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Gold Medal Faith: Gold Medal Faith Requires Finishing Strong
August 28, 2024 · 32 min
Drawing from 2 Timothy, Pastor John Mark highlights the challenges believers may face but encourages them to preach the word, block out negativity, and stay steadfast.
Series "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton August 28, 2024 · 32 min · "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton
Drawing from 2 Timothy, Pastor John Mark highlights the challenges believers may face but encourages them to preach the word, block out negativity, and stay steadfast. ...more Show the full description Show less Drawing from 2 Timothy, Pastor John Mark highlights the challenges believers may face but encourages them to preach the word, block out negativity, and stay steadfast.
Series "Pastor Talks" with John Mark Caton Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
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John Mark is the Senior Pastor of the thriving Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, where he has served since 1995.
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0:02 Man, after hearing Greg preach a little, I wasn't sure I was gonna get a shot there for a second. I thought he's just about to take this 1 to the finish line and that's what we're talking about today, is we've been in0:13 the middle of a series if you're new here in person or online, we've been in the middle of the series called Gold Medal Faith, that we wanna live our lives in such a way that we would in fact have an amazing and a gold0:24 medal faith. And this plays off the Olympic theme that we really comes around every couple of years, that as you think about that Olympic motto, those Latin words, sithius, auteus, fortius.0:36 Those 3 words would simply means faster, higher and stronger. That we wanna be the kind of people to have a gold medal faith that when God calls us to do something, we are faster to say0:48 yes today than we were yesterday. Faster to say yes to God this year than we were last year. But we also wanna go higher in our walk, deeper in our prayer life to serve God in a powerful way1:00 that our worship becomes much more rich and powerful and open. But we also wanna be stronger. And over and over as we've looked in this book, Paul tells Timothy, be strong, be1:12 strong, be strong. We wanna use that word fortius, that Latin word means be strong. I don't know where you are in this season of your life, but there is going to be something come your way that1:24 you're just gonna have to be strong, you're gonna have to bow your neck in your faith. You're gonna have to say God, I am not gonna quit. My body wanna wants to quit, others wanna quit, my emotions want to shut down, but1:35 I'm gonna be strong. But then a couple of years ago they add added another word, the Olympic Committee, communitere. It's a Latin word for together. It means that whatever they do, every athlete that you1:47 ever see, even if it's an independent individual sport, none of those athletes got to the Olympic games by themselves. There was always a team around them of coaches and1:59 parents and players and others and trainers that were cheering them on, the together aspect. But then we've been adding a few other Latin words, we added the word2:10 fidelis, which is the Latin word that simply means faithful. That is God's children we want to be faithful. Not just yesterday, not just today, the2:22 way to the end. Last week when we looked at God's word we added a couple other Latin words. Biblia Sacra, means holy bible. That mean that2:34 is our rule book as Paul said. Listen, we wanna read God's word, we wanna study God's word but we also wanna live out God's word. And so as we've been walking through this series, we've2:46 really been looking at Paul who's talking to young Timothy, this pastor in church at Ephesus that Paul had put him there and Timothy's kind of burned out. And so Paul in his last will and2:58 testament, this last letter that Paul writes from a Roman prison, he really talks to Timothy about 4 hurdles he's always gonna have to overcome. That first hurdle was spiritual burnout.3:10 That there's comes a time in everybody's life from the greatest to the least of us that we just get a little burned out, we get a little worn out, we get a little beaten down. And remember what Paul said about that first3:21 hurdle in week 1, here it is in second Timothy chapter 1 verse 6. He says, Timothy for this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God.3:34 That oftentimes our spiritual passion is just like a flame. It's just like a fire. Sometimes we have to feed some wood, we have to give it some oxygen, we can't let it burn out, we gotta make sure that we foster a3:45 flame that grow is growing and not dying. So I don't know where you are in your life, maybe you're kinda at that hurdle. That that you can look back on your life and you could say there were times that I was running3:57 harder for the Lord, or I was more passionate in worship, or I was more faithful in reading and studying God's word, I was more faithful in serving God. Can I encourage you with Paul's words? That's a hurdle we all have4:08 to overcome. That we wanna fan the flame the gift of God that does not leave us timid, but gives us the gift of power and love and discipline. He says the4:20 second hurdle we all have to get over. We have to make sure that when we run our race of life, that we run with reliable people. He says, you and I need to be on4:32 the track with the team, but it needs to be the right team. We need to be on the track with other runners, we need to be on the team with other teammates, but we need to make sure they're reliable people. We talked about4:43 this fact in a relay race in the in the 4 by 100 that that the men of the US have been disqualified now 5 Olympics in a row, not all the same runners.4:56 Some of them are the same, but they found themselves on the track with other unreliable people. So let me ask you a question. When you look at the team that you are running with, when you look at the people5:08 that you're on the track with, do you have other reliable people around you? And notice what Paul said in second Timothy chapter 2 verse 1, he says, you then my son, be strong, there's those words again, and5:20 the grace that Christ has given you in Christ Jesus, and the things you have heard from me say in the presence of many witnesses, he says, entrust to reliable people who will also be5:32 qualified to teach others. And we talked about this idea of it's not just the gospel to me, but it's the gospel to me, but always through me. It is always, man,5:44 God teach me so that I can teach others. Pastor, share with me so I can share with somebody else. Life group leaders share with me so I can share with somebody else. See, it's always the gospel to5:55 me, but it doesn't stop there. It's the gospel to me so it can be the gospel through me. And that's what we saw Paul say as he talked about, the next hurdle which is we gotta know the rules. Look at it, second6:07 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. He said this is what we looked at last week, biblius sacra. All scripture, not some of it, not the popular parts, not the6:19 parts that culture accepts. He says all scripture is God breathed and useful, that's a key word. That means profitable, beneficial. See everything written in6:31 God's word, even the hard parts, were written for your good. They're written for your marriage's good, for your family's good, for our6:42 society's good, for our country's good. So all scripture is God breathed. It is beneficial, even the hard parts for teaching and rebuking and correcting and training6:54 in righteousness so that, there's always a so that. So that what? The servant of God might be ready for every good work. And those are the first 3 obstacles7:06 and hurdles that we looked at the last couple of weeks. This last 1 is a hard 1. We have to learn to finish well. We can all look good at the starting line, we7:18 can all look good at the beginning, but it's how well will we do at the finish line. When we get to the end of our race, here's what Paul says in second Timothy chapter 4 verse7:30 7. He says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. Let me just read that to you again, talking about finishing well. What do we have to do?7:41 We have to fight the good fight, not just any fight, the good fight. We have to finish our race, don't pull up short of the finish line, don't stop halfway through, don't7:53 quit today, God's still got more for you, you have kept the faith. I don't know how many true runners we have in here but 1 of the Olympic sports I always love is that8:05 1600 meter. And by the way for that, those of you, that's the 1 mile run. Alright? I don't know, anybody in here you you competed in the 1 mile? I I did not because apparently there were 4 laps in8:17 that race. The last time I was ever involved in track was middle school, I was so grateful to get in high school because baseball started and I didn't have to run track. But I was just looking, it always8:29 amazes me about those those 1600 meter runners. As they're running around the track and you look at them the first lap and the second lap and the third lap and the fourth lap and you're like, do they all just8:40 hold it back for the fourth lap? Can we just fast forward to the fourth lap? And so I started doing some reading about the best Olympic milers there's ever been. And then I began to read a bunch of8:52 articles from some of the coaches of the mile race. And they say it's not 1 race, it's actually 4 races, with 4 different steps to get you to that final step. And9:04 they they came up with this idea that in lap 1, they refer to this lap as the push lap. This is a lap where you wake your body up and say,9:16 I'm not practicing, I'm not warming up, I am actually a competitor in a race. And this is the push lap, that if you are gonna win at the end, you better start off well. And so9:28 what they say is sometimes that you don't know what your mind is going through, what your mind says, can I can I run with the people around me? Lap number 1, you push it. You're gonna get9:40 yourself out of breath, you're gonna wear your legs out, but you're telling every other competitor around, don't discount me because I'm gonna be here at the end. And so that's lap 1.9:52 Lap 2 is the lap that they call the pace lap. Once you've gone through your push lap, you've told your body, your mind, and your soul, and every other competitor in the race, and everybody in the stands that I am in this10:03 race and I'm not in it to lose it, that then you have to pull back and have what they call a pace lap. Why? Because no 1 can run 4 push laps. The pace lap is when10:15 every runner finds their groove. They begin to recover their breath, they begin to settle in, they begin to find the pace of the race and the pace of the pack. And it's real important10:27 they say that regardless of how your push lap took place and if it finished the way you wanted it to that 1, lap 2 you find your groove. Because this is where your body's gonna replenish its oxygen, get10:39 ready to have the last 2, the third and the fourth lap. So they say the groove lap is not as important as the pace lap, but it's really important, Which leads you to10:51 the third lap. The third lap is all about position. It's where do you wanna be in the pack? And what do other competitors like to do? And you've probably heard the11:02 commentator say, well you know so and so, she's in the back of the pack, but here's what we know about her is she's got a kick at the end, you've heard that right? That you've got to know who you're racing again. Then11:12 you also have to know who you are. Am I someone that likes to come around that last corner of a mile and kick? Or am I someone that needs to stride ahead because listen, if I wanna kick with somebody11:24 I'm gonna lose. And so this third lap is all about finding position. And then that final lap, they actually say the fourth lap is the easiest lap of the mile.11:36 If you get there. And the reason why is there's really no thinking about it. They call this the power lap. Regardless of how lap 1, 2 or 311:48 went, regardless of whether you're in the groove or the position you wanted to be, lap number 4 has 1 agenda. It's all the power you got left. And they say, the11:59 coaches would say and other people who ran it would say, this is actually the simplest lap and the hardest lap at the same time. It's the simplest because there's not much thinking that goes on. There's12:11 no other lap after this 1. It's the hardest lap because you've already run 3 pretty aggressive laps, but you're gonna run until you can't run anymore. So they call12:23 it both the simplest and hardest lap. So as we think about where Paul is in second Timothy chapter 4, he says I'm about to finish my course. He's on his simplest12:35 yet hardest lap and he gives us some ideas and so what I wanted to do is I wanted to take those 4 ideas of push, pace, position, and12:47 power and really see what Paul has to say to Timothy in second Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 to 7. Thought number 1, the push idea. The push idea is when you start off in the race you are12:59 telling yourself and everybody else that you are in the race. Can I just tell you today what Paul tells Timothy and he reminds us today is that God has put you in this race called13:11 life? He's got you here for a reason, because he wants you to run-in such a way that you will win. Notice what Paul says, second Timothy chapter 4 verse 1. He13:22 says, in the presence of God and Christ Jesus who will judge the living and the dead, those who are running, those who have stopped running here, and in view of his appearing in his kingdom, he says I give you this13:32 charge. You might wanna underline that word charge. That that that word that Paul uses is kind of interesting. Paul's in a Roman prison, using a courtroom term.13:45 He says, Timothy, I judge you. I charge you. I bring these charges against you. What is it? He says, preach the word. Whatever you're gonna13:57 do, he says, Timothy, don't ever forget to preach the word. He says, be prepared in season and out of season. How many of you know the NFL or the Cowboys finished their preseason last yesterday? We're kinda glad that's14:08 over. How many of you are ready for the real season to get started? Man, that's it. He says in season and out of season, here's what we know is God's children. There's an in season, there's an out of season, but there's14:18 no off season for God's children. There's no off season for the church. It's every day, every year, every hour, and every moment. Then note notice he says, correct rebuke and encourage14:30 with great patience and careful instruction. We got some images up there for you. If you think of that word preach, if you look at the actual Greek word, a lot of you think, well14:41 that's what you're doing right now pastor. You're you're preaching. That's really not what the word means. It means to talk openly about a particular subject.14:53 That whatever you do and wherever you are, you wanna talk openly about a particular subject. Now you'll notice the guy with the smile, how many of you grew up in a fire and brimstone church? That was how the guy15:04 preached. Alright, that's the smoke coming out of the mouth. I'll tell you that's not me. Alright? Some people think that's only, that's the only kind of preaching there is. If you're not screaming, if you're not15:15 yelling, if you're not up on a platform, if there's not a big big altar that you're preaching by, man, then you're not preaching. That is not what that word means. It means to talk openly about15:27 a particularly important subject. And so Paul says that subject is the word. So here's what that means, that whether you're with a friend, shoulder to15:38 shoulder and they're asking you questions about the faith, guess what? You preach the word. You talk openly about your faith. Maybe you're at a swing set and you're face to15:50 face ladies with 1 of your friends who's going through a season in their marriage or with their kids or in their life. Preach the word. That that picture down there on the left is Gene16:02 and I had the opportunity to to go and join a men's bible study, a life group. 1 of our life groups had a men's bible study breakfast yesterday at at Roses and and the breakfast was great.16:15 But you know what's really good? At that table full of men, there was a man at the end and it wasn't me. And he just opened God's word and he began to talk to those guys and Gina and I got to sit in on16:27 someone else preaching the word. So whatever you do, don't think that I'm the only preacher in the room. Everybody in this room, you are called to preach the word in your16:38 schools, in your neighborhood, at the office, wherever you are to talk openly about your faith and about God's word. But notice what he says, he says in season, out of season. That means in those16:50 formal settings that would be 1 of these, but also those informal settings. Those times when we're in church and we're on duty, those times when you're at the office and you're off duty,17:02 that we wanna make sure that in every place and in every way that we would preach the word, when? Here. But also tomorrow and the next day and the next day in every formal setting and17:14 every informal setting. Notice what he says. But he also said with great patience. Basically what Paul is reminding Timothy is don't17:25 be shocked if people don't get it the first time. Then you keep preaching and you keep talking and preaching doesn't mean you raise your voice. That you share it17:37 with them and they may not get it and they share it with them and they may not get it and you share it with them and they may not get it. You say pastor what is this like? Anybody have a teenager? You ever looked at17:49 them and said haven't we gone over this? And the answer is yes and sometimes they will look you right in the eye and go, no. I'm like, you've never heard these words come out of18:01 my mouth before ever? No. Yeah, they've come out a lot. And so I love what Paul is even telling Timothy and you and me and and you18:12 today is listen, when you are sharing your faith with someone, when you are preaching to someone, it's not raising your voice. You don't have to put a jacket on. It doesn't have to only be in church. It could be anytime,18:22 anywhere, but he says do it with great patience. That means sometimes you're gonna have to do it over and over and over again. So he says with great patience and careful18:34 instruction. In other words, walk them through God's word, share God's word with them. I I love the way Peter put it. First Peter chapter 3 put it Peter put it this way, but in your hearts18:45 revere Christ, so that's in our heart, as Lord. But always be prepared to give an answer, to preach a little, give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you18:57 have. What is he saying? Wherever you are, church, the office, neighborhood, school, wherever you are, grocery store, always be ready to preach a little,19:09 to talk openly about your faith. So that's thought number 1. That's the push. God has you in this race. God has me in this race for a reason. And so19:21 when this time comes that I need to be ready to preach, here's thought number 2, it's lap number 2, it's pace. It is that I need to find my groove. Man, everybody in here need to know your spiritual gifts. How has God19:32 put you together? You need to know your attitudes, your thoughts, the way you see things, the way you look at things. That's kind of your groove. I wanna know how I'm gonna walk, know how I'm gonna live, but I also wanna19:43 understand this, I wanna block out the negative voices. Good runners would say, as I'd read about their stories, by lap 2,19:55 they can no longer hear the crowd, they can actually no longer hear the breathing or the footsteps of the other runners, the only thing they can hear is their own breathing.20:07 That's because what? They have found their groove. They know they're supposed to be in that race. They are moving forward. So here's what Paul says, notice how he puts it. He says we gotta block out the negative voices.20:19 Look at verse 3, he says for a time will come, and let me tell you, the time has come, when men will not put up with sound doctrine. You might wanna just write this down, that word20:31 doctrine simply means teaching. That word sound is the same Greek word we get our English word hygiene from, or healthy. He says there will come a time, Timothy,20:43 when people will not put up with healthy doctrine, with clean doctrine. Anybody see that today? Anybody hear that all the time20:55 today? That people are rejecting sound doctrine and right now they're using the word, we're gonna deconstruct our faith. In other words, we're gonna take all the hard stuff out of the Bible. Can I tell you? Paul says the21:06 hard stuff's in there for your own good, just like the easy stuff. So he says be careful, there will come a day when people won't put up with sound doctrine, instead to suit their own lust or their own21:18 desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers who teach what? Unsound doctrine. Unhealthy doctrine. Unclean doctrine,21:30 to say what their itching ears wanna hear, they will turn their ears away from the truth and towards myths. Anybody see that happening today?21:43 I mean just read a news article or hear someone quote preach on social media and you just look and say, that's not right at all. You know there's a there's a phrase out there called ignorance21:55 is bliss. You ever heard that? You know there are times that ignorance is bliss. When I sit down this afternoon in front of golf because I'm waiting on football and I grab a bag of Oreos and ice cream.22:08 Ignorance is bliss. These Oreos aren't gonna hurt me today. Or or maybe you just want to enjoy something, you want to go sit down and watch a movie.22:20 You don't want to think about all the actors and stuff. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Can Can I tell you there are times that ignorance isn't bliss? You say pastor, when is ignorance not bliss? Well, when it's gonna22:32 harm me. Greater still, when is it not bliss? When it's gonna harm my family. When it's gonna hurt my kids, when it's gonna hurt my22:44 community, when it's gonna hurt my country, then we need to step back and say, listen, I just can't overlook that. Notice what he said, they will gather around teachers,22:56 teachers around them that will teach unhealthy doctrines so their itching ears can hear and they can believe a myth. Go look at the technical words myth. It is a wrong23:08 but generally held belief by society. Wrong but generally held belief by society. Man, we've had a lot of myths flying our way these last couple of years23:21 about marriage and gender and a lot of things and guess what, those are unhealthy doctrines that are not good for our family, they're not good for our church, they're not good for our country, they're not good for our23:32 community. So listen, we need to be the kind of people that are willing to say, listen, we found our groove and part of our groove is we are focused on the finish line, we are ignoring the negative voices, we23:44 understand God's word. Here's number 3, ready? Lap number 3, you always have to find your position. What is your position in the race? You have to know where do I need to be, how do I need to work23:56 the pack. Can I work from the back of the pack, do I need to be at the front of the pack, can I be at the middle of the pack, can I be in an inside lane or an outside lane? This is where we have to find our place. Here's24:04 exactly what Paul says and how he puts it. Look at verse 4, verse 5. He says, but for you, so he's saying Timothy in contrast to those teachers who teach unhealthy24:16 doctrine, he says, but you, you're the contrast, He says, keep your head in every situation, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all of your duties in ministry. Now let's just walk through24:28 that. Here's the thought. Paul is saying find your position. He says, you you you gotta be in a place that I'm willing to to ignore all those other voices, but I gotta find my24:40 place. And as you think about it he says, but you keep your head in every situation. He says listen, there are gonna be times when laps 1 and 2 in your life don't go like you wanted it to be. You can't lose your24:52 head in lap 3. Why? Because of lap 4 that's most important. And so maybe you're in a place today where you don't like the position you're in. Can I just encourage you, don't lose your head? Do exactly what Paul25:04 says, don't lose your head, endure some hardship, keep running, keep working, do the work of an evangelist. In other words, if someone is out there feeding into you lies25:16 that are unbiblical, man, that's when you preach back. Doesn't need to be loud, it just needs to be true. That he says do the work of an evangelist. The best thing you and I can do is we can share our faith.25:28 Someone says hey, you know this is true and you go well, the bible says this. And just have that conversation and keep your head in every situation. Don't always get angry, don't always get mad and don't always talk on25:39 social media. How many of you know what I'm talking about? And I love what we're gonna see here in a second. Paul says, listen, we wanna be sure we fight the good fight, we don't wanna fight every fight. There are lots25:50 of fights out there. But when we think about today and what he said, I ran across this quote this week from John Calvin. Here's what John Calvin said centuries ago. He said the more determined men26:02 become to despise the teachings of Christ, the more zealous we as godly ministers ought to be to assert it in a more strenuous way to preserve it.26:14 So it's kind of interesting that that Paul in the first century is telling Timothy, don't be shocked when people don't stand up and don't no longer like sound doctor. John Calvin a couple hundred years26:26 ago said the exact same thing and so here we are today. We're living in a culture that is refusing to accept sound doctrine. Do we quit? Do we get angry? No. He says26:38 listen, do the work of an evangelist, keep your head in every situation. Which leads us to this final thought. You ready? Here's number 4. It's the power lap. This is you26:49 run till you're finished. Here's what I know. God's still got an amazing plan for every person in this room and every27:01 person online. He really does. Regardless of how lap 1 of your life went or lap 2 of your life went or lap 3 of your life went,27:13 God still has plans for you. You say pastor how do you know that? Because you're still here. That means God wants to use you. There's some27:25 people in here that you have stumbled through the first 3 laps of your life and others around you see no hope for your last lap. God does. There are some of you that you started off, had27:37 an amazing first lap, you struggled in the middle of the race, can I tell you God still has a power lap waiting for you? And that's exactly what Paul says, look at it in verse 6. He says, for I am already being poured27:47 out like a drink offering. He says, I am doing everything I can. This is my last lap, Paul knows. He says, I I am pouring it all out. I am hanging it all out. He says, and the time will come for my departure. That's the27:59 finish line. Now notice what he says, these 3 things. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I have kept the faith. Well, love what Paul says. I28:11 know it's about over for me. I'm gonna run as well as I can run. He says I've fought the good fight. Child of God, do not walk out of here and fight every fight, you'll wear yourself28:22 out. Only fight the good fights. Number 2, finish the race. There are gonna be a lot of people around including a lot of people in culture that want Christians to quit.28:34 Can I tell you this? God didn't raise a bunch of quitters. God wants us to run our race and then thirdly he says I have kept the faith. You say pastor,28:47 let's say that I run to my finish line. What awaits me? Let me tell you. Let's let Paul tell you. Here's a closing verse, verse 8.28:59 Paul says now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness. I love that. Which the Lord, the righteous judge will29:10 award to me on that day. Let me just stop right there. Y'all give Paul a hand for running his race. But29:24 that verse didn't stop there. So you're in this verse. Paul wasn't just writing to people of Ephesus, he just wasn't writing to Timothy, he was writing to you and29:36 to me. So let's finish reading that verse. He says, will reward to me on that day and not only to me29:49 but to all who long for his appearing. Everybody say that's us. See there's a crown waiting for us in heaven. If you30:00 look in the New Testament just like in today even, there are really 2 2 crowns that were spoken about. Well 1 crown is for royalty. The king, the queen, the princes,30:12 whatever. I don't Do we have any kings or queens in the room or princes? No? If we do, I'd love to have lunch with you. Talk to you about make room.30:25 See, but here's the deal. You are either in the bloodline or you are aren't. That's not the word for crown that Paul uses. The30:37 word for crown that Paul uses is the victor's crown. It's someone who's run the race and completed it. Everybody's got a shot.30:48 You don't have to born be born the son or the daughter of a king or queen to get this crown. You just have to run your race. So child of God, as we31:00 close today, are you pushing? Have you found your groove? Do you know your position? And are you willing to31:12 power down to the end? If you are, Paul says there is a waiting for you a victor's crown. Let's pray. God thank you so much31:24 for just being a people that regardless of our past and regardless of our struggles, regardless of how we ran the first or the second or the third lap, you have given us another lap. God I pray that we would leave here31:36 today being willing to preach the word, to talk openly about our faith at the office or in our neighborhood, in the grocery store, wherever it is. But God I also pray that we31:47 are a church, a congregation filled with believers that say we are going to run hard till the end because we all know that our race doesn't end31:59 here, It actually just starts up there. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen.
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Blessed: Choose Mercy John Mark Caton Oct 15
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