IT IS NOT HOW WE STARTED, BUT HOW WE FINISH

                    IT IS NOT HOW WE STARTED, BUT HOW WE FINISH

 We are going to look at a few lives discussed in the Bible and see how they began and how they finished.

"...and if the tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall be." Ecclesiastes 11:3

JACOB AND ESAU

"Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the Lord, yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau..." Malachi 1:1-2

  These two men were brothers, twins, Abraham's grandsons. Obviously, their beginnings were almost identical. Both had the same opportunities and potential, and both had the same knowledge of God. Easau was a hunter, a man's man, and Isaac's favorite. Jacob was more of a stay-at-home, mother's boy. According to the Bible, Jacob's ways matched his name, a surplanter, devceiver, usurperer... So by most standards, Esau was the better man; however, he did not have a heart for God and value the things of God like his brother did. He sold his birthright as the firstborn to his brother for a bowl of stew, and the Scripture thus states, "...thus Esau despised his birthright." Genesis 25:34 Furthermore, Esau took ungodly women for wives.                        Initially, Jacob's motives may not have been so noble, but over time, and through the dealings of God, his faith grew, and so did his determination to obtain all that he could from God. His crowning effort was when he wrestled with the angel all night and would not let the angel go until he blessed him. There God gave him the name Israel, "...for as a prince you have power with God and with men, and have prevailed." Genesis 32:28 He became a godly man. Now you can be sure that the Lord had to deal with Jacob and modify his character through many trials and hardships. It is interesting that his father-in-law was every bit as much of a manipulator and deceiver as he was, and caused Jacob much hardship and grief. But in the end, Jacob died at a good old age and full of faith. "For You, O God, have proved us: You have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction upon our loins. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water, but You brought us out into a wealty place. I will go into Your House with burnt offerings. I will pay You my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble." Psalm 66:10-14 As for Esau, "...that they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. For our conversation (citizenship) is in Heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ..." Philippians 3:18-20

  RAHAB THE HARLOT

  Rahab was a person with everything going against her. She is a fantastic example of the redeeming hope of Christ. Born in a land under the Ban that was cursed by God for its utter wickedness, and living a sinful lifestyle herself, yet she walked into the direct lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who would have guessed it? Through the grace of God that is in Christ Jesus, there is hope for every sinner, no matter how dark the lifestyle and the past, if you are willing to believe and do what is required by faith. As much as we like to point out people's faults, we must understand that she was no worse than the people of the entire city, whom God intended to destroy for their wickedness. None of us is justified. In fact, Joshua, who was a type of Christ  (Joshua is Hebrew for Jesus), had sent the spies almost seemingly unnecessarily to spy out the land, and he actually told them to specifically go to Jericho. "Then Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there." Genesis 2:1 NIV. It actually appears that the Lord (through Joshua) sent the spies specifically to connect with her, as that seems to be the only place they really got to check out before returning. In the process, she hid the spies, confirmed her awareness of the Lord's intentions against the city and recognizing Him as being the True God, arranged for the deliverance of her family, and sent the spies safely back to the camp of Israel. In the end, she and all her family were spared (saved), and she ended up marrying Salmon, the fourth grandfather up from David Matthew 1:5. Her birth, nor her upbringing, nor her lifestyle was able to cause her to perish. By faith, she prevailed over them all and found herself in the eternal annals and lineage of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

SOLOMON

 "...and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loved Him." 2 Samuel 12:24 

 "And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places." 1 Kings 3:3 

 "And you, Solomon my son, know thou the God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found of you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."               1 Chronicles 28:9

  Solomon had a great start right from the get-go. The Lord loved him, and he loved the Lord, and walked in His ways. So what happened? Right at the beginning of his reign, we can see from 1 Kings 3:3 that he took liberties contrary to the commandments and warnings of the Lord ("You shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which you shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree...you shall not do so unto the Lord your God. But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even unto His habitation shall you seek, and there you shall come, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings and the firstlings of your herds and your flocks....You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes." Deuteronomy 12:2,4-6,8) At the time, there is no indication of rebellion and lack of attachment to the Lord, just what was seemingly a little presumption. David, his father, wrote, Keep back you servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." Psalm 19:13 But over time, and as his abilities increased, so did his presumptuous and unrestrained behavior increase, (the king) "But he shall not multiply horses to himself...neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold."Deuteronomy 17:1617. All these did Solomon do excessively, until His heart turned away from the Lord and he went after other gods. Solomon even tried to kill Jeroboam when he found out that the Lord was going to make him king over the Northern Tribes of Israel. There is no direct indication that Solomon repented. However, in the book of Ecclesiastes, he realized that all his pursuits outside of Christ were, "...vanity and vexation of spirit." vs 2:11. However, he did conclude by saying, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14  Well, only God knows, but one thing we can learn from this lesson is that it is a dangerous thing to presumptuously take liberties with the grace of God. "For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Galatians 5:13

DEMAS

  Demas was a co-worker in the Gospel work with Paul. He was mentioned three times, but Paul's last statement about Demas is what was concerning: "For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica..." 2 Timothy 4:10. What we know about the man is limited, but we know that he was recognized as a Gospel worker who worked along with Paul. He apparently knew Jesus and understood salvation and the promise of Eternal Life. We can be certain he witnessed the miracles that the Lord performed before them.  He also witnessed the joy of the new believers. We can be sure that he had experienced the hardships of the apostolic work, the persecutions, and the threats against them, until he had had enough. What went wrong? We can trust Paul's analysis of the situation. If that was so, we can apply this lesson to any one of ourselves. Jesus said, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24, "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he has, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33. If we look at the two examples Jesus laid out, the first is starting to build a tower, but not having enough to finish it, bringing ridicule on ourselves, and the second is going to war against an army twice the size. Jesus is not saying that He will not permit us to be His disciples if we do not forsake all that we have; He is saying that we will not be able to make it if we do not forsake all that we have. We take up our cross and follow Him. When we die to self, He can live through us, and we will be able to complete our journey. Whatever still had a hold on Demas was what took him out in the end. Imagine trying to run a race with a bungee cord attached to you that can not stretch the length of the course. Guess what will happen at the end. It would seem that Demas did not make it across the finish line.

PAUL

 "I have fought the 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 at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8

 Paul was a devoutly religious man and a member of the strictest sect of Judaism, a Pharisee. He was well-trained in and followed the Law of God diligently, to the point where he eventually and aggressively persecuted and punished the followers of Jesus. "And I punished them often in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted  them even unto strange cities." Acts 26:11 Until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus! From there, he was radically converted to Christ and began to teach and preach Jesus until the day of his death, building the church he tried to destroy. He suffered brutal treatment and hardships, poured out his life in love for God's people, the church, and even for his own people, Israel. God gave him by revelation and through his in-depth knowledge of the Scriptures, the revelation of the Gospel of Grace, revealed through the cross of Christ, which the Church to this day declares to the world and for every soul. Yet, through all his achievements and labours, his intense diligence and focus, in the end, he said,  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." For the man Paul, in the end, it wasn't about all the things he did for the Lord, the revelations, and all the accomplishments for the Kingdom of God; personally, it was really about keeping his faith in Jesus to the end! And that is what it is really about for each and every one of us. All that any of us may accomplish that is of any value is by the grace of God and Jesus Christ working through us. He blesses the world around us, and we are blessed to be a part of it. "For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3

 Paul started hard, but finished well. And for each of us, however we start, may we all finish well by diligently holding to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. He loves us so much. Fair ye well!!!