August 4, 2025 • 60 mins
In this powerful sermon, Pastor Karl delves into the final words of the Apostle Paul from 2 Timothy 4, as he faces imminent death in a Roman prison. Reflecting on a life fully devoted to Christ, Paul charges Timothy—and all believers—to guard sound doctrine and guide others to it, even in a world that increasingly rejects truth. Pastor Karl unpacks Paul’s call to "preach the word" with urgency, reprove and correct with patience, and do the work of an evangelist, sharing the good news of Jesus. He emphasizes living with no reserve, no retreat, and no regret, fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and keeping the faith. Through vivid imagery and personal anecdotes, Pastor Karl challenges listeners to embrace their God-given purpose, forgive as Christ forgave, and live a life that counts for the Kingdom, no matter the cost.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
That song was words.
I'm going to love you to death. Yeah.
How can I say I believe when it'snever really been that costly to me?
I want to love you to death. That was the.
That's the attitude of the New Testament.
You'll see the attitude of theof the apostles.
It's the attitude of the Apostle Paul.
I'm gonna love youwith my whole life on them.
Love you to death.
(00:24):
And I'm not going to back up.
I'm not going to back off.
And should it cost me everything.
Praise God.
And as we as we wrap up Second Timothy,
we, we read the final words of the ApostlePaul.
He's in the prison in Rome.
(00:45):
He's awaiting his beheading
under Caesar Nero.
He knows he's going to die soon.
He's looking back over his life,and he's writing this
final letter to his his protege,a young man named Timothy, who's
probably in his 30s, pastoring a church,leading a church in Ephesus.
And Paul says,these are the final words, I have
(01:08):
for you.
Because I've loved Christ to death.
He's going to be beheadedbecause of his testimony,
because of his witness,because of his his work for the kingdom.
He knows that time's coming soon.
And he says, Timothy,these are my final words.
(01:30):
You need to take them to heart.I need to pass them on.
And so Second Timothy, especially
chapter four,is the final words of of Paul.
What we see is this man
who lived well, a life well lived.
I was talking to one of my friends,my friend Jim, this week,
(01:52):
and he told me about his pastorat a former church when he was young,
and the he said these words resonatein, in in Jim's head.
This is his pastor told him, you alwayshave to be ready to pray, preach or die.
BUF Carriker said those words.
You've got to be ready to pray.
(02:13):
Preacher. Die.
It's the same charge for Paul was ready,
pray, preacher die,and now he is going to die
is at the end of his life, a life
well lived.
And so I want to open upthis chapter, chapter four,
and look at the words of this dying man.
(02:36):
The big idea for this chapter,
chapter is all about assessing
a life well-lived.
And a life well-lived.
Is this life
to be spent, spent and satisfied
with nothing held back.
It's a life spent
(02:58):
in the Kingdom of God.
It's a lifespent on behalf of Christ to the world.
It's a life fully satisfiedbecause a job well done, a life well lived
that has held nothing back.
Paul's at the end of his life.
Like I said, he's
(03:19):
he's not that old.
And he says, Timothy,there are some things
that are going to happenin, in these last seasons of the world
that I want you to be very,very mindful of.
And the last times, these last days,this is what the world's
going to look like,and this is your responsibility in it.
And he would say the same to us.
(03:41):
And what he will tellTimothy is what he will tell us
as he's looking back and looking forward.
It's going to tell Timothy two things.
You need to make sure that you guard
strong doctrine.
You need to guard
strong doctrine.
You need to guard this,
(04:03):
and you need to guide people into it,because there's coming a time
when people will not want to hear
strong doctrine.
They don't want to hear.
They'll come a time, a season
where people don't want to hearwhat's in this anymore.
And because they don'twant to hear this anymore,
they'll wander away from this.
(04:27):
Even people who claim the name of Christ,Paul, will say,
we'll start trimming the edgesand softening this.
This is Timothy.
You need to guard this,and you need to guide people into it,
because people won't naturally gravitateto this, though gravitate
away from it.
(04:48):
And so, Timothy, your job is to guard this
and to guide people into it.
And friends, I would tell you this
if you claim to be a follower of Jesus,it doesn't matter
if you're a pastor or not.
The charge
from God in your life overyou is to guard this.
Don't drift from it. Don't soften it.
Don't trim the edges.
Guard this in your own life,your own mind, your own heart,
(05:12):
and make sure that you and those aroundyou, our guard, are guided back to this.
Do you understand what I'm saying? You.
And so
verse one of second Timothy four.
I charge you
in the presence of Godand of Christ Jesus,
(05:34):
who is to judge the living and the dead,and by his appearing in his kingdom.
Let me stop right there, because this isthis is setting up what Paul's
going to tell Timothy and what Paul tellsTimothy in the final words of his life.
He says, I charge you.
And in the original Greek,there's a word there
I charge you therefore,
(05:54):
and anytime you see the word therefore,
you need to look and see Wyatt'stherefore,
and so what he's saying is, I charge youtherefore the therefore
is therefore for what he just said in
chapter three, verses 16 and 17.
And what he said in chapter three, verses16 and 17,
(06:15):
is this all Scripture,
all Scripture is breathed out by God,the breath of God,
and is profitable for teaching,for reproof, rebuking, correcting,
and training in righteousness,that the man and woman of God
will be complete, fully equipped,fully furnished for every good work.
(06:36):
He says, in light of all Scripturebeing God breathed.
And when Paul uses the words
in light of all Scripture, he'scertainly talking about the Old Testament,
because what we know, the New Testamentwasn't existing as we know it at the time.
There were lettersthat were being circulated.
So we certainly talkingabout the Old Testament.
But this is an indication that Paul knew
(06:58):
that what he was
writing was the inspired Word of God.
And some of the writings that we havein our New Testament from the apostles
were thereunder the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
So he knows that not just the old times,but what is being written
now is also the very breath of God.
(07:19):
He says, in light of that,because this is so good and so profitable,
and because this will first of all, rebuke
this right here, this word will rebuke.
And what rebuke means isit will call out error.
It will say this is wrongand that is right.
There is an objective binding
(07:42):
standard of what is wrongand of what is right.
And Scripturepoints it out in clear fashion.
And there's going to be a time wherepeople don't want to hear clarity anymore.
It's just.
But in light of what this is, that it?
Is it profitable to rebukeand then to correct?
(08:04):
It's one thing to say this is wrong.
It's another to say,this is how it's right.
Do you understand? You,
a math teacher that tellsyou got the problem wrong, doesn't do you
any favorsuntil they show you how to solve it.
Rebuking, correcting, and then training.
So now I'm learning a new way of living.
That's what this does, he says.
In light of that.
(08:27):
And then he says in verse one,in the presence of God
the Father and of Christ Jesus,he says both of them,
because this is a statementthat Jesus is alive,
because how do you standin the presence of a dead person
in light of the fact of Godthe Father and the living Christ,
who will judge the living, the deadwill all stand before him for judgment
(08:50):
by his appearing and his kingdom.
This is a military chargefrom a military leader
who's given a charge to his underling ofthis is your duty now as a soldier.
This is what he's saying.
Here comes the instruction,
(09:11):
verse two and following preach the word.
That's the first thing Paul says
in light of all this.
Preach the word.
Be ready in season and out of season.
Reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete
patience and teaching.
The first charge
(09:32):
because you're guarding this thingor guiding people in this,
he says, proclaim this.
That's what that word means to preach.
Make a proclamation of this.
Don't preach, don't change.
Don't talk about your opinion.
Don't.
If this is not about self-help, it's notabout motivation or about Instagram. Post
(09:59):
Preach the Word, proclaim the word.
He says he's going to tell us inverse three, because the season's coming
when people won't want to hear thisanymore.
Preach the word.
And he says, be ready in seasonand out of season.
So stay true to this.
Don't divert from thisand be ready in season and out of season.
(10:21):
In other words, be ready in an instant.
Don't be surprisedwhen opportunity arises.
You're ready.
Whether you think you're on or not,you're on
in season and out of season,
at the drop of a hat.
I just had a conversation
(10:44):
with this lady and this random thingand she said,
you know, this whole idea about Jesushe might be aware of is the way.
And it just came out of the blue.
And I said, oh, that's interesting,because what the Bible says,
Jesus, his own word, said,I am the way, the truth and the life.
He's not a way. He's the way.
(11:06):
And if you don't
believe he's the way,we got a problem. You.
It came out of the blue.
But I read chapter four.
And it says, be ready and seize himout of season.
Do you understand?
You don't get a big ramp up sometimes.
Yeah, yeah.
(11:29):
He says this.
Be ready to reprove.
That's that whole idea of calling out.
That's wrong.
Have you ever known.
And please understand, I'm going to talkabout this in a little bit later.
But please.
Especially when we're talking
(11:49):
to people who claim to follow Jesus.
Have you ever been in that situationwith those who claim to follow Jesus?
And you know they're living in sinand it's like, you know what, though?
It's not for us to judge.
Ever.
Yeah.
Especially if they're close to you.
(12:11):
Yeah. I'm.
And Tim says, listen,
this is profitable for them.
To rebuke and say, look, that's an error.
It's profitable for them.
I want to fight for them.
(12:33):
And how great would it beto go to the doctor?
And you have cancer. It's.I think you're okay.
I mean, who am I to call it as cancer?
But. Right.
But not just to leave you there
for them to correct.
Here's how we're going to address it.
And here's your hope.
(12:54):
Do you understand? Yes.
It's just to me, that's whatthis is good for.
And in light of that, preach this.
There are things
that have to be called outnot for condemnation but for correction.
Because in correction there's hope.
And when Timothy says, reprove,rebuke and exhort, that word
(13:14):
exhort is really important for usto understand what he's saying there.
That word exhort is Paraclete, though
now, if you don't know Greek,that doesn't mean anything to you.
But the good news is, I do.
And that word
Paraclete, though,comes from the word Paraclete.
My wife knows what that means.
(13:35):
The Paraclete is another wordfor the Holy Spirit.
In the name of the Holy Spiritis our comforter.
The Paraclete comesfirst of Jesus himself.
And Jesus's words were, it's good for youthat I go back to heaven,
because if I don't go back to heaven,I can't send you another Paraclete.
(13:58):
So he was the first Paraclete,our comforter,
because we've attached our livesthrough him to the father, we're given
the Holy Spirit who is another Paraclete,
to be within us, to be our comforter.
And now Paul is sayingthis very breathed out Word of God
is your comforter.
(14:21):
Do you understand?
So so, Timothy,this is why this is so important.
There must be times of rebuke.
There will be times of correction for the.
And in the correction comes the comfort.
Do you understand?
He said, that's why this is so important.
Don't divert from this.
(14:41):
This will be your comfort.
And he says, now you approach peoplethrough the lens of the word
with patience as you teach them.
You know why you have to have patience?
Because people are people.
Yeah,
people are people.
Wouldn't it be greatif we just had to be told
(15:01):
one thing one timeand we got it dialed in,
Parents?
Self esteem would be greatbecause the Bible says this.
So there you go.
Like, okay, good. I'm good. No.No problem.
It says, look at you, you gotta have some.
Like this isn'tthis isn't instant transformation
like salvation is instantonce you accept Christ as your Savior.
(15:22):
But everything else.
That'swhat the Bible calls sanctification.
And sanctificationtakes an entire life lifelong,
and you're never fully sanctifiedtill you're in heaven.
And Bible calls that glorification.
And so, like, it's going to take a while.
Just be patient,but don't divert from this.
And here'swhy. Here's why you do all this.
Verse three for the time is
(15:44):
coming when people will not enduresound teaching.
The word is doctrine.
The time is coming when people will notendure this doctrine anymore,
but having itching ears,they will accumulate for themselves
teachers to suit their own passionsand will turn away from,
listening to the truth and wanderoff into myths.
(16:05):
He's saying, look at there's come, there'scoming a time and again this word time.
Same what he used in chapter three.
Two words in Greek for time, chronosand kairos.
Chronos is just the passing of time.
Seconds to minutes.
Minutes to hours.
Hours to days, days to weeks.
You understand it, he said.
There's not a date circled on the calendarwhen this is going to happen,
(16:27):
there is a kairos.
There's a season when this will occurand the season is this
when people will nolonger endure sound doctrine,
it's too much for them.
And so they'll have these little earsthat are itching for someone
to tell them what they want to hear,because this is too hard.
(16:49):
This is too much.
They'll say things like,well, that was back then, but now
they'll say things.
What this says is a little too extreme.
And so now
like this says God is love.
But now we say love is love.
It doesn't matter who or what.
(17:09):
They won't endure sound doctrine anymore.
Do you understand?
Because this will tell us in the beginningGod created male and female.
There's only two.
But they want to do sounddoctrine anymore.
So now let's kind of soften thata little bit.
Now there's an innumerable numberof genders and expressions.
(17:31):
There's coming a season.
And guess what?
Guess what?
We're in it.
There's coming a season where you knowwhat?
Like, yeah,Jesus was a good moral teacher.
I mean, it's a profoundand just a great stuff.
And but I believe this and like the lawsare sincere and good people.
(17:51):
Well, that's sound doctrine says I'mthe way, the truth, the life.
There's no other way.
There's coming to season.
Well,people will not endure sound doctrine.
Guess what?
We're in it. Yeah.
And so Paul says, preach the word.
Not your opinion,not your Instagram post, not motivation.
(18:14):
Now we'll make people feel good.
Stay clear on this.
So let me tell you.
Think you
thank you that you're strong enoughfor sound doctrine.
Thank you.
Thank you for preaching.
Yeah.
There's come at a time
(18:36):
and love his words.
When they won't endure this anymore.
But they will accumulate for themselvesteachers to suit their own passions.
They'll accumulate for themselves,their podcasters.
They'll accumulate for themselves,their celebrity pastors
who have the great soundbites.
(18:56):
They'll accumulate for themselves.
They'll live in their own echo chamberthat softens this and tells them
and affirms how they want to live.
I want you to understand something.
That the size of the audience doesn't
validate the strength of the message. You.
(19:19):
That we got to understand.
Like.
Like.
Friends, please.
Always. And train your children.
Focus on the strength of the doctrine,not the size of the crowd.
The largest churches in America
is run by a heretic who's pervertedthe gospel.
(19:42):
His name is Joel Osteen. I'm one.
And the size of the crowd would makepeople say, hey, there's something there.
Yeah. And it's all evil.
We gotta be very careful.
There's some huge churches out therethat look like they're pretty solid
Christian churches,but if it wasn't for their band
of their music that they produced,their ministry would be nothing
(20:04):
because their doctrine is horrible.
Just look, this is what's going to happen.
They'll turn away.
Hey, I'm gonna letyou just have a little sneak
(20:27):
peek into the life of a pastorin the life of your pastor.
Some will try and way.
And I've heard it before.
And I'll hear it again.
Pastor, I love your teaching.
Mounted solid. It's good stuff.
But you know that church over there?
They just got a killer coffee shop.
(20:54):
You know, what you teach us
is it's solid, but, you know, I mean,their facility, their children's stuff.
And they got all the lightsand the smoke machines and.
Like, what you do there to rent is great.
But you know what?
They got pickleball courts.
And so, I mean,how do you argue with that?
(21:25):
Sound doctrine.
Now, if you have sound doctrine
and pickleball courts and a coffee shop,that's awesome.
But nothing replaces sound, doctor.
Yeah.
Amen.
(21:48):
Verse five.
As for you,always be sober minded, endure suffering,
do the work of an evangelist,fulfill your ministry.
He said, look, Timothy,here's a deal, man.
Like this is what's important.
And as you do this, besober minded means be calm and collected
because people are going to walk awayand people are going
to accumulate for themselvesa bunch of podcast pastors,
and it's not going to be you.
So just keep a calm, collected levelhead about this whole thing.
(22:11):
Don't worry about itand endure some suffering.
That is not the Christian message.
That's that gets a lot of followersanymore.
Endure suffering.
Paul just said in chapter three verse 12,if you want to follow Jesus,
you're going to suffer.
So here's a here'sthe deal, good friend and Christian.
If we're not suffering for our faith,we're not doing it right.
At some level, it will cost us.
(22:33):
It will cost us relationships.
It'll cost us friendships.
It will cost us money. It'll cost us
because we're doing it right.
And if there's no sufferingand no cost, it's not Christlike.
Yeah.
And then he says, what?
What's his charge?
What do you say?
Look at look at thelook at your own Bibles. Don't look at me.
(22:54):
Look at the end of verse five.
Do what you do.
What the end of verse five.
What's it say?Read it with your mouths open.
Do the work of the evangelist.
This is his great charge.
Do the work.
Do the work.
What's God want me to do?
He want you to do the work
(23:15):
I don't want to do.
Yeah, you do do the work.
Well. What work?
Evangelism work.
Do you know what evangelist?
Do you know what an evangelist is?
A disciple of disciple the evangelist issomeone who shares the good news.
It's the one who brings good news.
That's what the word evangelist is.
(23:37):
So let me helpyou understand this, dear friend.
The evangelist is one who brings good news
to those who don't know the good news.
Once you've accepted Jesus in your heart,
you're a Christ followerand God leaves you on this earth.
He leaves you on this earthto do what you cannot do in heaven.
(24:00):
Otherwise, won't you accept Jesus?
He just teleport you to heaven,
so he leavesyou here to do what you can't do there.
There's only two things thatyou can do here that you can't do there.
You want to know what they are?
Good.
I'll tell you the only two thingsthat you can do here that you can't do.
There are sin.
And tell unbelievers about Jesus.
(24:22):
And so the reason God doesn'tteleport you to heaven.
Would you accept Jesus as your Savioris to do one of those two things here,
which in all your great wisdomdo you think he leaves us here to do
as sin
and to tell the good news?
And if that's the only the two thingsyou can't do that we could do here
(24:43):
that we can't do there.
And that's why he left us here.
Of those two things,which do you and I do more of?
I'm talking about disobedient Christian.
Do the work of the evangelist.
Be the bringer of good news.
So let me set the stage for you.
(25:06):
Isaiah 52 seven.
How beautiful on the mountainsare the feet of those who bring good news.
Paul reiterated thatvery thing in Romans 1019.
Here'swhat the prophet Isaiah was saying back
in ancient times, when two nationswould go to war with each other,
they didn't have CNN,they didn't have Fox News,
they didn't have instant post,they didn't have reporters on the ground.
(25:30):
The only waythe people back home would know
if there was victoryor defeat in the battle was by a runner,
and the runner would find outthe news of the battle.
Did we win or did we lose?
Are we destined for life?
Are we destined for security?
Are we destined or are we destinedfor destruction and defeat and death?
(25:53):
What's the news? And they would.
The runner would find out the news and runback to the nation.
To bring the bringerto be the bringer of news.
We all know how this went down.
It's in our history books.
The Battleof Thermopylae, the battle of of marathon.
We all know how this happened in history.
(26:16):
The interesting thing in ancient timesis the one who would bring the news,
would oftentimes suffer the consequenceof the news that he brought.
And so that's why in Scripture,when David son Absalom,
was revolting against David in the kingdomand trying to tear the kingdom
out of his hands,King David said, you go find my son,
(26:36):
but don't lay a hand on him, I love him,I want to restore, redeem him.
And David's men found Absalom,and they killed him.
And the one who brought the newsof the destruction of David's son.
David's response was, Absalom, Asher, oh,my son asked him how I would have.
How I loved you.
And then he said,put the bringer of the news to death,
(26:57):
suffer the same fate of the news.
They brought.
And so you knewif you were waiting for news to come,
you could tellif it was good news or bad news,
because the one bringing bad newswas not running their fastest.
You understand?
But the bringer of good news.
As the nation watched the horizon,
(27:19):
what news is going to come?
And the one who's bringing good news
is one with all their mightand all their passion,
as fast as they can,with purpose and priority,
because they knowthey have the news of salvation,
they have the news of restoration,they have the news of liberation.
(27:39):
And they can't wait to tell the peoplewho are in bondage
and waiting to hear this news.
How beautiful are those feet?
Do you understand?
And so what Isaiah says,and what Paul reiterates is how beautiful
are the feet of those who bringwho do the work of an evangelist.
(28:02):
Yeah, yeah.
And so ask yourselves.
How ugly are your feet?
There's a special blessing.
On the feet that bring good news.
(28:26):
Be ready.
In season and our season.
Man, is is about a lot more than you.
Trying to be all you can be.
Be the best person you can be.
Don't ever be the best personyou could be.
Be the person God has called you to be.
And the priority ofthat is the doctrine of fear
(28:48):
and the sharing of good news.
So just ask yourself.
How beautiful are your feet?
When's the last timeyou talked to someone about Jesus?
When's the last time you, Christian?
Once.
The last time you said, do you havea personal relationship with Jesus?
(29:11):
When's the last timeyou had a conversation like that?
That said, I don't want to knowwhat you believe about God.
Tell me what you believe about Christ.
You know, probably90 plus percent of people in this room
have never led someoneto Jesus personally.
Actually led them through a prayer
of commitment and confession.
(29:33):
Make it so content of, you know,
trying to be personally obedient and.
It's okay.
People know we go to church.
But as far as doing
the work on an evangelist.
(29:57):
This is the last thingPaul's passed on to Timothy.
This is of utmost importance.
Listen, God
wants people to be in heavenmore than you want people to be in heaven.
Second Peter,God's not slow in keeping his promise,
but he's patient,giving everyone a chance to repent.
And then we're told in Matthew that we are
(30:18):
the onesyou're supposed to go make disciples.
So if God wants everybodycome to repentance and he wants us to be
the ones, the bridge between them,
he's going to make sure that we're ableto do what he wants us to do.
Is that makes sense? Yes.
So towards that end, Godhas already gifted you
with a style of evangelismthat we see in Scripture.
There's six styles of evangelismthat we see in Scripture.
(30:39):
And he's given. He's made you.
So one of those styles really fitsyou really well.
Back a few years, I did a teaching on thisand it's on our website.
It's on our appon the unfiltered unplugged.
We got awe got a picture about that. Pull that up.
Listen, get scan this QR code,go to our app.
It's unfiltered unplugged. It'show to share your faith.
The six styles of evangelism.
(31:00):
One of them fitsyou really, really, really well.
Some ofus don't have to work at evangelism.
It's a spiritual giftGod has given us, and we love him.
We race, and we look for opportunities.
Others of you, you're like each.
And if you're like me,does that mean you don't get to do it?
(31:20):
No, it means you get to do the work
and it's going to be work to develop it.
It's going to be work to embrace it.
You got to put in the time of the work.
And towards that end, I want to helpyou understand how you're gifted to do it.
And so go to that,listen to that, go through that.
And then I've printed for youin the Welcome Center
a little inventory that you can takethat will help flesh out
(31:44):
which of the six stylesis more naturally your fit.
I just talk this through withabout 40 of our guys yesterday
in our two men's ministry,and they're doing it this month.
We're going to talk about it next month.
And I'm so excited for 40 of our guysto learn to do the work of an evangelist.
I want to invite you into this gift stand.
So pick up that inventory.Go through that.
(32:05):
At least you'llknow how you're wired for it.
And then you look for
opportunities to use your wiringin a way that's natural for you.
That doesn't feel weirdto do the work to do evangelism.
You follow that instead,
do the work.
Because your feet become beautiful.
(32:35):
I need to go on.
I can talk about this forever.
Did you know that you are God's plan? A
for evangelism and there is no plan B?
There's no plan B, you're. It.
It's not enough for youto be a good person.
(32:57):
It's not enough for you to readyour Bible.
It's not enough.
That's not the call.
And you remember when Paul said,
if you choose to followJesus, you will suffer?
Guess what?
When you start evangelizing
the unsaved in your world, guess what?
(33:17):
You're going to suffer.
And if you're not
suffering for your witness,
you're not doing it right.
Do the work.
(33:38):
In light of the fact
that this is God breathed.
Will call out error, give correction,
and then give hope. Man.
Fulfill your ministry.
That word ministry is literally,deacon Dark Anita.
(34:00):
It means servant.
And here's what I know about me.
In you, we don't mind serving.
We just don't want to be called a servant,
am I right?
Like, I don't mind helping,
but don't you darelook at me as a servant.
I'm not your servant.
I'm doing this because I'm gracious.
I'm doing this because, you know, I.
(34:21):
I'm like Jesus.
Jesus claimed the title servant.
So guess what? You and I are service.
We're servants.
Fulfill your duty as a servant.
And you served the unsaved by
the proclamation of the sound doctrine.
(34:48):
Says I'm already being poured outas a drink offering.
And the time of my departureis come that drink
offering Old Testament languageand imagery as the.
As the priest would give sacrificesto God, they would pour out a drink
offering as an arrow would be consumedand in aroma to God
and sweet smelling and all of that,that this idea of this drink offering.
(35:08):
But there was a Roman idea to it, too.
And the Roman idea in, in Paul's, inRomans was using the Roman imagery.
The drink offering iswhat a Roman would do after
the meal was finished, the end of the mealat the end of the evening.
The evening is coming to a close.
The meal is done.
They would take a drink and they wouldpour it out in honor of their God.
(35:30):
And what Paul's saying is, the days ended
and the meal of my life is done.
And I'm pouring this outin honor of my God,
and the time of my departure has come.
I love that imagery.
He's looking at being beheadedand he's talking about it not as death.
(35:52):
He's talking about it as a trip.
Have you ever flown to fly a plane?
They got there early and you'rewaiting for the plane's departure.
That's the imagery.
There's no bemoaning his death.
There's no regret over what's not.
There's none. There's no.
There's no like.
Oh, Lord.
(36:12):
But please,if you would just. This one more time.
He said,no, no, no, I understand the season,
the time of my departure.
I cannot wait to get on that plane.
There was nothing ending.
There was just an arrivalthat was expected.
Isn't that a life well-lived?
(36:34):
If we can approach our lifein view of our death
and say, I'm going to live in a way
that I'm excited about my departure. Now?
Do you understand how Christian,
how counter culture, Christianity is?
(36:57):
If we do it right?
Verse seven I love theI fought the good fight.
I finish the race. I've kept the faith.
What a better epitaph is there?
(37:17):
I fought the good fight.
I finished the race.
I kept the faith.
Friends, he's telling us.
Fight. Finish.
Keep the faith.
I want you to understandthe importance of these three things.
Some of you need to hear this today.
(37:40):
Okay.
I fought the good fight.
It means I discipline my body.
I trained hard, and I kept swinging.
It was exhausting, but I fought it.
And I didn't just fight a fight.
I fought the good fight because there'sa good fight and there's a bad fight.
(38:01):
And sometimes we get roughwrapped up in a bad fight.
And Paul says, I fought the good fight.
There's one good fight.
It's for the kingdom.
Yeah.
You train yourself, you work hard.
You put in the time and the diligence
and you keep swinging.
(38:22):
I fought the good fightand I finished the race.
What Paul's talking about hereis completion, not speed.
He's talking about the marathon,
not the 100 meter.
I finished the raceeven though I stumbled along the way.
(38:43):
I finished the raceeven though I got tired.
I finished the race even though I stoppedrunning and had to walk.
I finished the race.
I didn't quit, I didn't tap out.
I didn't walk off the track.
I finished the course.
I finished the racebecause it's about completion, not speed.
Here's the thing, my dear friends.
(39:04):
It's not impressive at allto say I finished the 100 meter.
That's a short little race.
Who cares?
But to say I finished the marathon?
It was exhausting.
But I didn't quit.
Don't quit, don't quit.
(39:26):
Finish.
Yes. Crossed the line. Yes.
It says I kept the faith.
This God, this challenged
everything in my world.
This was counterculture to everything that I'm being told.
And I kept it.
(39:46):
I wasn't perfect, but I didn't deny it.
Yeah, yeah yeah.
Fight the good fight.
Finish the rest.
Keep the faith.
So there's laid up for mea crown of righteousness.
(40:08):
Which of the Lord the righteous judgewill award to me on that day?
And not only to me,but everybody who loves his appearing.
There's a crown waiting for us.
The crownwaiting for every Christ follower.
The saving crown. The crown.
The represents our saving everyone.Every Christ follower gets it.
But did you know that in the Biblethere's not just one crown?
(40:29):
There's like five.
Depending on after faith, depending onhow we live on earth, we get these crowns.
One of them is given to martyrs.
That would be awesome.
But, but.
So we're going to get these crownsbased on not salvation.
Salvation by faith.
But then based on how we liveand what we do, we get crowns.
(40:50):
Can you imagine,like being a Five Crowns guy?
Hey, I just want one crown.
I just want to get in life, I get in, I'm.
But here's the great thingabout those crowns.
You know, we're going to do them.
The Bible says we're going to throw themat Jesus feet
as our offering.
Like, Lord, it was my honor and privilege.
(41:12):
It's all for you.
Because I fought the good fight,
I finished.
I kept the faith.
And it's all to you.
And then he gets personal.
Let me just wrap upwith this personal stuff that.
That's all.
Like the charge that.
But watch how personal pockets
(41:32):
do your best to come to me.
He's all alone in this prison.
He says for Demas, in love
with this present world has deserted meand gone to Thessalonica.
Christians has gone to Galatia,Titus love dogs
and went to Dalmatia.
Just I added that part.
Luke alone is with me.
(41:52):
He had one guy get Mark andbring him with you, for he's very useful,
very ministry touchI yes, I sent to Ephesus
he names.
And, here's what I want you to see.
He names these people and
and some stayed with themand some deserted him.
And those who start with you aren't alwaysthe ones who are going to end with you.
(42:14):
And he calls out one of them, Demas.
He says, in love with this present worldhe had itching hers.
He didn't want the sound doctrine anymore.
He deserted me. Gone to Thessalonica.
Demas is mentionedthree times in Scripture,
and the first time he's mentionedis in the book of Philemon.
He's called a fellow worker with Paul
in the second time is mentionsin the book of Colossians,
and in that it just says that he says,hey, what's going on?
(42:35):
And this third time he's deserted.
And Paul says, there's going to be people
that just walk out and they'll desert you,
and there'll be others that aren'twith you anymore for multiple reasons.
Some of them get other assignmentsand God takes some other places.
They just it's just like life happens,
but it's going to feel deserted.
(42:55):
And there'll be those timeswhen you're all alone.
And the truth is,
and in Paul's world, as a as a pastor,
it hurts to hear. You.
You know what that's like?
(43:16):
I know what that's like.
When they're just gone.
And some of them nefariousand mean and evil
and others.
Life has just changed.
And he says,
when you come,bring the cloak that I left with carpus.
(43:38):
It true as also the booksand above all the parchments,
he says, bring the cloak,because he didn't have a jacket.
He's in a dark, dank, nasty cell
by himself, and it's cold.
It's cold at night.
And the reason he doesn't have a cloakis because, according to Roman law,
when Roman soldiers would arrest someone,
they could own nowthe cloak that that person owned.
(43:58):
And so it's likely that Paul got wordthe soldiers were coming to arrest him,
and they took his cloak off,and he hid it in a drawer somewhere
so they couldn't have.
This is why, in the crucifixion of Christ,
why the Roman soldiers castlots for his cloak.
Because he was arrested in the gardenwith it on,
and it was now their possession.
(44:21):
And so he says, bring that,bring the books,
and bring especially the parchments.
This is the Old Testament word of God.
He says, I want to read the prophetsagain, the hope of salvation,
the assurance of Godmy father and Jesus the Christ.
And what I know is this.
(44:41):
And we have to understand thatin those deepest,
darkest moments of death.
Our comfort.
Even when everybody else walks away.
Our comfort.
(45:06):
Alexanderthe coppersmith did me great harm.
The Lord repay him according to his deeds.
That is the scariest versein all the scripture.
For God to repay usaccording to our deeds.
I don't want God to repay mein court of my deeds.
I want God to repay meaccording to his grace.
And I love the factthat Paul just calls him out.
Like Paul names, names.
(45:26):
He's like Guy Alexander, you know, the one
with the coppersmith businesson Avenue 12.
You know who I'm talking about?
The guy who has a big old four wheeldrive and rides around the golf cart.
You know exactly what I'm talking about,right?
Like I said, that guy did mehorrible harm.
These terrible.
I love his honesty.
He says, beware of him.
He's no good.
(45:48):
He strongly opposes everything we do.
And my first offense, no one cameto stand by me, but all deserted me.
May it not be charged against them.
There it is.
In all this desertion
and all this bad stuffpeople are saying about me
and all this evil,they're laying against me.
Oh, God,
don't hold it against them.
(46:11):
You know why Paul said that?
Because he knew.
His Lord said that in the garden,on the cross.
Father, forgive them.
They don't know what they're doing in.
And Paul knew what Stephen said.
The first martyr that Paul orchestrated.
Paul orchestrated the martyr of Stephenand heard Stephen's words.
(46:34):
Father, forgive them.
So at the end of Paul's life,because it's been modeled to him,
God, don't hold this against him.
Did you know that the most godlike thinga Christ follower can do
is to forgive someone?
It's not serving.
(46:55):
It's not preaching.
It's not even witnessing.
The most godlike thingyou and I can do is to forgive someone.
It doesn't meanthey've asked for forgiveness.
It means in your heartyou have sacrificed your right
for revenge and for grudge.
(47:16):
And if you've not donethat, you've not forgiven.
You want to be like Jesus.
You have to forgive
even the greatest offense.
(47:43):
And you know, let me just say this.
I just thought of this.
You're only able to do that
when you're fighting forand not fighting against.
I fought the good fight.
It's not talking aboutfighting against anything.
It's talking about fighting for.
And when you fight for the kingdomand you fight for reconciliation,
(48:06):
and you fight for repairand you fight for forgiveness,
do you know how disingenuous it isfor us to take communion,
remembering the body and blood of Christand accepting his forgiveness
without forgive?
(48:27):
The one who has experienced
the greatest offense.
And the one who experienced
the least offense.
For the one who has experiencedthe least offense.
To accept forgiveness from the onewho has experienced the greatest offense
and not forgive another least offender.
It's blasphemy here.
(48:50):
Communion is not just abouthaving relationship with Jesus.
It's about living in a present stateof forgiveness.
All that singing we do before communion,guess what
that's supposedto be preparing your heart.
(49:12):
So you can be in this place
seeking and thanking the forif God for his forgiveness
because you've offered it already.
I don't know why I had to say that.
I just felt like I did.
Let me wrap up with this.
I don't even know where I am well versed.
Am I on 17
(49:32):
but the Lord stood by me.
Strengthen me so that through methe message might be fully proclaimed
to the Gentiles, might hear itI, I need to be done, but I just can't.
Like this is so there's too much like hesays, look at all this stuff happened.
But God stood by me. Why?
So that the message could be proclaimedlike it's about that.
The highs and the lows.
My living in my dyingGod has never abandoned me
(49:57):
so that the message can continue.
As long as I have breath in my lungs,the message must go on.
I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me
from every evil deed and bring me safelyinto his heavenly kingdom.
To him be the glory forever and ever.
He's saying, look, he'snot going to rescue me on this earth
this time he hasn't the best,but this time
my rescue isn't going to come inthis earth.
(50:19):
My rescue is going to come inthe heavenly kingdom.
His mind and heart was set to heaven,
which is exactlywhat the book of Colossians says.
Set your minds on things above,not on things on this earth.
Our rescue will not
always come in this world,but it will certainly come in that one.
That's where our minds are.
To him be the glory forever and ever.
(50:41):
Amen.
He says.
Greek, Priscilla and Aquila,the household of Vanessa for us.
Erastus remained at Corinth, andI left Chaucer, who was ill in mellitus.
This amazes me that he says these words.
He says, I left Troy Smith ill.
He left him sick.
(51:01):
Paul.
It healed all kinds of peoplein his ministry.
This one he left sick.
You know what that tells me?
Paul had no power.
It was the grace of God that decidedwho was healed and who was ill.
Yeah.
And Paul was okay with that tension.
And what it also tells me is sometimes
(51:21):
good, godly people stay sick.
Yeah,
sometimes righteous people
stay ill.
That's a tough truth to swallow.
But it's the truth.
(51:41):
And people who don't like sound
doctrine want itching it, want peopleto tell them what they want to hear.
So they believe myths and fables
that if you have enough faith,you'll be healed, that God desires
to heal everybody in this worldand it causes people problems
because you don't understand
(52:01):
this sin.
Some of us, some of you are very godly
and you're going to stay sick.
And I'm sorry.
But we must trust a sovereign God.
And the end of it all
(52:21):
is so that people who don't knowJesus hear about Jesus.
And I am his servant.
And so I'll fight the good fight,
and I will finish this race.
And even when it's hard, I'm not going to
reject the truth.
(52:42):
I'm going to keep the faith.
Do your best to come before winter.
Especially because I need that coat.
It's cold, you believe sendshis greetings, as do Putin's and Linus
and the other Charlie Brown characters,and Claudius and all the brothers.
The Lord be with your spirit.
Paul's last written words.
(53:03):
Grace be with you.
May the grace of God be upon you.
What a life.
Yeah, most scholarsbelieve he died at 58 years old.
That's my age.
I know I don't look it.
(53:23):
I can't
imagine at 58, I got so much more to do.
Like, my prayer to Godis that he allows me to preach,
teach and coach till I'm 80 years old.
By the grace of God,
he'll grant me that visionand grant me that privilege.
But he might not.
(53:44):
58 years old,
Paul died, one of the greatest servants
of the kingdom of Godthis world has ever known.
Yet he died penniless,
friendless,
and completely alone.
With no possessionsand no earthly comfort,
(54:07):
yet fully fulfilled
and full of joy, full of yours
and completely content.
A well-lived life
is lived with no reserve
and no retreat,
(54:29):
no regret,
no can you say that
about your life right now?
Here's the encouraging part.
If that hasn't been, you decidethat it will become you
(54:51):
from this day forward.
No reserve,
no retreat,
no regret.
I will fight the good fight.
I will finish this race
and I will keep the faith.
(55:12):
I will do the work of the evangelist.
I will guard strong doctrine.
I will guide people into it.
This is my goaland purpose for drawing a breath.
To understand
very.
I want you to pray with me.
(55:36):
Father.
Thank you.
You're such a good God.
You've given us yourself.
You've given us your son.
You've given us the wordsthat are breathed out from you.
You've given us a call and a charge
(55:57):
that you've entrusted only to us.
You think so highly of us.
We know who we are.
You know who we are.
And you have accepted us
and chosen us in spite of ourselves.
(56:18):
You are a good God.
Yes, yes.
Father, there are some in this room.
You know.
That maybe their past wasn't so great.
(56:38):
Maybe there's all kinds of retreatsand regrets.
Yeah,
but now.
Now they want the future to be different.
For your sake and for your kingdom sake.
If nothing else.
Now, thereare people whose hearts are turning
(56:59):
to you and say from this day forward, now.
I will live a well-lived lifeof no reserve, no retreat, no regret.
I will fight the good fight.
I will finish the race.
I'm not going to tap out to everythingyou've called me to.
Everything you've asked of me.
You've put me in this position situation.
(57:20):
What? I'm not tapping out.
Yes, yes.
I'm going to keep the faith.
Though I'm weary and tired.
I'm going to keep the faith.
Though I'm beat up and bruised.
I'm gonna keep the faith.
Though it feels like there's nothingbut defeat around me.
I'm going to keep the faith.
Yes, yes, yes
I want to be an avenger.
(57:41):
I want to do the work of an evangelist.
I want my life to matter and account.
So this day forward, father.
I'm yours. I'm.
Francis, you've never entered
into a right relationship with the fatherthrough the son.
I invite you in this moment
according to sound doctrine of God'sword to say.
(58:03):
God, I believe that your sonis the only way to get to you.
Yeah.
Jesus.
Thank you for your life,your death, resurrection.
I believe at night shiftthat I accept your forgiveness.
Make me a new person.
I am yours and you are mine. Now
take that step. Don't.
Don't leave this place without that.
(58:24):
And once that's done, say, God,
I want to be an evangelist.
Give me grace and courage to do it.
I want to do the work.
I'm choosing this day
to fight the good fight,to finish the race, to keep the faith.
(58:49):
This is my clarion call of commitment.
Yes, today, tomorrow changes today.
My future changes.
Today.
Things change.
Yeah.
Give me your grace to enable that change.
(59:09):
Friends. This going to keep you.
Just stay in this moment of prayer.
I did this in the first service.
I didn't know I was going to do it,but I'm going to do it again.
And this one here's the thing.
I want to give you some something
that solidifies a decision.
(59:29):
And sometimes what silver fliesthe decision is an action.
And so just in this moment,keep your eyes closed.
Don't look around.
I don't want this to be motivatedby someone else doing something.
So just in your own heart.
And please feel the freedom not to.
But just as this physical act
of commitment, we're going to sing a songin just a moment.
(59:51):
And if that has been your clarioncall of commitment,
God, I'm committing to youand I'm going to fight the good fight.
I'm going to finish race.
I'm going to keep the faith, God, I'mgoing to do the work of the evangelist.
If this is your clear call, a commitmentthat as we sing, just stand up standing.
It doesn't do anything for you.
It's just your physical affirmationthat this is my decision.
(01:00:14):
And here I stand
and I can do no other.
Here I stand firmly on this commitment.
Don't look around.
Don't put.
I don't want any pressureto be on anybody.
But I want to give you this,like, definitive physical statement
of I'm standing on
this commitment this morning.
(01:00:36):
I think the instructions are clear.
Bands
gonna start playing the songwhen you're ready.
You do that. Let's go. Come on. You.
That song was words.
I'm going to love you to death. Yeah.
How can I say I believe when it'snever really been that costly to me?
I want to love you to death. That was the.
That's the attitude of the New Testament.
You'll see the attitude of theof the apostles.
It's the attitude of the Apostle Paul.
I'm gonna love youwith my whole life on them.
Love you to death.
(00:24):
And I'm not going to back up.
I'm not going to back off.
And should it cost me everything.
Praise God.
And as we as we wrap up Second Timothy,
we, we read the final words of the ApostlePaul.
He's in the prison in Rome.
(00:45):
He's awaiting his beheading
under Caesar Nero.
He knows he's going to die soon.
He's looking back over his life,and he's writing this
final letter to his his protege,a young man named Timothy, who's
probably in his 30s, pastoring a church,leading a church in Ephesus.
And Paul says,these are the final words, I have
(01:08):
for you.
Because I've loved Christ to death.
He's going to be beheadedbecause of his testimony,
because of his witness,because of his his work for the kingdom.
He knows that time's coming soon.
And he says, Timothy,these are my final words.
(01:30):
You need to take them to heart.I need to pass them on.
And so Second Timothy, especially
chapter four,is the final words of of Paul.
What we see is this man
who lived well, a life well lived.
I was talking to one of my friends,my friend Jim, this week,
(01:52):
and he told me about his pastorat a former church when he was young,
and the he said these words resonatein, in in Jim's head.
This is his pastor told him, you alwayshave to be ready to pray, preach or die.
BUF Carriker said those words.
You've got to be ready to pray.
(02:13):
Preacher. Die.
It's the same charge for Paul was ready,
pray, preacher die,and now he is going to die
is at the end of his life, a life
well lived.
And so I want to open upthis chapter, chapter four,
and look at the words of this dying man.
(02:36):
The big idea for this chapter,
chapter is all about assessing
a life well-lived.
And a life well-lived.
Is this life
to be spent, spent and satisfied
with nothing held back.
It's a life spent
(02:58):
in the Kingdom of God.
It's a lifespent on behalf of Christ to the world.
It's a life fully satisfiedbecause a job well done, a life well lived
that has held nothing back.
Paul's at the end of his life.
Like I said, he's
(03:19):
he's not that old.
And he says, Timothy,there are some things
that are going to happenin, in these last seasons of the world
that I want you to be very,very mindful of.
And the last times, these last days,this is what the world's
going to look like,and this is your responsibility in it.
And he would say the same to us.
(03:41):
And what he will tellTimothy is what he will tell us
as he's looking back and looking forward.
It's going to tell Timothy two things.
You need to make sure that you guard
strong doctrine.
You need to guard
strong doctrine.
You need to guard this,
(04:03):
and you need to guide people into it,because there's coming a time
when people will not want to hear
strong doctrine.
They don't want to hear.
They'll come a time, a season
where people don't want to hearwhat's in this anymore.
And because they don'twant to hear this anymore,
they'll wander away from this.
(04:27):
Even people who claim the name of Christ,Paul, will say,
we'll start trimming the edgesand softening this.
This is Timothy.
You need to guard this,and you need to guide people into it,
because people won't naturally gravitateto this, though gravitate
away from it.
(04:48):
And so, Timothy, your job is to guard this
and to guide people into it.
And friends, I would tell you this
if you claim to be a follower of Jesus,it doesn't matter
if you're a pastor or not.
The charge
from God in your life overyou is to guard this.
Don't drift from it. Don't soften it.
Don't trim the edges.
Guard this in your own life,your own mind, your own heart,
(05:12):
and make sure that you and those aroundyou, our guard, are guided back to this.
Do you understand what I'm saying? You.
And so
verse one of second Timothy four.
I charge you
in the presence of Godand of Christ Jesus,
(05:34):
who is to judge the living and the dead,and by his appearing in his kingdom.
Let me stop right there, because this isthis is setting up what Paul's
going to tell Timothy and what Paul tellsTimothy in the final words of his life.
He says, I charge you.
And in the original Greek,there's a word there
I charge you therefore,
(05:54):
and anytime you see the word therefore,
you need to look and see Wyatt'stherefore,
and so what he's saying is, I charge youtherefore the therefore
is therefore for what he just said in
chapter three, verses 16 and 17.
And what he said in chapter three, verses16 and 17,
(06:15):
is this all Scripture,
all Scripture is breathed out by God,the breath of God,
and is profitable for teaching,for reproof, rebuking, correcting,
and training in righteousness,that the man and woman of God
will be complete, fully equipped,fully furnished for every good work.
(06:36):
He says, in light of all Scripturebeing God breathed.
And when Paul uses the words
in light of all Scripture, he'scertainly talking about the Old Testament,
because what we know, the New Testamentwasn't existing as we know it at the time.
There were lettersthat were being circulated.
So we certainly talkingabout the Old Testament.
But this is an indication that Paul knew
(06:58):
that what he was
writing was the inspired Word of God.
And some of the writings that we havein our New Testament from the apostles
were thereunder the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
So he knows that not just the old times,but what is being written
now is also the very breath of God.
(07:19):
He says, in light of that,because this is so good and so profitable,
and because this will first of all, rebuke
this right here, this word will rebuke.
And what rebuke means isit will call out error.
It will say this is wrongand that is right.
There is an objective binding
(07:42):
standard of what is wrongand of what is right.
And Scripturepoints it out in clear fashion.
And there's going to be a time wherepeople don't want to hear clarity anymore.
It's just.
But in light of what this is, that it?
Is it profitable to rebukeand then to correct?
(08:04):
It's one thing to say this is wrong.
It's another to say,this is how it's right.
Do you understand? You,
a math teacher that tellsyou got the problem wrong, doesn't do you
any favorsuntil they show you how to solve it.
Rebuking, correcting, and then training.
So now I'm learning a new way of living.
That's what this does, he says.
In light of that.
(08:27):
And then he says in verse one,in the presence of God
the Father and of Christ Jesus,he says both of them,
because this is a statementthat Jesus is alive,
because how do you standin the presence of a dead person
in light of the fact of Godthe Father and the living Christ,
who will judge the living, the deadwill all stand before him for judgment
(08:50):
by his appearing and his kingdom.
This is a military chargefrom a military leader
who's given a charge to his underling ofthis is your duty now as a soldier.
This is what he's saying.
Here comes the instruction,
(09:11):
verse two and following preach the word.
That's the first thing Paul says
in light of all this.
Preach the word.
Be ready in season and out of season.
Reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete
patience and teaching.
The first charge
(09:32):
because you're guarding this thingor guiding people in this,
he says, proclaim this.
That's what that word means to preach.
Make a proclamation of this.
Don't preach, don't change.
Don't talk about your opinion.
Don't.
If this is not about self-help, it's notabout motivation or about Instagram. Post
(09:59):
Preach the Word, proclaim the word.
He says he's going to tell us inverse three, because the season's coming
when people won't want to hear thisanymore.
Preach the word.
And he says, be ready in seasonand out of season.
So stay true to this.
Don't divert from thisand be ready in season and out of season.
(10:21):
In other words, be ready in an instant.
Don't be surprisedwhen opportunity arises.
You're ready.
Whether you think you're on or not,you're on
in season and out of season,
at the drop of a hat.
I just had a conversation
(10:44):
with this lady and this random thingand she said,
you know, this whole idea about Jesushe might be aware of is the way.
And it just came out of the blue.
And I said, oh, that's interesting,because what the Bible says,
Jesus, his own word, said,I am the way, the truth and the life.
He's not a way. He's the way.
(11:06):
And if you don't
believe he's the way,we got a problem. You.
It came out of the blue.
But I read chapter four.
And it says, be ready and seize himout of season.
Do you understand?
You don't get a big ramp up sometimes.
Yeah, yeah.
(11:29):
He says this.
Be ready to reprove.
That's that whole idea of calling out.
That's wrong.
Have you ever known.
And please understand, I'm going to talkabout this in a little bit later.
But please.
Especially when we're talking
(11:49):
to people who claim to follow Jesus.
Have you ever been in that situationwith those who claim to follow Jesus?
And you know they're living in sinand it's like, you know what, though?
It's not for us to judge.
Ever.
Yeah.
Especially if they're close to you.
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Yeah. I'm.
And Tim says, listen,
this is profitable for them.
To rebuke and say, look, that's an error.
It's profitable for them.
I want to fight for them.
(12:33):
And how great would it beto go to the doctor?
And you have cancer. It's.I think you're okay.
I mean, who am I to call it as cancer?
But. Right.
But not just to leave you there
for them to correct.
Here's how we're going to address it.
And here's your hope.
(12:54):
Do you understand? Yes.
It's just to me, that's whatthis is good for.
And in light of that, preach this.
There are things
that have to be called outnot for condemnation but for correction.
Because in correction there's hope.
And when Timothy says, reprove,rebuke and exhort, that word
(13:14):
exhort is really important for usto understand what he's saying there.
That word exhort is Paraclete, though
now, if you don't know Greek,that doesn't mean anything to you.
But the good news is, I do.
And that word
Paraclete, though,comes from the word Paraclete.
My wife knows what that means.
(13:35):
The Paraclete is another wordfor the Holy Spirit.
In the name of the Holy Spiritis our comforter.
The Paraclete comesfirst of Jesus himself.
And Jesus's words were, it's good for youthat I go back to heaven,
because if I don't go back to heaven,I can't send you another Paraclete.
(13:58):
So he was the first Paraclete,our comforter,
because we've attached our livesthrough him to the father, we're given
the Holy Spirit who is another Paraclete,
to be within us, to be our comforter.
And now Paul is sayingthis very breathed out Word of God
is your comforter.
(14:21):
Do you understand?
So so, Timothy,this is why this is so important.
There must be times of rebuke.
There will be times of correction for the.
And in the correction comes the comfort.
Do you understand?
He said, that's why this is so important.
Don't divert from this.
(14:41):
This will be your comfort.
And he says, now you approach peoplethrough the lens of the word
with patience as you teach them.
You know why you have to have patience?
Because people are people.
Yeah,
people are people.
Wouldn't it be greatif we just had to be told
(15:01):
one thing one timeand we got it dialed in,
Parents?
Self esteem would be greatbecause the Bible says this.
So there you go.
Like, okay, good. I'm good. No.No problem.
It says, look at you, you gotta have some.
Like this isn'tthis isn't instant transformation
like salvation is instantonce you accept Christ as your Savior.
(15:22):
But everything else.
That'swhat the Bible calls sanctification.
And sanctificationtakes an entire life lifelong,
and you're never fully sanctifiedtill you're in heaven.
And Bible calls that glorification.
And so, like, it's going to take a while.
Just be patient,but don't divert from this.
And here'swhy. Here's why you do all this.
Verse three for the time is
(15:44):
coming when people will not enduresound teaching.
The word is doctrine.
The time is coming when people will notendure this doctrine anymore,
but having itching ears,they will accumulate for themselves
teachers to suit their own passionsand will turn away from,
listening to the truth and wanderoff into myths.
(16:05):
He's saying, look at there's come, there'scoming a time and again this word time.
Same what he used in chapter three.
Two words in Greek for time, chronosand kairos.
Chronos is just the passing of time.
Seconds to minutes.
Minutes to hours.
Hours to days, days to weeks.
You understand it, he said.
There's not a date circled on the calendarwhen this is going to happen,
(16:27):
there is a kairos.
There's a season when this will occurand the season is this
when people will nolonger endure sound doctrine,
it's too much for them.
And so they'll have these little earsthat are itching for someone
to tell them what they want to hear,because this is too hard.
(16:49):
This is too much.
They'll say things like,well, that was back then, but now
they'll say things.
What this says is a little too extreme.
And so now
like this says God is love.
But now we say love is love.
It doesn't matter who or what.
(17:09):
They won't endure sound doctrine anymore.
Do you understand?
Because this will tell us in the beginningGod created male and female.
There's only two.
But they want to do sounddoctrine anymore.
So now let's kind of soften thata little bit.
Now there's an innumerable numberof genders and expressions.
(17:31):
There's coming a season.
And guess what?
Guess what?
We're in it.
There's coming a season where you knowwhat?
Like, yeah,Jesus was a good moral teacher.
I mean, it's a profoundand just a great stuff.
And but I believe this and like the lawsare sincere and good people.
(17:51):
Well, that's sound doctrine says I'mthe way, the truth, the life.
There's no other way.
There's coming to season.
Well,people will not endure sound doctrine.
Guess what?
We're in it. Yeah.
And so Paul says, preach the word.
Not your opinion,not your Instagram post, not motivation.
(18:14):
Now we'll make people feel good.
Stay clear on this.
So let me tell you.
Think you
thank you that you're strong enoughfor sound doctrine.
Thank you.
Thank you for preaching.
Yeah.
There's come at a time
(18:36):
and love his words.
When they won't endure this anymore.
But they will accumulate for themselvesteachers to suit their own passions.
They'll accumulate for themselves,their podcasters.
They'll accumulate for themselves,their celebrity pastors
who have the great soundbites.
(18:56):
They'll accumulate for themselves.
They'll live in their own echo chamberthat softens this and tells them
and affirms how they want to live.
I want you to understand something.
That the size of the audience doesn't
validate the strength of the message. You.
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That we got to understand.
Like.
Like.
Friends, please.
Always. And train your children.
Focus on the strength of the doctrine,not the size of the crowd.
The largest churches in America
is run by a heretic who's pervertedthe gospel.
(19:42):
His name is Joel Osteen. I'm one.
And the size of the crowd would makepeople say, hey, there's something there.
Yeah. And it's all evil.
We gotta be very careful.
There's some huge churches out therethat look like they're pretty solid
Christian churches,but if it wasn't for their band
of their music that they produced,their ministry would be nothing
(20:04):
because their doctrine is horrible.
Just look, this is what's going to happen.
They'll turn away.
Hey, I'm gonna letyou just have a little sneak
(20:27):
peek into the life of a pastorin the life of your pastor.
Some will try and way.
And I've heard it before.
And I'll hear it again.
Pastor, I love your teaching.
Mounted solid. It's good stuff.
But you know that church over there?
They just got a killer coffee shop.
(20:54):
You know, what you teach us
is it's solid, but, you know, I mean,their facility, their children's stuff.
And they got all the lightsand the smoke machines and.
Like, what you do there to rent is great.
But you know what?
They got pickleball courts.
And so, I mean,how do you argue with that?
(21:25):
Sound doctrine.
Now, if you have sound doctrine
and pickleball courts and a coffee shop,that's awesome.
But nothing replaces sound, doctor.
Yeah.
Amen.
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Verse five.
As for you,always be sober minded, endure suffering,
do the work of an evangelist,fulfill your ministry.
He said, look, Timothy,here's a deal, man.
Like this is what's important.
And as you do this, besober minded means be calm and collected
because people are going to walk awayand people are going
to accumulate for themselvesa bunch of podcast pastors,
and it's not going to be you.
So just keep a calm, collected levelhead about this whole thing.
(22:11):
Don't worry about itand endure some suffering.
That is not the Christian message.
That's that gets a lot of followersanymore.
Endure suffering.
Paul just said in chapter three verse 12,if you want to follow Jesus,
you're going to suffer.
So here's a here'sthe deal, good friend and Christian.
If we're not suffering for our faith,we're not doing it right.
At some level, it will cost us.
(22:33):
It will cost us relationships.
It'll cost us friendships.
It will cost us money. It'll cost us
because we're doing it right.
And if there's no sufferingand no cost, it's not Christlike.
Yeah.
And then he says, what?
What's his charge?
What do you say?
Look at look at thelook at your own Bibles. Don't look at me.
(22:54):
Look at the end of verse five.
Do what you do.
What the end of verse five.
What's it say?Read it with your mouths open.
Do the work of the evangelist.
This is his great charge.
Do the work.
Do the work.
What's God want me to do?
He want you to do the work
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I don't want to do.
Yeah, you do do the work.
Well. What work?
Evangelism work.
Do you know what evangelist?
Do you know what an evangelist is?
A disciple of disciple the evangelist issomeone who shares the good news.
It's the one who brings good news.
That's what the word evangelist is.
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So let me helpyou understand this, dear friend.
The evangelist is one who brings good news
to those who don't know the good news.
Once you've accepted Jesus in your heart,
you're a Christ followerand God leaves you on this earth.
He leaves you on this earthto do what you cannot do in heaven.
(24:00):
Otherwise, won't you accept Jesus?
He just teleport you to heaven,
so he leavesyou here to do what you can't do there.
There's only two things thatyou can do here that you can't do there.
You want to know what they are?
Good.
I'll tell you the only two thingsthat you can do here that you can't do.
There are sin.
And tell unbelievers about Jesus.
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And so the reason God doesn'tteleport you to heaven.
Would you accept Jesus as your Savioris to do one of those two things here,
which in all your great wisdomdo you think he leaves us here to do
as sin
and to tell the good news?
And if that's the only the two thingsyou can't do that we could do here
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that we can't do there.
And that's why he left us here.
Of those two things,which do you and I do more of?
I'm talking about disobedient Christian.
Do the work of the evangelist.
Be the bringer of good news.
So let me set the stage for you.
(25:06):
Isaiah 52 seven.
How beautiful on the mountainsare the feet of those who bring good news.
Paul reiterated thatvery thing in Romans 1019.
Here'swhat the prophet Isaiah was saying back
in ancient times, when two nationswould go to war with each other,
they didn't have CNN,they didn't have Fox News,
they didn't have instant post,they didn't have reporters on the ground.
(25:30):
The only waythe people back home would know
if there was victoryor defeat in the battle was by a runner,
and the runner would find outthe news of the battle.
Did we win or did we lose?
Are we destined for life?
Are we destined for security?
Are we destined or are we destinedfor destruction and defeat and death?
(25:53):
What's the news? And they would.
The runner would find out the news and runback to the nation.
To bring the bringerto be the bringer of news.
We all know how this went down.
It's in our history books.
The Battleof Thermopylae, the battle of of marathon.
We all know how this happened in history.
(26:16):
The interesting thing in ancient timesis the one who would bring the news,
would oftentimes suffer the consequenceof the news that he brought.
And so that's why in Scripture,when David son Absalom,
was revolting against David in the kingdomand trying to tear the kingdom
out of his hands,King David said, you go find my son,
(26:36):
but don't lay a hand on him, I love him,I want to restore, redeem him.
And David's men found Absalom,and they killed him.
And the one who brought the newsof the destruction of David's son.
David's response was, Absalom, Asher, oh,my son asked him how I would have.
How I loved you.
And then he said,put the bringer of the news to death,
(26:57):
suffer the same fate of the news.
They brought.
And so you knewif you were waiting for news to come,
you could tellif it was good news or bad news,
because the one bringing bad newswas not running their fastest.
You understand?
But the bringer of good news.
As the nation watched the horizon,
(27:19):
what news is going to come?
And the one who's bringing good news
is one with all their mightand all their passion,
as fast as they can,with purpose and priority,
because they knowthey have the news of salvation,
they have the news of restoration,they have the news of liberation.
(27:39):
And they can't wait to tell the peoplewho are in bondage
and waiting to hear this news.
How beautiful are those feet?
Do you understand?
And so what Isaiah says,and what Paul reiterates is how beautiful
are the feet of those who bringwho do the work of an evangelist.
(28:02):
Yeah, yeah.
And so ask yourselves.
How ugly are your feet?
There's a special blessing.
On the feet that bring good news.
(28:26):
Be ready.
In season and our season.
Man, is is about a lot more than you.
Trying to be all you can be.
Be the best person you can be.
Don't ever be the best personyou could be.
Be the person God has called you to be.
And the priority ofthat is the doctrine of fear
(28:48):
and the sharing of good news.
So just ask yourself.
How beautiful are your feet?
When's the last timeyou talked to someone about Jesus?
When's the last time you, Christian?
Once.
The last time you said, do you havea personal relationship with Jesus?
(29:11):
When's the last timeyou had a conversation like that?
That said, I don't want to knowwhat you believe about God.
Tell me what you believe about Christ.
You know, probably90 plus percent of people in this room
have never led someoneto Jesus personally.
Actually led them through a prayer
of commitment and confession.
(29:33):
Make it so content of, you know,
trying to be personally obedient and.
It's okay.
People know we go to church.
But as far as doing
the work on an evangelist.
(29:57):
This is the last thingPaul's passed on to Timothy.
This is of utmost importance.
Listen, God
wants people to be in heavenmore than you want people to be in heaven.
Second Peter,God's not slow in keeping his promise,
but he's patient,giving everyone a chance to repent.
And then we're told in Matthew that we are
(30:18):
the onesyou're supposed to go make disciples.
So if God wants everybodycome to repentance and he wants us to be
the ones, the bridge between them,
he's going to make sure that we're ableto do what he wants us to do.
Is that makes sense? Yes.
So towards that end, Godhas already gifted you
with a style of evangelismthat we see in Scripture.
There's six styles of evangelismthat we see in Scripture.
(30:39):
And he's given. He's made you.
So one of those styles really fitsyou really well.
Back a few years, I did a teaching on thisand it's on our website.
It's on our appon the unfiltered unplugged.
We got awe got a picture about that. Pull that up.
Listen, get scan this QR code,go to our app.
It's unfiltered unplugged. It'show to share your faith.
The six styles of evangelism.
(31:00):
One of them fitsyou really, really, really well.
Some ofus don't have to work at evangelism.
It's a spiritual giftGod has given us, and we love him.
We race, and we look for opportunities.
Others of you, you're like each.
And if you're like me,does that mean you don't get to do it?
(31:20):
No, it means you get to do the work
and it's going to be work to develop it.
It's going to be work to embrace it.
You got to put in the time of the work.
And towards that end, I want to helpyou understand how you're gifted to do it.
And so go to that,listen to that, go through that.
And then I've printed for youin the Welcome Center
a little inventory that you can takethat will help flesh out
(31:44):
which of the six stylesis more naturally your fit.
I just talk this through withabout 40 of our guys yesterday
in our two men's ministry,and they're doing it this month.
We're going to talk about it next month.
And I'm so excited for 40 of our guysto learn to do the work of an evangelist.
I want to invite you into this gift stand.
So pick up that inventory.Go through that.
(32:05):
At least you'llknow how you're wired for it.
And then you look for
opportunities to use your wiringin a way that's natural for you.
That doesn't feel weirdto do the work to do evangelism.
You follow that instead,
do the work.
Because your feet become beautiful.
(32:35):
I need to go on.
I can talk about this forever.
Did you know that you are God's plan? A
for evangelism and there is no plan B?
There's no plan B, you're. It.
It's not enough for youto be a good person.
(32:57):
It's not enough for you to readyour Bible.
It's not enough.
That's not the call.
And you remember when Paul said,
if you choose to followJesus, you will suffer?
Guess what?
When you start evangelizing
the unsaved in your world, guess what?
(33:17):
You're going to suffer.
And if you're not
suffering for your witness,
you're not doing it right.
Do the work.
(33:38):
In light of the fact
that this is God breathed.
Will call out error, give correction,
and then give hope. Man.
Fulfill your ministry.
That word ministry is literally,deacon Dark Anita.
(34:00):
It means servant.
And here's what I know about me.
In you, we don't mind serving.
We just don't want to be called a servant,
am I right?
Like, I don't mind helping,
but don't you darelook at me as a servant.
I'm not your servant.
I'm doing this because I'm gracious.
I'm doing this because, you know, I.
(34:21):
I'm like Jesus.
Jesus claimed the title servant.
So guess what? You and I are service.
We're servants.
Fulfill your duty as a servant.
And you served the unsaved by
the proclamation of the sound doctrine.
(34:48):
Says I'm already being poured outas a drink offering.
And the time of my departureis come that drink
offering Old Testament languageand imagery as the.
As the priest would give sacrificesto God, they would pour out a drink
offering as an arrow would be consumedand in aroma to God
and sweet smelling and all of that,that this idea of this drink offering.
(35:08):
But there was a Roman idea to it, too.
And the Roman idea in, in Paul's, inRomans was using the Roman imagery.
The drink offering iswhat a Roman would do after
the meal was finished, the end of the mealat the end of the evening.
The evening is coming to a close.
The meal is done.
They would take a drink and they wouldpour it out in honor of their God.
(35:30):
And what Paul's saying is, the days ended
and the meal of my life is done.
And I'm pouring this outin honor of my God,
and the time of my departure has come.
I love that imagery.
He's looking at being beheadedand he's talking about it not as death.
(35:52):
He's talking about it as a trip.
Have you ever flown to fly a plane?
They got there early and you'rewaiting for the plane's departure.
That's the imagery.
There's no bemoaning his death.
There's no regret over what's not.
There's none. There's no.
There's no like.
Oh, Lord.
(36:12):
But please,if you would just. This one more time.
He said,no, no, no, I understand the season,
the time of my departure.
I cannot wait to get on that plane.
There was nothing ending.
There was just an arrivalthat was expected.
Isn't that a life well-lived?
(36:34):
If we can approach our lifein view of our death
and say, I'm going to live in a way
that I'm excited about my departure. Now?
Do you understand how Christian,
how counter culture, Christianity is?
(36:57):
If we do it right?
Verse seven I love theI fought the good fight.
I finish the race. I've kept the faith.
What a better epitaph is there?
(37:17):
I fought the good fight.
I finished the race.
I kept the faith.
Friends, he's telling us.
Fight. Finish.
Keep the faith.
I want you to understandthe importance of these three things.
Some of you need to hear this today.
(37:40):
Okay.
I fought the good fight.
It means I discipline my body.
I trained hard, and I kept swinging.
It was exhausting, but I fought it.
And I didn't just fight a fight.
I fought the good fight because there'sa good fight and there's a bad fight.
(38:01):
And sometimes we get roughwrapped up in a bad fight.
And Paul says, I fought the good fight.
There's one good fight.
It's for the kingdom.
Yeah.
You train yourself, you work hard.
You put in the time and the diligence
and you keep swinging.
(38:22):
I fought the good fightand I finished the race.
What Paul's talking about hereis completion, not speed.
He's talking about the marathon,
not the 100 meter.
I finished the raceeven though I stumbled along the way.
(38:43):
I finished the raceeven though I got tired.
I finished the race even though I stoppedrunning and had to walk.
I finished the race.
I didn't quit, I didn't tap out.
I didn't walk off the track.
I finished the course.
I finished the racebecause it's about completion, not speed.
Here's the thing, my dear friends.
(39:04):
It's not impressive at allto say I finished the 100 meter.
That's a short little race.
Who cares?
But to say I finished the marathon?
It was exhausting.
But I didn't quit.
Don't quit, don't quit.
(39:26):
Finish.
Yes. Crossed the line. Yes.
It says I kept the faith.
This God, this challenged
everything in my world.
This was counterculture to everything that I'm being told.
And I kept it.
(39:46):
I wasn't perfect, but I didn't deny it.
Yeah, yeah yeah.
Fight the good fight.
Finish the rest.
Keep the faith.
So there's laid up for mea crown of righteousness.
(40:08):
Which of the Lord the righteous judgewill award to me on that day?
And not only to me,but everybody who loves his appearing.
There's a crown waiting for us.
The crownwaiting for every Christ follower.
The saving crown. The crown.
The represents our saving everyone.Every Christ follower gets it.
But did you know that in the Biblethere's not just one crown?
(40:29):
There's like five.
Depending on after faith, depending onhow we live on earth, we get these crowns.
One of them is given to martyrs.
That would be awesome.
But, but.
So we're going to get these crownsbased on not salvation.
Salvation by faith.
But then based on how we liveand what we do, we get crowns.
(40:50):
Can you imagine,like being a Five Crowns guy?
Hey, I just want one crown.
I just want to get in life, I get in, I'm.
But here's the great thingabout those crowns.
You know, we're going to do them.
The Bible says we're going to throw themat Jesus feet
as our offering.
Like, Lord, it was my honor and privilege.
(41:12):
It's all for you.
Because I fought the good fight,
I finished.
I kept the faith.
And it's all to you.
And then he gets personal.
Let me just wrap upwith this personal stuff that.
That's all.
Like the charge that.
But watch how personal pockets
(41:32):
do your best to come to me.
He's all alone in this prison.
He says for Demas, in love
with this present world has deserted meand gone to Thessalonica.
Christians has gone to Galatia,Titus love dogs
and went to Dalmatia.
Just I added that part.
Luke alone is with me.
(41:52):
He had one guy get Mark andbring him with you, for he's very useful,
very ministry touchI yes, I sent to Ephesus
he names.
And, here's what I want you to see.
He names these people and
and some stayed with themand some deserted him.
And those who start with you aren't alwaysthe ones who are going to end with you.
(42:14):
And he calls out one of them, Demas.
He says, in love with this present worldhe had itching hers.
He didn't want the sound doctrine anymore.
He deserted me. Gone to Thessalonica.
Demas is mentionedthree times in Scripture,
and the first time he's mentionedis in the book of Philemon.
He's called a fellow worker with Paul
in the second time is mentionsin the book of Colossians,
and in that it just says that he says,hey, what's going on?
(42:35):
And this third time he's deserted.
And Paul says, there's going to be people
that just walk out and they'll desert you,
and there'll be others that aren'twith you anymore for multiple reasons.
Some of them get other assignmentsand God takes some other places.
They just it's just like life happens,
but it's going to feel deserted.
(42:55):
And there'll be those timeswhen you're all alone.
And the truth is,
and in Paul's world, as a as a pastor,
it hurts to hear. You.
You know what that's like?
(43:16):
I know what that's like.
When they're just gone.
And some of them nefariousand mean and evil
and others.
Life has just changed.
And he says,
when you come,bring the cloak that I left with carpus.
(43:38):
It true as also the booksand above all the parchments,
he says, bring the cloak,because he didn't have a jacket.
He's in a dark, dank, nasty cell
by himself, and it's cold.
It's cold at night.
And the reason he doesn't have a cloakis because, according to Roman law,
when Roman soldiers would arrest someone,
they could own nowthe cloak that that person owned.
(43:58):
And so it's likely that Paul got wordthe soldiers were coming to arrest him,
and they took his cloak off,and he hid it in a drawer somewhere
so they couldn't have.
This is why, in the crucifixion of Christ,
why the Roman soldiers castlots for his cloak.
Because he was arrested in the gardenwith it on,
and it was now their possession.
(44:21):
And so he says, bring that,bring the books,
and bring especially the parchments.
This is the Old Testament word of God.
He says, I want to read the prophetsagain, the hope of salvation,
the assurance of Godmy father and Jesus the Christ.
And what I know is this.
(44:41):
And we have to understand thatin those deepest,
darkest moments of death.
Our comfort.
Even when everybody else walks away.
Our comfort.
(45:06):
Alexanderthe coppersmith did me great harm.
The Lord repay him according to his deeds.
That is the scariest versein all the scripture.
For God to repay usaccording to our deeds.
I don't want God to repay mein court of my deeds.
I want God to repay meaccording to his grace.
And I love the factthat Paul just calls him out.
Like Paul names, names.
(45:26):
He's like Guy Alexander, you know, the one
with the coppersmith businesson Avenue 12.
You know who I'm talking about?
The guy who has a big old four wheeldrive and rides around the golf cart.
You know exactly what I'm talking about,right?
Like I said, that guy did mehorrible harm.
These terrible.
I love his honesty.
He says, beware of him.
He's no good.
(45:48):
He strongly opposes everything we do.
And my first offense, no one cameto stand by me, but all deserted me.
May it not be charged against them.
There it is.
In all this desertion
and all this bad stuffpeople are saying about me
and all this evil,they're laying against me.
Oh, God,
don't hold it against them.
(46:11):
You know why Paul said that?
Because he knew.
His Lord said that in the garden,on the cross.
Father, forgive them.
They don't know what they're doing in.
And Paul knew what Stephen said.
The first martyr that Paul orchestrated.
Paul orchestrated the martyr of Stephenand heard Stephen's words.
(46:34):
Father, forgive them.
So at the end of Paul's life,because it's been modeled to him,
God, don't hold this against him.
Did you know that the most godlike thinga Christ follower can do
is to forgive someone?
It's not serving.
(46:55):
It's not preaching.
It's not even witnessing.
The most godlike thingyou and I can do is to forgive someone.
It doesn't meanthey've asked for forgiveness.
It means in your heartyou have sacrificed your right
for revenge and for grudge.
(47:16):
And if you've not donethat, you've not forgiven.
You want to be like Jesus.
You have to forgive
even the greatest offense.
(47:43):
And you know, let me just say this.
I just thought of this.
You're only able to do that
when you're fighting forand not fighting against.
I fought the good fight.
It's not talking aboutfighting against anything.
It's talking about fighting for.
And when you fight for the kingdomand you fight for reconciliation,
(48:06):
and you fight for repairand you fight for forgiveness,
do you know how disingenuous it isfor us to take communion,
remembering the body and blood of Christand accepting his forgiveness
without forgive?
(48:27):
The one who has experienced
the greatest offense.
And the one who experienced
the least offense.
For the one who has experiencedthe least offense.
To accept forgiveness from the onewho has experienced the greatest offense
and not forgive another least offender.
It's blasphemy here.
(48:50):
Communion is not just abouthaving relationship with Jesus.
It's about living in a present stateof forgiveness.
All that singing we do before communion,guess what
that's supposedto be preparing your heart.
(49:12):
So you can be in this place
seeking and thanking the forif God for his forgiveness
because you've offered it already.
I don't know why I had to say that.
I just felt like I did.
Let me wrap up with this.
I don't even know where I am well versed.
Am I on 17
(49:32):
but the Lord stood by me.
Strengthen me so that through methe message might be fully proclaimed
to the Gentiles, might hear itI, I need to be done, but I just can't.
Like this is so there's too much like hesays, look at all this stuff happened.
But God stood by me. Why?
So that the message could be proclaimedlike it's about that.
The highs and the lows.
My living in my dyingGod has never abandoned me
(49:57):
so that the message can continue.
As long as I have breath in my lungs,the message must go on.
I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me
from every evil deed and bring me safelyinto his heavenly kingdom.
To him be the glory forever and ever.
He's saying, look, he'snot going to rescue me on this earth
this time he hasn't the best,but this time
my rescue isn't going to come inthis earth.
(50:19):
My rescue is going to come inthe heavenly kingdom.
His mind and heart was set to heaven,
which is exactlywhat the book of Colossians says.
Set your minds on things above,not on things on this earth.
Our rescue will not
always come in this world,but it will certainly come in that one.
That's where our minds are.
To him be the glory forever and ever.
(50:41):
Amen.
He says.
Greek, Priscilla and Aquila,the household of Vanessa for us.
Erastus remained at Corinth, andI left Chaucer, who was ill in mellitus.
This amazes me that he says these words.
He says, I left Troy Smith ill.
He left him sick.
(51:01):
Paul.
It healed all kinds of peoplein his ministry.
This one he left sick.
You know what that tells me?
Paul had no power.
It was the grace of God that decidedwho was healed and who was ill.
Yeah.
And Paul was okay with that tension.
And what it also tells me is sometimes
(51:21):
good, godly people stay sick.
Yeah,
sometimes righteous people
stay ill.
That's a tough truth to swallow.
But it's the truth.
(51:41):
And people who don't like sound
doctrine want itching it, want peopleto tell them what they want to hear.
So they believe myths and fables
that if you have enough faith,you'll be healed, that God desires
to heal everybody in this worldand it causes people problems
because you don't understand
(52:01):
this sin.
Some of us, some of you are very godly
and you're going to stay sick.
And I'm sorry.
But we must trust a sovereign God.
And the end of it all
(52:21):
is so that people who don't knowJesus hear about Jesus.
And I am his servant.
And so I'll fight the good fight,
and I will finish this race.
And even when it's hard, I'm not going to
reject the truth.
(52:42):
I'm going to keep the faith.
Do your best to come before winter.
Especially because I need that coat.
It's cold, you believe sendshis greetings, as do Putin's and Linus
and the other Charlie Brown characters,and Claudius and all the brothers.
The Lord be with your spirit.
Paul's last written words.
(53:03):
Grace be with you.
May the grace of God be upon you.
What a life.
Yeah, most scholarsbelieve he died at 58 years old.
That's my age.
I know I don't look it.
(53:23):
I can't
imagine at 58, I got so much more to do.
Like, my prayer to Godis that he allows me to preach,
teach and coach till I'm 80 years old.
By the grace of God,
he'll grant me that visionand grant me that privilege.
But he might not.
(53:44):
58 years old,
Paul died, one of the greatest servants
of the kingdom of Godthis world has ever known.
Yet he died penniless,
friendless,
and completely alone.
With no possessionsand no earthly comfort,
(54:07):
yet fully fulfilled
and full of joy, full of yours
and completely content.
A well-lived life
is lived with no reserve
and no retreat,
(54:29):
no regret,
no can you say that
about your life right now?
Here's the encouraging part.
If that hasn't been, you decidethat it will become you
(54:51):
from this day forward.
No reserve,
no retreat,
no regret.
I will fight the good fight.
I will finish this race
and I will keep the faith.
(55:12):
I will do the work of the evangelist.
I will guard strong doctrine.
I will guide people into it.
This is my goaland purpose for drawing a breath.
To understand
very.
I want you to pray with me.
(55:36):
Father.
Thank you.
You're such a good God.
You've given us yourself.
You've given us your son.
You've given us the wordsthat are breathed out from you.
You've given us a call and a charge
(55:57):
that you've entrusted only to us.
You think so highly of us.
We know who we are.
You know who we are.
And you have accepted us
and chosen us in spite of ourselves.
(56:18):
You are a good God.
Yes, yes.
Father, there are some in this room.
You know.
That maybe their past wasn't so great.
(56:38):
Maybe there's all kinds of retreatsand regrets.
Yeah,
but now.
Now they want the future to be different.
For your sake and for your kingdom sake.
If nothing else.
Now, thereare people whose hearts are turning
(56:59):
to you and say from this day forward, now.
I will live a well-lived lifeof no reserve, no retreat, no regret.
I will fight the good fight.
I will finish the race.
I'm not going to tap out to everythingyou've called me to.
Everything you've asked of me.
You've put me in this position situation.
(57:20):
What? I'm not tapping out.
Yes, yes.
I'm going to keep the faith.
Though I'm weary and tired.
I'm going to keep the faith.
Though I'm beat up and bruised.
I'm gonna keep the faith.
Though it feels like there's nothingbut defeat around me.
I'm going to keep the faith.
Yes, yes, yes
I want to be an avenger.
(57:41):
I want to do the work of an evangelist.
I want my life to matter and account.
So this day forward, father.
I'm yours. I'm.
Francis, you've never entered
into a right relationship with the fatherthrough the son.
I invite you in this moment
according to sound doctrine of God'sword to say.
(58:03):
God, I believe that your sonis the only way to get to you.
Yeah.
Jesus.
Thank you for your life,your death, resurrection.
I believe at night shiftthat I accept your forgiveness.
Make me a new person.
I am yours and you are mine. Now
take that step. Don't.
Don't leave this place without that.
(58:24):
And once that's done, say, God,
I want to be an evangelist.
Give me grace and courage to do it.
I want to do the work.
I'm choosing this day
to fight the good fight,to finish the race, to keep the faith.
(58:49):
This is my clarion call of commitment.
Yes, today, tomorrow changes today.
My future changes.
Today.
Things change.
Yeah.
Give me your grace to enable that change.
(59:09):
Friends. This going to keep you.
Just stay in this moment of prayer.
I did this in the first service.
I didn't know I was going to do it,but I'm going to do it again.
And this one here's the thing.
I want to give you some something
that solidifies a decision.
(59:29):
And sometimes what silver fliesthe decision is an action.
And so just in this moment,keep your eyes closed.
Don't look around.
I don't want this to be motivatedby someone else doing something.
So just in your own heart.
And please feel the freedom not to.
But just as this physical act
of commitment, we're going to sing a songin just a moment.
(59:51):
And if that has been your clarioncall of commitment,
God, I'm committing to youand I'm going to fight the good fight.
I'm going to finish race.
I'm going to keep the faith, God, I'mgoing to do the work of the evangelist.
If this is your clear call, a commitmentthat as we sing, just stand up standing.
It doesn't do anything for you.
It's just your physical affirmationthat this is my decision.
(01:00:14):
And here I stand
and I can do no other.
Here I stand firmly on this commitment.
Don't look around.
Don't put.
I don't want any pressureto be on anybody.
But I want to give you this,like, definitive physical statement
of I'm standing on
this commitment this morning.
(01:00:36):
I think the instructions are clear.
Bands
gonna start playing the songwhen you're ready.
You do that. Let's go. Come on. You.
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