Here's How to Finish Well, Part 3

Beginning in September of last year, Chuck Swindoll began a comprehensive study through Paul's New Testament letter of Ephesians.

It's a series he titled, Becoming a People of Grace. Notably, the 26-part study concludes today on Insight for Living. And we're glad you've chosen to join us for an emotion-filled half hour of biblical instruction. as we examine Paul's closing comments to his friends in Ephesus. In the closing verses of Ephesians chapter 6, Paul provides explicit instruction on how to make the most of our golden years.

Chuck titled today's message, Here's How to Finish Well. People who stay strong in prayer finish well. With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. And by the way, pray for me. Put each piece on with prayer. Did I mention the importance of that last time?

Maybe not. Before the helmet, pray. When strapping on the breastplate, pray. When taking the shield of faith, pray. When wielding the sword of the Spirit, the prema of God, the saying of God, pray. Pray.

The more you study this 18th verse, the more one word stands out. All. All. All.

All. Spirit-directed prayer. Consistent, persistent prayer. Staying on the alert on our knees. Widespread prayer.

All the saints. Specific intercessory prayer. Pray for me, says the apostle Paul. Prayer will keep you engaged in what is happening. It will focus your time and energy on what God is doing. It'll get your eyes off yourself. It'll keep you from throwing so many pity parties. It'll remind you that life is to be spent on the positive side, not the negatives. Prayer never leaves me negative.

It always makes me positive. It gives me hope to go on, and so it will be for you. Stay strong in prayer.

You finish well. Here's the second. Be bold in courage. Verses 19 and 20. Be bold in courage. Pray on my behalf that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, he says again, as I ought to speak. Now, before we analyze what Paul wrote, stop and remember where Paul was.

Remember? He's under arrest, but of course, never a complaint. There's not even a request that you would please ask the Lord to heal the raw, rubbed sores on my ankles and on my wrists from the manacles. He doesn't say, pray that I'll be freed from this unfair arrest.

His eyes are not on himself. What does he pray for? He says there are needs greater than these physical needs. I need to be bold. I need to have courage as I speak the gospel.

That's my calling. That I would be bold and courageous to open my mouth and make the gospel known as I ought to do. See how verse 20 ends, as I ought to speak. You say, wait a minute, this is Paul. You're trying to tell me he wasn't bold?

Wake up, Swindoll. This is the apostle Paul. I mean, if anybody was courageous Paul, really? Maybe you know something we don't know. He says he's not. Well, he's just trying to be humble.

Well, let's check. Let's see if he's trying to be humble. Let's go back to 1 Corinthians 2.

Let's see if this is really Paul or if he's jerking us around. 1 Corinthians 2. He's a little younger when he wrote this to Corinth. Verse 1 of chapter 2. And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom proclaiming to you the testimony of God. I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Doesn't sound too nervous to me. Read the next verse. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.

Say what? I checked it in the Greek. I have preached this passage on a number of occasions on the humanity of the apostle. And just like us, he came to Corinth in weakness and fear and trembling. You know why?

Figure it out. He had just been to Athens, and he left with his tail between his legs. No church was ever established in Athens. He met all those eggheads on the Areopagus, and there was no interest in the gospel, and he left with a few people saying, let me listen to him sometime. And he comes to Corinth, which is a fast city of Gentiles.

He's a Jew raised apart from Gentile. He's a Pharisee in his past, out of Tarsus where they make tents, out of sheep's wool. The apostle says, I was with you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message was not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

That's Paul. We have this weird idea that the man never, ever was down. In the beginning of the second letter of Corinth, he said, I despaired even of life. I think he was given to depression.

I think the pain in his body at time was so strong, he wished he could just check out. That's why in Ephesians chapter 6, he says, pray for me that I have the courage to speak what I ought to speak. You know what's great to see in older people? The boldness to speak for Christ.

I love it. We need you bold and old. The apostle says, pray for me that I would be bold and I'm an ambassador in chains that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Let me tell you something. If the apostle Paul ought to speak boldly at his age, so should you and I. Not tactlessly, not offensively, boldly. You've lived long enough to be heard.

You have earned the right to be heard. I read back into Exodus chapter 32, won't take the time to turn. I found Moses coming down from the mountain.

He's now past 80. He's coming down with the tablets and he sees the people of the Hebrews dancing in front of this golden calf. He is enraged and he slams the tablets down and he takes them on with both fists. He confronts Aaron and says, what happened? Aaron says, no, you know these people are evil. I mean, they just threw, they threw all this gold in the pot and out came this calf. It's in the text.

That's what it says. Moses goes, get a life, Aaron. He confronts Aaron. He confronts the people. He has them drink after grinding up this golden calf and pouring it in the water.

He makes them drink it. He says, you will never do this again before the living God. This is a man in his 80s confronting the Hebrews in disobedience.

And there's not a person in the group take an issue with him because he's bold, standing for what is right. You never get so old that you're not that important. And you'll finish well if you stay bold in courage. Quit talking yourself out of speaking up for Christ. Do it. Do it. And you can't start when you're retired.

I read a great piece of it. Preparation for old age should begin not later than one's teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.

Are you preparing for getting older? If you're not bold now, I can't imagine how mute you will be when you get into your 70s and 80s. Practice now. Don't worry about what they think. Most of them don't. That's why you've got to be bold. Stand for what you believe. Don't worry about how they're going to respond. You couldn't change that if you tried.

And who wants them to sit there and listen to nothing? Number three. Cultivate a closeness with faithful friends. Verses 21 and 22. Cultivate a closeness with faithful friends. But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing. Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. Look at that word, that name. Tychicus. Tychicus. Say that. Tychicus. You've never said that before, have you?

It's a brand new name. The beloved brother and faithful minister, Tychicus, will make known everything to you. If you check him out in Colossians, he's the same guy mentioned who was taking the message about Paul to the friends. See, he wasn't under arrest. But he was a close friend with Paul. They cultivated a good relationship. And in the process, Paul could trust him to spread the information about him to other people, how Paul was doing. And that's what Tychicus is going to do. He says, verse 22, I've sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, that he may comfort your hearts. This is a great point. He's got a friend. As you grow older, get more friends, not less.

Really, it's invaluable. You know what I did this past week? Something I've never done in my study of the scriptures. I sat down and I went through Romans all the way back to Philemon, checking the names of Paul's friends.

Are you ready? I found 45 names. 45 names, and it's not an exhaustive list. I'm sure some could be added to it. Most of these names you've never heard of, but they're friends of Paul.

Listen. Phoebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Epinatus, Mary, Andronicus, Junius, Appliatus, Urbanus, Stachys, Appeles, those of the house of Aristobulus, Trifena, Trifosa. I wonder if they were twins. It's a thought.

Rufus, Timothy, Lucius, Jason, Sosipater, Tertius, Gaius, Stephanus, Fortunatus, Achaicus, Tychicus, Luke, Archippus, Onesimus, Mark, Barnabas, Nempha, Onesiphorus, Epiphras, Epaphroditus, Erastus, Trophimus, Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Lydia, Claudia, Silas, Quartus, and Simeon. You think I'm talking in tongues up here. This lady over here is going crazy trying to keep up with that.

That is unbelievable. You did great. You did great. Learn to say et cetera. That'll work.

Dear lady working with our folks who are hearing impaired. You know why I did that? I did that to tell you he has encircled himself in Friends. Oh, I hope you are. I hope you are doing that. You will finish well if you do that.

I hope your circle of friends is larger than it used to be and is growing in number beyond the old crew that you used to hang around with all the time. Nothing wrong with sustaining them. It's just important that you're not limited to them. And be sure you choose some who are younger. One of the joys of leading a seminary is being around younger men and women.

It's terrific. They are forever challenging the mind of people my age and around my age. We're the ones who are being educated.

We don't tell them that, but that is what's happening. Listen to the words of Paul Tournier at age 75. He said, One of the secrets of my life and my wife's in staying young and removed from adolescence is that most of our friends are now younger than we. Sometimes one hears it said that it is not easy to form new friendships once one is no longer young.

If this were really the case, my luck would be exceptional. My closest friends from the period of my childhood and youth are nearly all dead and gone. My wife, too, has lost many of hers, but we have lots of new friendships, wonderful friendships, with men and women who are mostly younger than we and who certainly play their part in keeping us young in heart and mind. Some of our closest friends we have known for only a few years. You know why you need younger friends? Because their whole perspective is different from yours and from mine.

Plus, they're not enamored of you and their world has been different from your world. And they bring a freshness and a vitality and a joy and a hope. Furthermore, you'll need them to finish well. I'm sending Tychicus because I trust him. He's been right here with me and he knows me. Stay strong in prayer. Be bold in courage.

Cultivate closeness with faithful friends. And finally, let love for Christ abound. Paul is such a model of this.

I'm amazed. No bitterness. He never got cranky. All the wrong things done against him and the man just pulled out all the stops. Look at how he ends this. Every one of his letters starts with and ends something like this. Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.

Don't you love that word? Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus with incorruptible love. You see the great words in this benediction? Peace, love, faith, grace, even love incorruptible. What a great letter. It begins with grace and peace and it ends with peace and grace.

Always love sandwiched in between. The man is still under arrest. He's still stuck.

Against his wishes and against his own plans and he's been there for months, maybe well over a year. And he even ends the entire letter without once saying, don't you feel sorry for me? Don't you wish I could be free? He says, why?

Because of this imprisonment, many have come to know Christ and to know the love of God. God has his own timetable. He has you exactly where he wants you.

Now listen to me. You are in a circumstance that you're in because that's exactly where God planned it. He is not surprised and he is not frustrated. He is not out of control.

He is in control. And as painful or as straight as the path may be right now, as it's full of strain, believe me, you are right where the Father plans for you to be. Now you accept that and make the most of it and give it an opportunity for love to abound or you become a part of the statistics. My time could have been spent talking about Demas who loved this present world and forsook the righteous path. Or Samson whose life litters the pathway of disobedience.

Or a half dozen others. The book's full of them because this book tells the truth. But remember Enoch who walked with God and probably did because he prayed. Remember Moses who led the Exodus and led the Hebrews all the way to the promised land because he was bold in courage. Remember Caleb who took the mountain and refused to back off because of a friendship with Joshua that strengthened him all the way through those difficult years of waiting.

Remember Paul who regardless of his circumstances loved to the very end. Now let me confess something to you. I cannot make this happen. Oh I can teach the truth as best I understand it and I will do it as long as I live. And if I don't do it I will answer to elders who hold my feet to the fire and they should. It is my responsibility to set the doctrinal stage for the future of this church and to strengthen its spine, its muscles of doctrine.

But I cannot make you loving. I can only encourage you to be and challenge you to be. And I can remind you that there were churches better taught than ours has been who lost it. Namely, Ephesus. Can you believe it? If you were to take the time and turn from Ephesians 6 over to Revelation chapter 2 verse 4 you would read of the church at Ephesus in the year 95, AD 95. Thirty years later from this date and they had left their first love.

They did. Though founded by Paul and instructed by Paul sent a six chapter letter from Paul nurtured by Paul and Timothy and the Apostle John as pastors when it comes to the end of the first century. They're known for their orthodoxy and no love.

I want to tell you something. I fear that as much as anything for Stonebriar Community Church. I can do something about the teaching. I can't make you love each other. I can love you and I do, but the Lord has to work within you to help you forgive and live in harmony and affection and forgiveness with one another.

Do that. Most churches in the Dallas area don't split because of bad teaching. They split because of a lack of love. They break down because relationships break down and they don't have a love incorruptible for Christ.

Not only in the Dallas area but anywhere around the world. Stay enthusiastic about him. Henry David Thoreau once said, None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. I'd like us to bow our heads, close our eyes, do a little soul searching. I won't preach my sermon again, but I will remind you that these principles still work. Prayer, courage, friendship, love are still the secret. They turn a church into a harbor of hope and a place of renewal. It makes a church contagious and magnetic.

It begins with you. The only reason you have to feel hopeless is if you've never come to Christ. If that's true, what are you waiting for?

Talk about needing to be bold. Don't wait another day. You may not have another 24 hours. This is your invitation. It may be different from a church you're familiar with, but this is your invitation. I'm inviting you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ right where you're sitting, right where you live. You may choose to receive him when you sit down in your car as soon as this meeting is over. You may prefer to receive him after doing a little more time in the Word this afternoon, examining passages that help convince you of your own sin, but I doubt that's what you need. This is the best time now, right now. That's why I invite you to come to Christ right now.

Most of us on the staff remain right up here until the meeting is ended and everybody's gone. If you've come to Christ, you'd like to tell us, come on up. Talk to us about it. Now Father, I pray that you will use the truth that has been shared to help us not only live well, but to finish well. Silence the temptation within our minds to back off as we get older, or somehow feeling reluctant that we have little to offer when in fact we have more than ever in our lives, having transferred knowledge and found it turned into wisdom. Give us open mouths and open minds and open hearts, open arms, to accept people where they are and to help them become like Christ. Deal with us, Father, for our prayerlessness, for our reluctance to stand boldly for the Savior. Forgive us, our Father, for limiting our friends to a close few who are safe and never threatening. Help us to broaden our reach and especially for our lovelessness, where we have treasured knowing truth more than living it in a world that's lost its way. Thank you for the Lord Jesus, who is such a perfect blend of all these things, that we worship Him and we adore Him today in His name and for His sake we pray. And all God's people said, Amen.

Amen. Today's prayer not only concludes the message, but it wraps up Chuck Swindoll's comprehensive study through Paul's letter to the Ephesians as well. He's titled this signature series, Becoming a People of Grace. You're listening to Insight for Living.

In the event you missed any program in this series, remember you can catch up by streaming the audio directly from our website. You'll find all the information at insightworld.org. We're pleased to remind you that the next episode represents a milestone day at Insight for Living because we're launching a brand new expositional study in the Gospel according to Matthew. In the coming weeks and months, Chuck Swindoll will guide us through this first century account of Jesus' birth, His entire ministry on earth, right through His parting words, commonly known as the Great Commission. Along with the daily program, Insight for Living Ministries has prepared a number of additional resources for you, and each one is designed to help you dig deeper into God's Word on your own and to apply the principles to your daily life. For example, the online Searching the Scriptures studies will complement each sermon. This gives you a way to explore the passage on your own and to take notes of what you're learning.

You can even print out the document and share it with friends. To search the Scriptures with Chuck, go to insight.org slash studies. Finally, in sync with the release of this brand new series on the program, Chuck recently released his verse-by-verse commentary on the book of Matthew.

It comes in two hardbound volumes. Alongside the verses in Matthew, you'll also gain access to charts, maps, photos, key terms, and of course Chuck's practical insights. So to purchase Swindoll's Living Insights commentary for Matthew, call us. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. That's 1-800-772-8888. Or go online to insight.org slash store. Tomorrow, Chuck Swindoll begins a brand new study in the book of Matthew called Let's Meet the King, right here on Insight for Living. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.