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: November 5, 2010
