Life's a Marathon--Finish Strong!

a sermon on endurance based on John 6:60-69
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

John 6:60-69 (New International Version)

 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit^[a] and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

 67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.

 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

Have you heard about the Baptist church that had a bat problem...they tried everything to get rid of the bats in the belfry.  So, one day the Baptist pastor runs into the Methodist pastor in town, and shares about the continuing bat problem.  "O yeah," said the Methodist pastor, "been there, done that."  "So," the Baptist minister said: "how did you get rid of the bats."  "Easy," said the Methodist pastor, "I baptized them, I confirmed them, and I haven't seen them since."

Today’s message is about finishing strong.  Beginnings are important, a strong start can get you ahead.  But more important than a good beginning, is the finish.

Life is not easy; not for anybody and not for Christians. Right now we are facing possibly the biggest economic crisis of our lifetime and this affects all of us worldwide.  As the stock markets have crashed, as financial institutions have fallen, and as people are loosing their homes and jobs, we are reminded that life is a marathon.  There will be those downhill stretches of comfort and joy, and then there are those uphill stretches, those stormy patches when we just want to give in and give up.  But the one objective that prevails in life, as much as it does in a marathon race, is to go on and to finish.

In fact, the finish is everything.  If you don’t finish the race, the strong start doesn’t matter any more; unless you finish, you have nothing! No prize, no glory, no crown, nothing!

In today’s Scripture reading we find Jesus engaged in a session of hard teachings, teachings that drove people away rather than attracting them.  At other times Jesus’ teachings were very popular and he attracted huge crowds.  But today, we read about a time when Jesus’ message was unpopular and hard to take.

The number of followers started dwindling rather dramatically. Fewer were willing to follow Him. One by one they drifted away. Finally, they were down to 12.  Everybody else had left. There may have been many of Jesus many disciples that had made a good start in the faith.  But again: It’s not about how well you start, it’s about whether and how you finish! And you can’t finish, if you quit!

Well, today’s bible story reminds us that the life of faith is not a sprint—it’s a marathon.

Following Jesus does not mean that your life will always be happy, easy or without serious problems. It’s a reminder that following Jesus can be very challenging, very hard at times. The demands of the kingdom are radical.

What are some of the hard demands of the kingdom?
 

We are supposed to be . . .

n        unilateral peacemakers (offer the other cheek).

n        Give away our riches to the poor

n        Extend grace and forgiveness to everybody

n        Refrain from sin and acts of injustice

n        Uphold God’s moral and social standards

n        We are supposed to put God over everything else

And after driving his church away with his hard teachings, Jesus even turns to the 12 that were left and asked them, "Do you also want to leave?"

As so often, the answer comes from Simon Peter: "Lord, to whom shall we go?" he asked. "You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

Good old Simon Peter. Impetuous. Excitable. Sometimes speaking before his mind was fully in gear. But Simon Peter was in for the long term. His commitment was no momentary, fleeting experience good only when things were going his way.

Sure at times he got discouraged. After the crucifixion, he was ready to go back to his fishing nets. We can understand that. Yet, ultimately, his commitment to Jesus never failed.

What a treasure, what a blessing, what an encouragement are those of you who are in for the long term. You have a very special kind of faith -- a faith that will be rewarded. Indeed, it is really the only kind of faith that counts.

FOR YOU SEE, LIFE IS A MARATHON. Life is hard. The obstacles are many. While God promises to care for us and not abandon us, we are not promised that we will be removed from trials. Indeed, God sometimes delivers us from a situation only when the circumstances of the situation seem to us to be beyond hope.  Our faith journey is a marathon. To know this is a great advantage in life.

AND THE GREAT SECRET IN LIFE IS NOT HOW WE BEGIN, BUT HOW WE FINISH.

Many of us are good starters. We have talent, we have enthusiasm, we start off with a burst of well-doing. But sustaining that beginning -- that is the problem. That's true also in our commitment to Jesus Christ, to our marriage partner, in our work and in a host of other endeavors. How are we at finishing?

Theatrical producer Arthur Hopkins used to receive dozens of manuscripts for plays. Before he would read any script, he always asked, "How is your second act?" He realized that many new playwrights had a wonderful first act, but allowed the drama to fade and the plot to drift in the later parts of the play. Whenever there is a second act, it must be just as impressive as the first.

How is your second act? That is the test of any commitment in life. When the enthusiasm fades, when the passion cools, when the numbers drop off, can you maintain your intensity? That is the mark of a champion.

Olympic champion Jesse Owens once put it like this: "There is something that can happen to every athlete, every human being -- it's the instinct to slack off, to give in to the pain, to give less than your best...the instinct to hope to win through luck or your opponents not doing their best, instead of going to the limit and past your limit, where victory is always to be found. Defeating those negative instincts that are out to defeat us is the difference between winning and losing, and we face that battle every day of our lives." Life is a marathon. Finishing is what it is all about.

III. FINISHING IS WHAT FAITH IS ALL ABOUT. That is the critical thing for us to see this morning. Faith becomes real when we are down and out, ready to call it quits.

Faith is hanging in there when the day looks dark and the options are limited, because you know that somehow out there is coming the victory of God. You may not experience it for yourself -- at least not this side of the grave -- but you know it is coming. You place yourself in Christ's hands and you say with Simon Peter: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life...we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

That is faith for the long term -- the only kind of faith that really counts. That’s the kind of faith we need, that’s the kind of faith I want to pray for this morning. Let us pray.