Chapel – Chris Chase
I always find after we finish singing, there's this holy hush that descends upon our Chapel, and keeping with that, I would invite you now as we prepare ourselves to hear the word of God. To take a moment of silence together. God already today you have spoken to us by your spirit. We pray God that you will open her eyes, our minds, our hearts, and ultimately our hands to your service and listening to what we have today, what you have prepared for us today through your servant Christ. And may you be glorified, we pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.
This morning we are really pleased to have with us Chris Chase. Chris is a longtime friend of Tindale University and has actually taken courses here, continues to take courses here and many of you from Newfoundland might know Chris in another capacity, he goes out to the island on a yearly basis to offer messages. To young, to teens and young adults who are glad that there's that connection too. Chris has an interesting background. Uhm, but what is true always of his presence with us and among other people is he has a tremendous capacity for bringing poignant and powerful applications of God's word to the people who hear his words. And we know that that's not of his own doing, but that of the spirit. And I know that Chris has in preparing for today, has been leaning on the spirits work to help him offer the message this morning. And the message this morning is called start well and finish strong. An appropriate message for the beginning of the semester at anytime, but I'm sure that there's particular applications in Chris's life that will make it even more powerful for you as you listen to it.
Chris sent me a bio and I always love when people send bios and indicate this as their first statement. Chris is Rebecca's husband and Ellie and Liam's dad. I think that shares a lot of who he is. He's not putting up the accolades, which are many in front of who he is, but that significantly. Who he is is a husband and a father and a man of God, and we are really looking forward to what you have for us today, Chris. He is currently working as a strategic engagement lead for Open Doors Canada, a position that he has recently risen to previously for over 20 years he has preached, he has been a pastor and speaker, a podcaster. He has also worked with World Vision and Masters College and Seminary in Peterborough, so we're really looking forward to what you have to us for us today, Chris.
Chris's message this morning is based on Acts 20 and let me just read that passage to you. It's from acts 20:22-24. And now, compelled by the spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I considered my life worthy worth nothing to me. My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task. The Lord Jesus has given me. The task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. God, this morning we are excited to hear from your servant and our brother Chris as he comes to bring and open your word to us. I pray by your spirit that the word prepared will reach our hearts, our hands and our heads so that we may appropriately and with great exuberance glorify your name, the one that is in charge of all creation. We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.
Well, good morning friends. Years ago, I had the opportunity to serve as an administrator and as a recruiter at a Bible College in Peterborough, and one of my responsibilities was to build the First year's theme for every orientation group that would come in and to kind of shape what we would call boot camp. One year our theme was start with the end in mind. The picture being decide how you want your collegiate career to end. Good grades, good standing, job ready. Still in love with your faith and build the habits at the beginning to get you there at the end. Don't guess your destination. Instead, map out your destination, map out where you want to go, and then learn the route. So here we stand and sit at the beginning of a semester and I think that application still stands.
Whether student or professor or administrator, we are all just a few strides out from the starting blocks of the school year. And I would hope, and I would assume that we all know how we want the year to go, right. And yet we all know that life does not always play fair or play nice in terms of letting us get there easily. So knowing the goal, knowing the end goal, it keeps us, it keeps us that when the grade received isn’t the grade we want or think that we deserve, it keeps us. When the students effort in a classroom is not what we had originally hoped, that it would be and it keeps us administrative administratively when there are too many meetings on top of too many meetings on top of too many meetings. And if you're an administrator, you understand what I mean by that. In acts chapter 20, it was, as was read, we see the Apostle Paul rounding out his ministry tour as he sets his sights upon Jerusalem after a three-year stay in Ephesus because of time constraints, he's running late in order to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost, he asked for the elders of Ephesus to join him about 30 miles or so. Closer to his ship so that he could, to quote from the 2015 Musical Hamilton, teach them how to say goodbye one last time. And while there, he speaks to his future and what will keep him there.
Paul, he is compelled internally to head towards Jerusalem and while he is unsure of the bumps and bruises along the way, when he gets there, he and the Lord they have conferred and he knows that it will not be the most comfortable of journeys. And yet he knows how he wants to finish his life, no matter what. Completing what Jesus has set apart for him to do. He knows that that's how he wants to end his life, no matter how it ends, whether killed, whether in jail, whether free he wants to end his life that way, doing what Jesus has set apart for him to do, it was something that Jesus asked for him to do when they met face to face on the Damascus Rd. In acts Chapter 9 it was explained to Ananias in Chapter 9, verses 15 and 16. Paul was to quote the Lord to be his chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings as well as to the people of Israel. And then God said this of Paul's life. And he I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake. This is the story that Paul had placed upon his life. At the beginning of his story. And so Paul, we find him at the end wanting to end the same way he began. Paul knows his end. He knows his grand finale. To reach people with the story of Jesus. That they might find salvation in his name. That they might like we saying today at the end of their lives, sing holy, holy forever. And he aimed to live each moment of his life towards that end, that would include moments of arguments with other believers that would include threats on his life that would include moments of hunger that would include him, tent making and having part time jobs to supplement income, to not be a burden to the places that he traveled to. It would include beatings. It would include moments of shipwreck. It would include other modes and moments of suffering. All of these moments, though, grand, though incredible, though difficult, still kept him focused on what his end goal in life was to tell other people about Jesus.
To make sure that that was what was known of him. He mentions that a few verses over before our main text this morning when he says this in verse 18. Says when they arrive, those being the elders of Ephesus, he says to them, you know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord's work humbly with many tears. I have enjoyed the trials that came to me from the plot to the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear. Either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike, the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, of having faith in our Lord Jesus. He came to Ephesus. Knowing what he wanted to leave with and he left Ephesus in Asia finishing as he started strong, devoted, focused, and ready. As September leads into October and the semesters roll on, perhaps like Paul, you will endure many trials, some scholastic or vocational, some private and some public. But all personal, all upon yourselves, things that you couldn't see coming, but showed up and made themselves comfortable in your life, maybe already being here, they already have. You're already sort of feeling that sense of life is already. To speak Cruely punching me square in the face. Maybe that something is happening to you, or maybe there are things that are coming that you know are on their way. You know about the big paper that is coming and maybe scholastically that's writing papers is not your strong suit. But you know it's coming. Maybe you know there's a lot of grading you have to do in November, or maybe if you're an administrator, you know that there are a lot of meetings upon meetings upon other meetings and meetings that could have been emailed that are still meetings.
It's just like how Paul knew in advance because he conferred with God that he'd face jail time and suffering on the route to his destination. Whether known or unknown, fair or foul, friends, I implore you to remember how you want your story to end based on what God spoke to you and over your lives. Remember why it is that you are here and push towards that end. Continue with the end in mind. Leave here like you want to start. Leave here in love with Jesus and his people. Leave here wanting to be a better person internally so you can be an effective person externally. Leave focused on learning and growing theologically and as a practitioner in whatever designation you find yourself in. Leave being someone Jesus has entrusted his Holy Spirit with for you to be able to do every single good work. Do not grow weary in doing good. Do not grow weary when life does what life does go from up to down and back again. Instead, I encourage you to stay steadfast with your eyes on God's good grace. While walking towards the beautiful unknown. Friends, your steps are ordered, even if they don't necessarily always fall in order. That make any sense? Your steps are ordered even if every now and again they don't necessarily fall in order, or at least fall in the order that you want them to. Know how you want to end and may God's grace keep you as you move towards it. Amen. Can we stand together? And as you prepare to go into the rest of your day, may this be our benediction out of the book of Jude. Verse 24 and 25. Now all glory to God. Who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him, who alone is God our savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, Majesty, power and authority are his before all time. And in the present. And beyond all time and all who greets. Amen. Amen. Have a great rest of the day.
