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Starting Out Right, Ending Up Wrong

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• 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5. The title of the message is "Starting Out Right, Ending Up Wrong." Starting out right, ending up wrong. So in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5, the Word of God says this: "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet he is not crowned, except he strive lawfully." Let that verse sink in. Let me read it one more time: "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet he is not crowned, except he strive lawfully." When you read through the Bible, there are many examples and there are many pictures of the Christian life. In fact, in 2 Timothy 2, there are several pictures of a Christian. First of all, he is pictured there as a soldier in verse 3. He's also pictured as a racer or a runner in verse 5. And he's also pictured as a farmer in verse 6. And each one of these pictures actually convey a different aspect of the Christian life. For instance, of course, the soldier pictures the hardness, the strength, the endurance, and the obedience that is necessary in the Christian life.

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• The runner, of course, pictures here the need and necessity of running according to the rules. And, of course, the farmer then pictures and speaks of the patience that is necessary in the Christian life. Now, I would like you to turn to two other passages that demonstrate the fact that in the Bible, we do have the Christian life pictured as a race. The first one is 1 Corinthians 9, and the second one is Hebrews 12 and verse 1. So we'll go to 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 24 first. 1 Corinthians 9, and look, if you would please, at verse 24.

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• Here the Apostle Paul makes this statement.

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• "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things." That's verse 25. "They do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible." If you go back to verse 24, he says, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?" And then he makes this statement, "So run, that ye may obtain." So he goes on to say that every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. But note he talks about running the race and only one receiving the prize, and then makes a statement, "So run, that ye may obtain." When you look in the book of Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1, the Bible says this: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." So 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 24 speaks of the necessity of preparation and conditioning if you're going to be running in a race.

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• I remember years ago I did run some track when I was in high school, and of course my strong point was the two miles. I never smoked, I never drank, I was long-winded—you can tell by my preaching. So I had plenty of wind, and I remember going to the race, and I was hungry, and I hadn't eaten anything. So I stopped by the Dairy Queen, and I ate two or three hamburgers and a milkshake. Well, I don't think I quite made that race, because I should not have eaten all of that. But I'm just simply saying, 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 24 says, if you're going to be running in a race, you better be temperate in all things. You better make sure that you can obtain that prize.

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• When you get to Hebrews 12 and verse 1, He tells us that we have to lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us so that we will run and possibly win. So, if we are going to be crowned, if we are going to be adorned with victory, if we are going to be honored, He is saying that we must strive lawfully in 2 Timothy 2 and verse 5. I want you to go back and look at that again, and let me make a statement on it. He said, "...if a man also strive for masteries, yet he is not crowned, except he strive lawfully."

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• Now, the word "lawfully" is nominos in the Greek, and it literally means lawfully, or that which is agreeable to the law, or that which is proper, or that which is in conformity to the rules. So, if I enter into a race, and I run and I am the first one to cross the finish line, that does not necessarily mean that I have won, because I could have cheated. I could have cut across the race course. I could have violated the rules. And just because I was the first one there does not mean that I won. I could be disqualified if I did not run according to the rules.

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• And here's an interesting thing. I've seen races where the runners were all lined up and when the starting gun was fired, one of the racers stumbled. I mean, he just stumbled and fell. And guess what? He ended up winning the race. He stumbled at the beginning, but he took off and made up for it. I've seen other races where people trip and stumble and fall during the race. And of course they get up and they dust themselves off and they catch up and they end up winning.

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• The point I'm trying to make right now is this. It really doesn't matter how you start. It's how you finish that counts. It's wonderful when you can start out right and when you continue right and when you can finish right. To be honest, I've only known one individual that has done that perfectly, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. But the truth of the matter is, if we do not stumble at the beginning nor in the middle, it's wonderful, that is for sure, but we are certainly never perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination.

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• Now, I want you to turn, if you would, please, to the book of Matthew 13, because I want to give you another illustration of starting out right but ending up wrong. In Matthew 13, our Lord Jesus Christ is giving us the parable of the sower. And He's also talking about how the seed falls on the ground, and there are different responses in the reception of that seed. He says in Matthew 13, verse 5, some seed fell upon stony places where they had not much earth. And forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth.

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• And when the sun was up, they were scorched because they had no root. They withered away. When you think about stony ground, do not think about a field just with stones in it. Plants can grow up in and around those stones. I was preaching in Pennsylvania years ago, and it was a camp. And it was a beautiful camp, and I took a walk down by the river.

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• And I was absolutely astounded because here was a rock half as big as this room. I mean, it was a huge rock, probably 12 to 15 feet high. And the diameter was about half the size of this room. And sitting right on top of that rock was a pine tree about this big around with the roots going around the rock and down into the ground and into the creek. So when he's talking about stony ground, what he's referring to is when you have a solid sheet of rock and only a couple of inches of topsoil.

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• And so once the seed goes there, it can't take root and go downward. So all of the energy is then given to the plant to shoot upward. And so every gardener has had plants like this. You walk out and you planted the seed and all of a sudden you see this nice green healthy plant that shot up and you think, wow, I wish the rest of my garden would do like that.

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• But you come back the next day and it's dead. Because it could not make a root or take root and go downward. So, there are a lot of people just like that. It's not how you start out, it's how you finish. You may start out in glory and you end up in shame. You may start out with a burst of speed, but you may end up being drunk over the finish line as well. You may start out shining, but your luster turns to darkness as well.

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• Now, here are the two principles that I want to emphasize before we get started today. These principles should be kept in mind. The first one is dealing with Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1, when he said that we must run the race with patience.

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• Now, the word "patience" happens to be the Greek word hypomone, and it literally means a patient continuance. It means a constancy. It means a steadfastness. It means an endurance. So for instance, if I'm going to be running two miles and I'm running against five other racers, I might start out with a burst of speed only temporarily just so I could take the lead. But after that, I must pace myself because obviously, clearly, I could not run two miles with the initial burst of speed keeping that up. So, the Word of God is talking about a constancy.

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• Now, the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 24, he said, only one man gets the prize. And then he said, so run that you may obtain.

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• Now, there's another verse that will tie in with this very beautifully. And that happens to be Philippians chapter 3 and verse 14. It was there the Apostle Paul said this, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." So if you're going to run with constancy, if you're going to run with consistency, if you're going to run with endurance, then you have to keep your eye on the finish line. You have to keep your eye on the prize. That's what the Apostle Paul said. You have to keep your eye upon the Lord Jesus Christ. So running patiently with endurance and keeping your eyes on the end, on the finish, he says, will enable you to run successfully.

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• Now, the reason this message is being preached is I was reading through the book of 2 Chronicles, and you say, but you haven't said anything about 2 Chronicles. I know, not yet, but I am. But I was reading through the book of 2 Chronicles, and I was just absolutely astounded and amazed at men who started out right, but ended up wrong. And then I got to thinking, it's not just Old Testament saints, but New Testament as well.

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• Before we get there, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy 4, and look, if you would please, at verses 6-8. Here's how we should desire to finish our race. Look at it. 2 Timothy 4, beginning there with verse 6. The Apostle Paul says this, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." You remember he was in a Roman prison.

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• They were going to cut off his head, and they did. He said, "I have fought a 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 also unto them that love his appearing." So he said, I've fought a good fight, I've finished my course, I've kept the faith.

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• No wonder he said, I'm ready to be offered. In other words, he realized that he was finishing well, and he said there was going to be a crown given to him. I don't know about you, but I would like to have a crown as well. Not that I can wear it around and show everyone, look, I've won a race. No, I would like to have a crown so I can do like those elders in the book of Revelation, take it off and throw it at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and say, "Thou alone art worthy, O Lord." And that's exactly why I would want a crown, just to throw it back at his feet, because everything that we are, we are by his grace. Now, what I want to do is this. I want to show you some men in the Old Testament that had a wonderful start, but a wicked finish.

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• And you will recognize these names because they were what you and I basically would refer to as good kings. So I want you to turn to 2 Chronicles 14, and the first one is King Asa. Asa, of course, is known as a good king and as a godly king. And I want you to look at this and think with me of how absolutely astoundingly wonderful this is. You would think just reading what I'm going to share with you right now, it could not get any better. So what I want to do is this. I want to let the Word of God preach to you today. I want you to see this with your own eyes. So in 2 Chronicles chapter 14 beginning with verse 1, "So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David.

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• And Asa his son reigned in his stead, and in his days the land was quiet ten years." Watch verse 2, "And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord God. For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves."

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• Now let me stop right there and just mention something to you. Anytime you see the word "groves" in the Old Testament, with one exception, and that is when Abraham, in the book of Genesis, planted a grove. He planted a grove of trees. When you and I hear the word "grove," we think of a grove of pecan trees, or a grove of some other trees. But Abraham planted a grove of trees. All the other times in the Old Testament, when you hear the word "groves," it is the plural for Asherah, or Asherim, which was a female sex goddess. That's what it was. So here he is cut down, the Bible says, the images probably of Baal, and cut down also the groves, that is, the Asherah. Now watch verse 4.

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• "And he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. And he took away out of the cities of Judah the high places and the images, and the kingdom was quiet before him. And he built fenced cities in Judah, for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest. Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls and towers and gates and bars, while the land is yet before us. Because we've sought the Lord our God, we've sought Him, and He's given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of men that bear targets and spears out of Judah, 300,000, and out of Benjamin that bear shields and drew bows, 280,000. So he's got 580,000 soldiers. All these mighty men of valor. Now watch carefully.

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• "And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand thousand," that's a million. So they were outnumbered two to one. Besides, he had 300 chariots and came into Mareshah. "Then Asa went out against him and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah." Now watch this prayer. "And Asa cried unto the Lord his God and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go against this multitude, O Lord. Thou art our God. Let no man prevail against Thee." So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar, and the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover themselves. For they were destroyed before the Lord and before His host, and they carried away very much spoil. And they smote all the cities around about Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them, and they spoiled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

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• "They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem." Now, here's a man that was facing tremendous odds, and he prayed this absolutely astoundingly wonderful prayer. God was entreated and God heard and God gave the victory. Now, let me ask you this question. How could you ever possibly forget anything like this? And you could ask, well, I don't think it could even get any better than this, but yes it can. So look in 2 Chronicles chapter 15 beginning there with verse 8. Look what Asa continued to do. "And when Asa heard these words," the prophet Oded had been prophesying to him and encouraging. "And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim, that it would be Israel, and renewed the altar of the Lord that was before the porch of the Lord. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh and out of Simeon.

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• For they fell to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa." Now watch carefully. "And they offered unto the Lord at the same time of the spoil which they had brought seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, with all their soul, that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. And they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

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• And all Judah rejoiced at the oath. For they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire, and he was found of them. And the Lord gave them rest round about."

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• Now let me show you how dedicated Asa was at this point. Look at verse 16. "And also concerning Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen." Why? "Because she'd made an idol in her grove, and Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burnt it at the brook Kidron." He took his own mother off the throne because she was an idolater. Now, the point I'm making right now is this.

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• Here is a man that had an absolutely wonderful start. You would think reading chapter 15, chapter 16, or at least 14 and 15, goodness, nothing could ever go wrong at this point. You could never forget such a wonderful victory over the Ethiopians. You could never forget the prayer. You could never forget the trust and the faith. You could never forget the dedication. You could never forget the great sacrifice and the covenant.

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• But let me show you. Look in chapter 16, beginning with verse 1, and things begin to deteriorate. Watch. "And in the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee. As there was between my father and thy father, behold, I have sent thee silver and gold, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he might depart from me. And Ben-Hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel.

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• And they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-Maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali." Now, let me ask you to do something just momentarily. What I want you to do is lay aside the fact right now that at this point Asa is not trusting in the Lord. Lay aside the fact that he is looking right now to Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria. Here's my question. What right did King Asa have to go into the temple and steal the treasures of the Lord and give them to Ben-Hadad, an infidel, an idolater? The answer is none. He was a thief.

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• Now, he did take some of his own, that is for sure. But he took it out of the temple, out of the house of the Lord.

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• Now, here's what I want you to see. God now sends a prophet to rebuke Asa. Asa, not only refuses the rebuke, he persecutes the prophet. And then he turns around and oppresses some of the people at the same time. Skip down, if you would, to chapter 16 and verse 7. Watch it. Hanani the seer, Hanani the prophet confronts Asa. Watch. Then let's, yeah, let's begin there with verse 7. "And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

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• Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly. Therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

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• You would think someone with his background would be willing to suffer a rebuke, would be willing to say, yes, I was wrong. Did he? No. Verse 10, "Then Asa was wroth with the seer and put him in a prison house. For he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time." So he turned actually to tyranny. That's not all. Look at verse 11. "And behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Asa, in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great. Yet in his disease he sought not the Lord, but to the physicians." Isn't that astounding?

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• He would not even seek the Lord for his own benefit, for his own health, for his own blessing. Here's a man that started out strong. He started out well, and he ended up wickedly. How in the world could such happen? Just remember this, it doesn't really matter how you start, it's how you finish that counts. Here's a man that would not suffer rebuke. He would not suffer the Word of God. He would not listen to the preacher who was proclaiming the Word of God to him. He had all of the advantages, and he ended up wrong.

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• Let me give you another one that is absolutely astounding. If you will look in 2 Chronicles 22, there is a man by the name of Joash. To me, this is absolutely unbelievable. Joash had so much going for him. Joash, as a child, was rescued from murder. He was the son of Ahaziah. When Ahaziah died, then Joash's grandmother, Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, did a very ungrandmotherly thing.

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• She murdered all of her grandchildren so that she could be queen. And the only reason Joash escaped was because of his aunt who rescued him and hid him. Look if you would. 2 Chronicles 22 and verse 11, "But Jehoshabeath the daughter of the king took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, for she was sister to Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah so that she slew him not." So the only reason Joash was not murdered was because of his aunt. His aunt happened to be the wife of Jehoiada, the high priest.

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• So he was now hidden in the temple for six years. Look at it in verse 12. "And he was with them hid in the house of God six years, and Athaliah reigned over all the land." So for six years, he's now protected by Jehoiada. He's now taught by Jehoiada. He's raised by Jehoiada. He's provided for by Jehoiada. Everything that he has is because of the high priest and his aunt. Now, I want to show you something else that Jehoiada did.

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• He gathered all the army together, and all the princes, and he made Joash king. So if you look in 2 Chronicles 23, notice verse 1, if you would please. "And in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Hanun, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. And they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God.

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• And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord hath said of the sons of David. This is the thing that you shall do. A third part of you entering in on the Sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters at the doors. And a third part shall be at the king's house, and a third part at the gate of the foundation, and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. But let none come into the house of the Lord, save the priests. And they that minister of the Levites, they shall go in, for they are holy. But all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. And the Levites shall compass the king round about every man with his weapons in his hand. And whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death. But be ye with the king when he cometh in and when he goeth out. So the Levites and all Judah did according to all the things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the Sabbath, and with them that were to go out on the Sabbath.

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• For Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses." Now watch, "Moreover, Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears and bucklers and shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of God. And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar of the temple and by the king round about. And they brought out the king's son, and they put upon him the crown and gave him the testimony, which is the law of God, and made him king." Now watch this carefully. "And Jehoiada and his sons," that is the sons of Jehoiada, "anointed him and said, God save the king." So, Jehoiada now has not only raised Joash, taught Joash, he's made him king. If you read on down, later on he took wives for Joash as well. In other words, everything that Joash had was in reference to what Jehoiada had basically done for him. I want you to note that Joash did indeed do some wonderful things.

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• It was Joash that ordered that the temple be cleaned and repaired. It was Joash that ordered that money should be raised for the temple according to the law of Moses. It was Joash that made sure that all of the instruments that were needed in the temple were there and those that were lacking were resupplied. Joash did indeed do some absolutely wonderful things, but like so many people, Joash did that which was right while Jehoiada was alive.

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• But when he died, everything went south. Note, if you would, 2 Chronicles 24 beginning there with verse 15. 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 15. "But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died. A hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and toward his house."

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• "Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them." They were wicked princes. Watch what happens in verse 18. "And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves," the Asherim, "and idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again to the Lord, and they testified against them, but they would not give ear." Now watch carefully. "And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, which stood above the people and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son.

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• And when he died, he said, the Lord look upon it and require it." May I remind you that Zechariah was one of the sons that helped anoint Joash king? And had it not been for Jehoiada, Joash would not have even lived. And so he repaid the kindness of Jehoiada by murdering his son and turning into an idolater. So here's a pattern. These men start out very well, but they end up very wickedly and very wrongly. I want to mention one more from the Old Testament, then we're going to go to the New Testament, and that is Uzziah. Let me point out the fact that Uzziah was basically what you and I would call a good king and even a great king.

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• He did many wonderful things in Jerusalem and in Judah. He built cities. He built towers. He fortified walls. He installed engines of war invented by cunning men to defend all of these places and all of his people. He reigned for 52 years. He had to be doing something right. But I want you to watch this. Look in 2 Chronicles chapter 26. The problem with Uzziah is the same problem that happens with most of us. Pride. Arrogance. Haughtiness. In 2 Chronicles 26 and verse 15, note, "And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal.

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• And his name was spread far abroad, for he was marvelously helped till he was strong." Watch what happens. "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense." The king did not have any business doing that. "And Azariah the priest went in after him and with him fourscore priests of the Lord," 80 men that were valiant men. "And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God." Now watch verse 19. "Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests.

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• in the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence, yea, himself hastened also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several or separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land." Wow. Look at verse 23. "So Uzziah slept with his fathers and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial, which belonged to the kings for they said, he is a leper. And Jotham his son reigned in his stead."

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• When you think about Uzziah and all the mighty things that he did and all the good things he did, to end up so wickedly and so wrongly because of the pride and the arrogance of his heart, he just assumed that since he was king, he could do whatever he wanted to do. No.

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• Now, there are many more Old Testament men that I could name, but I'm going to give you some New Testaments as well very quickly. The first one I want you to consider is a man by the name of Demas. I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would to 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 10. Demas happens to be mentioned three times in the Bible. I'm going to give you the two other verses where he is mentioned and make a comment upon them. But in Colossians 4 and verse 14 the Word of God says, "Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you." So Demas evidently traveled with Luke the physician, who happens to be the author of the book of Luke. When you get to Philemon chapter 1 and verse 24, Paul writes this, "Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers." So Demas is called one of Paul's fellow laborers. But when you get to 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 10, this is what you read. Look at it. I want you to hold this passage.

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• We're going to come back. But in verse 10 of 2 Timothy 4, he says, "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia." So evidently Crescens and Titus remained in the ministry, they just went on to different mission fields. But Demas forsook Paul, he said, having loved this present world. In other words, he wanted the pleasure, he wanted the happiness, he wanted to satisfy his flesh, and so he forsook Paul.

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• One of the greatest problems, I think, one of the greatest heartaches, one of the greatest trials for the Apostle Paul, is the same heartache and trial for modern day preachers. And that is to be forsaken by people that you have loved, worked with, and trusted. I have had numerous pastors literally cry on my shoulder over people that had been in their church for years. They had been faithful, they loved them, they worked with them, and all of a sudden over some trifle, some insignificant little thing, they get in a huff and just leave, and just never, ever come back.

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• I want you to look in 2 Timothy 4, verses 15 and 16, and we'll read through verse 17. In verse 15, he says, "...of whom be thou ware also." He's talking about Alexander the coppersmith who did him much evil in the previous verse. He said, "Of whom be thou ware also, for he hath greatly withstood our words." So there's a lot of tribulation, a lot of persecution.

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• "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." What did he say? All men forsook me. Under intense persecution, everybody left me.

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• I was just there, there alone. You see, Demas started out well because he worked with Luke and he worked with the Apostle Paul, but he finished wickedly. Starting out well is wonderful, but if you don't finish, it does you no good to start out well. Let me give you another one. There's a man by the name of John Mark in the New Testament. John Mark was a disciple who stumbled, fell, got up, dusted himself off, and then made a disciple worthy of the Apostle Paul to work with.

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• I want you to look in your Bibles very quickly. To the book of Acts chapter 12 and verse 25, then we'll go to Acts 15. I want you to see what is said of John Mark. Acts chapter 12, verse 25. The Bible says, "And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark." So John Mark, the author of the book of Mark, worked with Barnabas and Saul.

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• But you know, something happened. At some point, Mark left the work. He left the apostle Paul. Why did he leave? Well, the Bible does not say. It could have been because of youth. It could have been because of immaturity. It could have been because of homesickness. It could have been because of some secret sin. I don't know. The Bible does not say. But he left the Apostle Paul and Luke, not Luke, but Barnabas, and would not help them. If you'll skip down to Acts chapter 15, notice beginning there verse 35. Paul and Barnabas actually split over this. Notice verse 35. "Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch teaching and preaching the Word of the Lord with many others also. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we've preached the Word of the Lord and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought it not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

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• And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder, one from the other, no more Paul and Barnabas. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed into Cyprus. And Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God." Now, it was John Mark that caused the split between Paul and Barnabas. It was John Mark that caused Paul not to trust him. It was John Mark who must now prove himself, and the truth of the matter is he did stumble. He did fall. What happened? I don't know.

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• He just left the work and left them needing help and needing labor. But, he did repent, he did recover, and I want you to look at it back in 2 Timothy chapter 4, and we're going to read verses 10 and then 11. I want you to look very carefully. We've read verse 10 previously, I'm going to read it again. Paul writes, "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

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• Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry." Isn't that amazing? He's profitable.

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• Now, the word "profitable" literally means to be useful, to be meet for use, to be suitable, to be easily worked with. So, whatever was the cause of Mark's stumbling and falling, he got up and finished his course. And Paul said, bring him to me. He is now profitable. You know, there's another phrase that is used in James chapter 3 and verse 17 when God is talking about that wisdom that is from above. One of the aspects of that wisdom is that it's easily entreated. And the words "easily entreated" means very easy to work with. Just willing to do whatever needs to be done. And so he says, bring John Mark with you, because he's now profitable to me for the ministry. Wow.

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• It doesn't matter how you start. It's how you finish that counts. So let me make some applications. The first one is this. Just because you've stumbled, just because you've fallen, just because you've sinned, just because you rebelled against the Lord does not mean that you cannot ever be useful. Our Lord not only saves sinners, He uses sinners for His own honor and glory. There is no man that has not sinned.

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• There are no perfect saints, and there are no perfect preachers. Don't tell my wife. But that's true. There are no perfect preachers. And so the issue is not whether or not you have sinned. The issue is not whether or not you have rebelled. The issue is not whether or not you've stumbled or fallen. The issue is, have you repented? Have you made it right? Have you made restitution where it's possible to make restitution?

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• Have you done what needs to be done? Have you presented your body a living sacrifice unto the Lord Jesus Christ? You remember the Apostle Paul said it like this, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." And he was right. We are frail, we are weak, and we are sinful, but God can use a crooked stick to draw a straight line. So we need to repent. And we need to present ourselves before the Lord. I love that passage in Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 16, for the Bible says, "For a just man falleth seven times and riseth again." Just men, he's going to get up, dust himself off, make things right, and keep going. Here's the second application.

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• I don't know how it is with older folks, other older folks, but I know how it is with me. And I consider myself an older folk. Alice keeps reminding me that I'm not 21. I keep reminding her that she is still 21. And she can keep going, you know. But the older I get, the more I think about departing from this life. You know, I know I'm not going to live forever. The more I think about departing from this life, the more I think about facing the Lord Jesus Christ.

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• And the truth of the matter is this, I want to finish well. I may have stumbled, I may have fallen, I may have done wrong horribly, but the truth is, I want to end well. I want to make sure that I've gotten up, dusted myself off, repented, and finish the way I should. I want to correct everything that I can correct, and I want to make sure that there are no unconfessed sins in my life, and no sins that I have not repented of. I want to make sure that when I face Him, I do so with a clean and a pure heart by His grace and His mercy. Because I want to hear Him say by His grace, "Welcome home, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joys of thy Lord." Finishing well is more important than starting well. You see, you may be young, you may be middle-aged, you may be older, but the truth is, none of us know the hour of our departure.

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• It could be 20 years from now, it could be next week, it could be today. That's why the Bible says that we're not to say, "Tomorrow we're going to such and such city and buy and sell and get gain," for you know not what your life will be tomorrow. What you should say, "Lord willing, we'll go into such a city and buy and sell and get gain." Because no man is promised another day. Today is the day that the Lord has given us. Here's the third one.

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• We must learn to run the race patiently, obediently, and repentantly at the same time. We must keep our eyes upon the prize, and that is honoring the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to lay aside those weights, anything that would slow us down, anything that would weigh us down. And we have to lay aside those sins which just so easily beset us, so that we may run and finish successfully. So the issue is this, not whether or not you've sinned, not whether or not you've started well, not whether or not you messed up during the middle of your life, the issue is are you going to finish well? And you can finish well by living for Him and giving Him the praise and the honor and the glory.

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• Start out right, continue right if it's possible, but make sure that you end right. Do not end up wrong. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you would help us to not just start out well, but to end well. How we finish is far more important than how we start. And Lord, we have each one stumbled and fell, a multitude of times. And it's only by your grace that we're still alive, and only by your grace that we're still listening, and we still have an obedient heart. Help us, Lord, to run this race lawfully, according to the precepts of your word, according to the rules that thou hast laid down. Give us, Lord, your grace and your mercy, that we may finish as the Apostle Paul and say, "I fought a good fight. I finished my course.

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• I'm ready to be offered, my departure is at hand." And because of this, there's a crown laid up for us so that we may throw those crowns back at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and say, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive honor and glory." Help us, we pray in Christ's name, Amen.

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• you you

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:25:09Z