Dharius Daniels - Unfinished Business

I want to talk about this subject during our time together as a family. I want to discuss unfinished business—unfinished business, family. I want to enter this lesson tonight by arguing that I believe a biblical life is a balanced life. In other words, believers are called not just to enjoy and appreciate the gift of God Himself, but they are also called to enjoy and appreciate the good gifts that God gives. One writer put it this way: every good and perfect gift comes from above. I try my best to live a biblical life, and it includes a balanced life. One of the ways you enjoy the good gifts that God has given you is by engaging in hobbies. Across every location, we have a plethora of people who enjoy a variety of hobbies. Yes, some like walking, some like golfing, some like fishing, some like shopping, and some like relaxing. All of us have hobbies, and I have a hobby that makes me unashamedly and unapologetically happy. What is it, Pastor? It’s a happiness I cannot describe, a happiness I feel deep down in my soul. Yes, sir, it’s a hobby that makes me happy, and it’s video games. I am a self-declared OG with a self-conferred PhD in gaming. I’ve been gaming since before some of you even knew what gaming was. Some of you may only be familiar with consoles like the PS5, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, but I go way back, even before the PlayStation, before the Xbox. There was something called an Atari SE 7800. You want to talk about gaming? You haven’t gamed until you’ve played Centipede, Galaga, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Ms. Pac-Man. Yes, I’m talking about gaming! I did that for a while, but then I upgraded when they came out with a console called Nintendo. No, no, I’m talking about blowing the cartridge—Nintendo! I mean the Power Glove, Super Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, and Super Contra. You were a gamer if you knew the cheat code: up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start. But early in my adolescence, there was a quantum leap in the video gaming industry. A console came out that revolutionized gaming in a way that Atari and Nintendo hadn’t. It was called Sega Genesis. The Sega Genesis had a number of different games, like Sonic the Hedgehog, but one game that was uniquely popular—slightly violent but uniquely popular—was called Mortal Kombat. This infamous game had an infamous line that you would hear at the end of a battle in the game. If you heard this line, it was either good news or bad news for you. The line was two words: «Finish him!» My experience with this game gave me some insight into life. It taught me that not only in video gaming but in the game of life, if you want to win, you have to finish. I’ll say that one more time: in the game of life, if you want to win, you’ve got to finish. This revelation doesn’t just make the game great; it’s one of the reasons our God is great. Whether you know it or not, our God is a finisher. He says of Himself, «I’m Alpha and Omega. I’m the beginning and the end.» When Jesus was hanging on that cross on a hill called Golgotha, He didn’t say, «It is started.» While He was hanging there, He said, «It is finished.» God doesn’t start anything He doesn’t intend to finish. Finishing isn’t just what He does; a finisher is who He is. This should be good news for God’s people because if God is a finisher, it means if it isn’t finished, God isn’t done. Did you hear what I said? God may work incrementally, but God does not work incompletely. He does not work partially. He may press pause, but if He is committed to finishing something, He is able and willing to bring it to pass. He didn’t just start to turn water into wine; He finished it. He didn’t just start to feed 5,000 with two fish and five loaves; He finished it. He didn’t just start to part the Red Sea; He finished it. He didn’t just start to heal the woman with the issue of blood; He finished it. And I don’t know what is going on in your life that feels incomplete, but I want you to know that the God we serve is a God who is a finisher. I’m going to say in the language of antiquity, don’t you wait until the battle is over. If He didn’t get to it in 2024, He might get to it in 2025. So can we just take about ten seconds and praise Him for what’s not finished? Whatever He started, if it’s not finished, He’s not done. Because God is a finisher. And this isn’t something we should just admire about God; this is something we should emulate as children of God. We shouldn’t just appreciate this about God; we should embody this as sons and daughters of God. If God is a finisher, then those of us who are made in God’s image and likeness should be finishers as well. I want someone at every location to adopt an anointed attitude. Yes, I’m preparing to discuss your disposition in a moment. I’m about to teach you that your disposition affects your destination, and that until you change your disposition, you’ll never change your destination. I need you to understand the difference.