2 Timothy 4:6-22 Glorified by God

The Text

2 Timothy 4:6–22 (CSB)
⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close.

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

⁸ There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.

⁹ Make every effort to come to me soon,

¹⁰ because Demas has deserted me, since he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

¹¹ Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry.

¹² I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

¹³ When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments.

¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works.

¹⁵ Watch out for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words.

¹⁶ At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them.

¹⁷ But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that I might fully preach the word and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

¹⁹ Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

²⁰ Erastus has remained at Corinth; I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.

²¹ Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.

²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

The Meditation

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Glorified by God: there is an end of our time here our earth and it is so short

Job 7:1 (CSB) Isn’t each person consigned to forced labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired worker?

Job 14:5-6 (CSB) Since a person’s days are determined and the number of his months depends on you, and since you have set limits he cannot pass, look away from him and let him rest so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.

Hebrews 9:27 (CSB) And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—

Hosea 13:3 (CSB) Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, or like smoke from a window.

James 4:14 (CSB) Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.

There is no denying this. Most people think that their time here on earth is much too short. But it is too short. For the lost of our love ones, we wish we could hold them one more time and say, "I love you one more time."

What about the loved ones we lost who did not love the Lord? We might comfort ourselves for a second thinking perhaps they repented on their deathbed. But we don't know that for a fact unless we witness them draw their last breath. Those loved ones with hardened hearts like the Pharoah in Exodus or any of the sons of the devil: you wish you wish you wish they could draw one more breath, perhaps to grab on the free gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and let go of their sin in order to grab on to the righteousness of the Almighty Savior.

So many of my family members quickly dying--40s, 50s, 60s--never loving God never obeying the Son and never possessing the Spirit. They died and descended into the eternal wrath of the Jesus Christ.

⁸ There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.

Glorified by God: to those who are his people, Christ has given us his righteousness and his life forever

Romans 9:25-26 (CSB) As it also says in Hosea, I will call Not My People, My People, and she who is Unloved, Beloved. And it will be in the place where they were told, you are not my people, there they will be called sons of the living God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB) He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

John 1:12-13 (CSB) But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

⁹ Make every effort to come to me soon, because Demas has deserted me, since he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

Glorified by God: people will come and go but the presence, peace, and the grip of the love of God will be on you through death

John 10:25-30 (CSB) “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Let have Octavius Winslow say it best:

Accounted though we are as "sheep for the slaughter," yet our Great Shepherd, Himself slain for the sheep, guides his flock, and has declared that no one shall pluck them out of his hand. We are more than conquerors through his grace who loved us in the very circumstances that threaten to overwhelm. Fear not, then, the darkest cloud, nor the proudest waves, nor the deepest needs- in these very things you shall, through Christ, prove triumphant. Nor shrink from the battle with the "last enemy." Death received a death-wound when Christ died. You face a conquered foe. He stands at your side a crownless king, and waving a broken scepter. Your death shall be another victory over the believer's last foe. Planting your foot of faith upon his prostrate neck, you shall spring into glory, more than a conqueror, through him that loved you. Thus passing to glory in triumph, you shall go to swell the ranks of the "noble army of martyrs"- those Christian heroes of whom it is recorded, "THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD Of THE LAMB."

Octavius Winslow. No Condemnation in Christ Jesus. 229.

Christ's death means that you get to live forever. Christ's sacrifice means that you are holy and blameless before Christ. Christ's life means you now get to live, move, and have you being in him--not just now but for all of eternity.

¹¹ Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry.

Glorified by God: the saints of God will see you coming and receiving into the glory of God

Genesis 25:7-9 (CSB) This is the length of Abraham’s life: 175 years. He took his last breath and died at a good old age, old and contented, and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hethite.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (CSB) Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Only the people of God will witness your end. If you think you are alone, you are never alone when you have the fullness of God. If your life ends with no witness, I promise you that God will receive you into his glory and all of his people--from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Joseph to Moses to Deborah, Gideon, Ruth, Jesse, David, Solomon all the way to the Apostles and all the saints before--will get to welcome you home into the arms of the Savior where you belong.

¹² I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

Glorified by God: Christ commissioned us--it might be time for you to send others out

Equipping, encouraging, blessing others so that they can take the good news of the gospel to all creatures to the ends of the world.

¹³ When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments.

Glorified by God: God is your All-in-all in life and in the death

Psalms 16:5-6 (CSB) LORD, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalms 68:6 (CSB) God provides homes for those who are deserted. He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a scorched land.

1 Kings 17:1-7 (CSB) Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!” Then the word of the LORD came to him: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” So he proceeded to do what the LORD commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the wadi. After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Matthew 6:7-8 (CSB) When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:31-34 (CSB) So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

You and I need God today. You and I need God tomorrow. You and I need God to live. You and I need God forever.

For your life and your soul and your spirit to live eternally, you will need God. In your sin, depravity, and death, you still need God.

¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. Watch out for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words. At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them.

Glorified by God: your enemies were never your enemies--they didn't determine you are in God

Colossians 2:15 (CSB) He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (CSB) Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens

The Gospel

Nor can they ever separate you from his love:

Romans 8:36-39 (CSB) s it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹⁷ But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that I might fully preach the word and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Glorified by God: Christ has determined your worth--so go and do his will

What are we charged and commissioned by God to do: preach the word. Be ready in and out of season. People are not going to listen to you because to some, you are the stench of death. They want to keep believing lies even though they keep getting their hearts broken in two. As for you and me: God is our strength--control yourself, endure suffering, do the work of the evangelist, fulfill our ministry--and we will be home soon.

¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

Glorified by God: He brings us all the way home

Romans 8:28-30 (CSB) We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

¹⁹ Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. > ²⁰ Erastus has remained at Corinth; I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. ²¹ Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.

Glorified by God: Don't live in isolation

Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB) And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

I have preached it time and time again: the gospel calls us to God and to one another. We are love one another. Don't forsake going to church. I know that nowadays that is easier said than done. But be innocent as doves and wise as serpents: there are ways around it and continue to be safe.

Don't neglect yourselves from one another.

²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

Amen.

The Discussion

1. Have you thought about your last years on earth?

2. What do you think you want to do in ministry to God and to others?

3. What is stopping you from starting?

4. Why can't you start now?