THE FINISHER

“RUNS AHEAD”
(RUNNING WELL, FINISHING STRONG)
 MATTHEW 20:1-16
1 “Forthe Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who
went out early one morning to hire workers for his
vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and
sent them out to work. 3 “At nine o’clock in the morning
he was passing through the marketplace and saw some
people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired
them, telling them he would pay them whatever was
right at the end of the day.
 MATTHEW 20:5-7
5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and
again at three o’clock he did the same thing. 6 “At five
o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw
some more people standing around. He asked them,
‘Why haven’t you been working today?” 7 “They
replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’ “The landowner told
them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’
 MATTHEW 20:8-10
8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers
in and pay them, beginning with the last workers
first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each
received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired first
came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive
more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.
 MATTHEW 20:11-13
11 When they received their pay, they protested to the
owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet
you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who
worked all day in the scorching heat.’ 13 “He answered
one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you
agree to work all day for the usual wage?
 MATTHEW 20:14-16
14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last
worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me
to do what I want with my money? Should you be
jealous because I am kind to others?’ 16 “So those who
are last now will be first then, and those who are first
will be last.”
 HEBREWS 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge
crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every
weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily
trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God
has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on
Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross,
disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of
honor beside God’s throne.3 Think of all the hostility he
endured from sinful people; then you won’t become
weary and give up.
 I. START WITH A PURPOSE.
(ROMANS 12:1-2)
“Use your usefulness for Eternal Glory”
a.Be wise (Ephesians 5:15-18)
b.Be filled with the Holy Spirit
 ROMANS 12:1-2
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to
give your bodies to God because of all he has done for
you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he
will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but

let God transform you into a new person by changing the

way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for
you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
 EPHESIANS 5:15-18
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but
like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every
opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act
thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you
to do.18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will
ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
 II. RUN WITH ENDURANCE
(JAMES 1:3-4) (ROMANS 5:3-5)
Endurance
combined assurance and certainty
that what we are looking for is going to
happen”
Sustain stressful prolong effort
 JAMES 1:3-4
3 Foryou know that when your faith is tested,
4
your endurance has a chance to grow. So let
it grow, for when your endurance is fully
developed, you will be perfect and complete,
needing nothing.
 ROMANS 5:3-5
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and
trials, for we know that they help us develop
endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of
character, and character strengthens our confident
hope of salvation.5 And this hope will not lead to
disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us,
because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts
with his love.
 3 P’s in Life
1. PATIENCE – willing to wait without complaint,
without reservation
2. PERSISTENCE – continue firmly in spite of
opposition. “Success is derivatives of persistence”
3. PERSEVERANCE – steady persistence in a course of
action in spite of difficulties and discouragement
“DON’T QUIT! GOD
WILL MAKE YOU FIT”
 III. RUN WITH POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
(MATTHEW 19:26)
“Winners never quit, quitters
never win” – Vince Lombardi
a.High Confidence
b.Motivation – driving force of determination
to reach goal
 MATTHEW 19:26
Jesus looked at them intently and
said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible.
But with God everything is possible.”
IV. EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Zechariah 4:6
6 Then he said to me, “This is what

the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by

force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says
the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
 V. HELP BY THE ANGEL OF GOD

Acts 5:19
But an angel of the Lord came at night,
opened the gates of the jail, and brought
them out. Then he told them,
 Conclusion: John 19:28-30
28 Jesusknew that his mission was now finished,
29
and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A
jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they
soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch,
and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had
tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he
bowed his head and gave up his spirit.