1. FINISHING STRONG In Life’s 2 nd Half: How Jesus Rescues & Empowers Me to Walk With Him Romans 7:24-8:4 New International Version (NIV) 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. 8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

2. Average Life Expectancy in America: In the year 1900: 46.5 years! Today (2012): 80 years! Assuming you don’t die this autumn, you are being given a much longer “2 nd half” & have yet to come to terms with God’s new gift! WHAT TO DO WITH IT?

3. Insight #1: “MARATHON, not a SPRINT” Believers who finish life strong have a ‘marathon’ mindset (Hebrews 11:7)...

4. Insight #2: A Faithful, not Foolish, STEWARDSHIP Of Our Bodies... Foolish: post-flood NOAH in Genesis 9:21-22, 24-27 (Drunkenness, leading to Cursing...) Faithful: believers acutely aware that their bodies are a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (I Cor 6:18-20)

5. Insight #3: Continually Come NEAR TO, not DRIFT FROM, Christ’s Cross Hebrews 2:1... “We must pay more careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do NOT drift away!” Ever drift in the ocean on a beach-trip? Who notices? What if no one does a thing? Romans 8:1... “For those IN Christ Jesus, there is now NO CONDEMNATION...!” So come near to Him!

6. Insight #4: Believers who finish life strong THINK DAILY OF, not neglect, ETERNITY! Unbiblical: “heavenly-minded = NO EARTHLY GOOD” Biblical: “Whether eating or drinking, WHATEVER you do, do ALL to the glory of God!” (I Cor 10:31) “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to GAIN what he cannot lose” (Jim Elliot...who also wrote “Live TO THE HILT each moment you know to be God’s will!”)

7. Justified = ‘rescued’ Have you been rescued? Rescue: something that SOMEBODY ELSE does for you...Calling 911 doesn’t rescue you; the firefighter rescues you, right?

8. Insight #5: Jumping INTO, not dropping OUT OF, SERVICE! Romans 12:1... “In view of God’s mercies, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy & pleasing to God—which is your spiritual service of worship”

9. We can only love God because He first loved us... Romans 8:1-2... “For those who are IN Christ Jesus, there is now NO CONDEMNATION, b/c thru Him the law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin & death!”

10. His Rescue of Me: Romans 8 (continued)... “For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature” (as seen in NOAH and HAM!)... “GOD did, by sending His own Son...to be a sin-offering!” [Rom 8:3]

11. His “job description”: (1) Leave Heaven’s throne (2) Be born in human flesh (3) Live a spotless life & fulfill all righteousness (4) Become the SIN-BEARER via crucifixion (totally separated from the Father...HELL!)

12. Romans 8:3 (concluded) “So He condemned the sin in sinful man, so that the righteous requirements of the Law might be FULLY met in us...!” [‘The punishment that brought us PEACE was upon Him!’—Isaiah 53:5]