2 Timothy chapter four.

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 4

I'll read the chapter and then our focus will be on verses six to eight. But 2 Timothy 4, beginning in verse 1, I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing. Be diligent to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica.

Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Choas when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.

At my first offense, no one stood with me, but all four shook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.

To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Great Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Anesophorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus, sick.

Do your utmost to come before winter. Ubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Amen. Well, let us pray.

Opening Prayer

Our Father, thank you for this last letter of the apostle Paul. Thank you for the wonderful doctrine that it contains. Thank you for the great encouragement as well, and the setting forth of a good example, a solid and faithful example of a Christian man. God, help us to persevere in like manner.

Help us, Lord God, to be faithful to the very end, and give us the grace and the presence and the power of the Spirit necessary for that great endeavor. And even now, God, guide us as we consider this passage of Scripture, minister to us, illuminate our hearts and minds by the Spirit, and again, forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Well,

Introduction

a couple of weeks ago, we looked at a sermon on the ministry of the word, and we used one of the texts was 2 Timothy 4. Notice in verse 2, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. So the apostle, in his last corporate command, to the church lays emphasis on the proclamation of the truth.

In other words, Timothy, it's not about entertainment. It's not about meeting felt needs. It is rather about the declaration of the truth concerning Christ and him crucified. In that particular exposition, I gave the two reasons for the command.

So not only does Paul give the command, preach the word, he designates the manner the word is supposed to be preached, convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. And then he offers up two reasons as to why Timothy should preach the word. The first reason is the departure of the church. Notice in verse three, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

Paul's logic is impeccable. Preach the Word, because the time is coming when they won't want the Word. That doesn't mean you kowtow, it doesn't mean you capitulate, it doesn't mean you do exactly what they say, but rather you continue to maintain faithfulness by preaching the Word. So the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.

So the first reason why Timothy is to preach the word is because of the departure of the church. The second reason is verses six to eight. It is the departure of the apostle Paul. And I thought this would be a helpful encouragement for all of us in terms of perseverance.

You'll hear me refer tonight to what people call the 11th hour. That means the final hour. Remember this morning in John 1 39, they had remained with Jesus all day. It was the 10th hour.

So the 10th hour would have been 4 p.m. The 11th hour would have been 5 p.m. It is the hour before the end of the day. And oftentimes you'll hear people refer to the 11th hour.

It is that time when the end is on the horizon. And the book of 2 Timothy is an 11th hour epistle. It is the last book that the apostle Paul wrote. And here in verses six to eight, he indicates that the time of his departure is at hand.

In the book of Philippians, which is another prison epistle written between AD 60 and 62, he envisages the possibility that he will die. But in Philippians, it's more of the mindset, or he's more of the mindset that he's going to continue to live on. He knows that's not the case here in 2 Timothy. He knows that he's come to the end of the road.

He knows that the time of his departure is at hand. And so when he says, I have done this, I have done this, and I have done that, he had done that, or he's able to say that in the 11th hour because he did it in the hours prior to that. In other words, if we're gonna make a good confession, when we come to the end of our day, in terms of personal testimony, it must be backed up by lives of faithfulness. lives of perseverance, not sinlessness, not perfection, but consistency and faithfulness along the way. No man will ever to be able to say, I fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, unless daily he's engaging in fighting the good fight, finishing the race, keeping the faith.

In other words, there is a close association between hours one to 10 and the 11th hour. And when it comes for Paul to die, we see that his faithful life is a great encouragement to him here at the end of his life. So

The Apostle's Present Situation

I want to look first at the Apostle's present situation in verse 6. Secondly, the Apostle's past perseverance in verse 7. And then finally, the Apostle's future hope in verse 8. But notice,

Two Metaphors for Death

he uses two metaphors to indicate that he's going to die. Verse six, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering. Turn back to Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two, I've referenced that.

You want to see what he is doing in comparison. Philippians chapter one, actually, to begin with. Philippians 119, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

So the idea of death is certainly in his mind, the concept or possibility or potentiality rather of dying is there. He makes this grand statement in verse 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Hard to punish a man, hard to hurt a man who has that particular mindset.

For to me to live is Christ but to die is gain. How do you hurt him? If you let him live, he has Christ. If you kill him, he has more Christ.

He's a tough guy to deal with. Verse 22, but if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor. Yet what I shall choose, I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart. and be with Christ, which is far better.

Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again." So he has this idea that he could potentially be executed. It wasn't the rage that we'll find in 2 Timothy in terms of the historical situation, but Nero was on the throne at the time of the writing of Philippians. Nero gets really bad by the time of the writing of 2 Timothy.

But already in AD 60-62, Nero's starting to lose it a little bit. Prior to AD 60, in the late 50s, Nero was hedged in by a couple of decent advisors. He didn't become the wretch, or he wasn't the wretch that he would ultimately become. So Paul doesn't really know exactly what's going to happen in terms of his imprisonment in the empire in AD 60 to 62.

But then notice at 217, yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me." So back to 2 Timothy 4, verse 6. He's using ceremonial language. He's using the language of a drink offering. Comes from Exodus 29, Leviticus 23, Numbers 15, Numbers 28.

He is alluding to his blood poured out in martyrdom. Now, it wouldn't be sacrificial, it wouldn't be atoning, it wouldn't be those sorts of things that would be true of the blood of Jesus Christ, but nevertheless, he's using that language to reminisce about the reality that he is coming to die. The language of offering or sacrifice should not be seen the way Christ's sacrifice or offering was made, for atonement. Paul's offering in the language of guilt was in the cause of Christ and for the confirmation of the gospel and the faith of the saints in it.

Now, imminency, the fact that it's going to happen, does not mean immediacy. Because notice in verse 9, "...be diligent to come to me quickly, for Denis has forsaken me, having loved this present world, has departed for Thessalonica, Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia." Notice dropping down into verse 13, "...bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. So while his death is imminent, as far as he's concerned in 2 Timothy 4, it's not immediate. There's still time for this command given to Timothy to collect these items, a cloak, because it would be cold in the prison, and as well the books, especially the parchments.

He's not lazy, he's not going to just take his ease, but rather he's going to be diligent. And as we move through the rest of 2 Timothy 4, that is essentially what he does. He is moving troops around. While he's in a prison cell in Rome, he is nevertheless active in terms of church planting, disciple making, and Christ glorifying.

The apostle Paul didn't just kind of slither his way into heaven, but he was useful to the very end. And then notice the next bit of language that he uses. He talks about being poured out as a drink offering. And then he says, the time of my departure is at hand.

It's the word used in Philippians 1.23. It's a euphemism for death. One man says it essentially refers to loosening of something, such as the mooring ropes of a ship or the ropes of a tent.

Historical Context: Nero's Persecution

The time of my departure is at hand. Now, again, just to give you a bit of the historical context relative to Nero. John Fox in the famous Book of Martyrs writes this. He says, the first of the ten persecutions was stirred up by Nero about AD 64.

So Paul is writing just about this time frame as well. So he understands that he's going to die. Now, if you haven't read any history, or you don't know who Nero was, or you haven't availed yourself of John Fox, do that. It is most important, brethren, to understand what our brethren faced in terms of threat from the civil government.

He goes on to say his rage against Christians was so fierce that Eusebius, Eusebius was an early church historian, records, quote, a man might then see cities full of men's bodies, the old line together with the young, and the dead bodies of women cast out naked, without reverence of that sex in the open streets, end quote. And then Fox continues, many Christians in those days thought that Nero was the Antichrist because of his cruelty and abominations. Paul also suffered under this persecution when Nero sent two of his esquires, Pharaoh and Parthenius, to bring him to his execution. They found Paul instructing the people and asked him to pray for them so that they might believe.

How would you imagine that? Nero sends a couple of his henchmen and they come to arrest you, to take you off, to kill you, but first they ask you to pray for them so that they might believe. It says, receiving Paul's assurance that they would soon be baptized, the two men led him out of the city to the place of execution where Paul was beheaded. This persecution ended under Vespasian's reign, giving the Christians a little peace.

So it was a very tumultuous time in the early church. And so in Philippians, a couple of years prior, the possibility was that he could be killed. But by the time we get to the writing of 2 Timothy, he knows it. He knows that he's not going to escape this time.

It is in fact his 11th hour. And then notice the close connection between verses five and six. So after giving Timothy the charge, after giving the first reason for the charge, he has this parenthetical almost statement in verse five, but you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. There is a contrast and a comparison between verse five, but you, and verse six, for I.

Because what Paul is saying is in light of the fact that I am being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand, you need to be faithful, Timothy, in preaching the word. You need to be faithful, Timothy, in continuing the ministry of the gospel. You need to be faithful, Timothy, in doing what it is I've shown you by example and given to you by way of instruction. Timothy, hold the line, hold fast, and be faithful.

The Apostle's Past Perseverance

Now notice, secondly, the Apostle's past perseverance. We need to appreciate in the first place that he's not boasting. This isn't the language of triumphalism, but rather it is the language of perseverance. He's not patting himself on the back.

He's not trying to gain glory. He's not trying to say to everybody, hey, look at what a great guy I have been. It is a matter of fact. It is a statement of reality.

It is the truth. And to back that truth up, all one needs to do is read the book of Acts, to read the epistles of the apostle Paul, to know something of the historical situation that our brother faced and to see how he in fact persevered through every jot and tittle of it. So when readers of the New Testament get to verse seven, if they for a moment start to think, wow, this is a proud fellow, wow, this is a boastful man, they haven't read accurately everything that has preceded this. This isn't triumphalism, but rather it is perseverance.

Notice as well though, he doesn't mention God's grace. He doesn't say by the grace of God, I have fought the good fight. By the grace of God, I have finished the race. By the grace of God, I have kept the faith.

Now, those of us who know Paul know that he was always dependent upon the grace of God. It would be simply unimaginable that he would come to the 11th hour, he would come to that point of death, and he would not have any acknowledgement of God's grace. It's assumed. We know that it's by God's grace.

We know that because of Paul's emphasis in other places. Look at 1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy 1, specifically at verse 12. 1 Timothy 1, verse 12. And I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me because he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners "'of whom I am chief.'" See, he's not a man that is negligent in terms of acknowledgement of the grace of God. Look at one, I'm sorry, look at chapter, 2 Timothy chapter two, verse one, when he comes to exhort Timothy, "'You therefore, my son, be strong "'in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.'" How could Paul exhort him that unless it was from experience? And then again, in our own chapter at verse 17, Back to verse 16, notice that my first defense, well, back up to verse 14.

Look at what Paul does in verse 14. It's not just David. It's not just Jeremiah that engaged in imprecatory psalms or prayers. Look at Paul in 2 Timothy 4, 14.

Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. What is he saying? He is saying that he's an unsaved man.

He is a reprobate. He is a wretch. He is a vile enemy of God and of his church. And so he says, may the Lord repay him.

Verse 15, you also must be aware of him for he has greatly resisted our words. But then notice in verse 16, at my first defense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. So on the one hand, an imprecation for Alexander the coppersmith because he did him much harm.

On the other hand, these friends and acquaintances of Paul didn't stand with him, but they forsook him. But he says, may the Lord not charge them with it. In other words, they're not reprobate. They're not God-hating rebels.

They perhaps had a moment of weakness. They perhaps had a period of weakness. But hopefully God will spare them in his great mercy and kindness. You see, brethren, at times the Christian life is complex.

There are times when the saint of Christ imitates Christ by giving place to God's wrath and praying the imprecatory psalms. There are other instances and seasons where the saint imitates Christ by praying for God's mercy upon people. Again, there's no straight answer in terms of who do we pray the imprecatory psalms for. I would suggest as a beginning point, those enemies of Christ and those enemies of Christ's church, those who are avowed.

But then notice what he says, there's a contrast. Verse 16, at my first offense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me. But notice in verse 17, but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Brethren, be encouraged.

Your friends may engage in a moment of weakness. Your friends may, in the last hour, abandon you. But the Lord doesn't. The Lord is with His saints.

The Lord is with His church. The Lord is with His people, no matter what the situation is. And so while His earthly companions abandon Him, Nevertheless, the Lord stands with him. So going back to verse seven, when he mentions what he has done, it is faithful perseverance and that dependent upon God's good grace.

Fighting the Good Fight

Notice the first thing he says, I have fought the good fight. He uses a similar metaphor in 1 Corinthians 9.6. Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the air. So he likens the Christian life to a fight.

He says, I have fought the good fight. Turn back to 1 Timothy 1. He exhorts Timothy to this mindset as well. 1 Timothy 1 at verse 18. This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.

First Timothy chapter six, verse 12, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. And then notice in second Timothy chapter two, I'm sorry, yeah, second Timothy chapter two at verse three, you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. So going back to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy 4, 7, when he says he has fought the good fight, we need to understand that it's the good fight because it's God's fight. Paul is not talking about his own sort of reputation.

He's not talking about his own aggrandizement. He's not talking about his own pride or his arrogance. The fight is good because it's God's. The fight is good because it's Christ's.

It is a fight for the glory of God. It is a fight for the proclamation of the truth. It is a fight for the establishment of faithful churches. That's why it's a good fight.

But why is it a fight? Because there's this unholy trinity that aligns itself against the church. We call it the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world hates the church, the true church, the church that actually preaches the offense of the cross.

The flesh hates it because honestly, brethren, we would much rather have entertainment or we'd much rather have anything that catered to our felt needs. and as well the devil. Remember that parable of the soils. Jesus says that the devil is like those birds of the air who come and eat up the seed. Less people hear the word, believe the word, and are saved as a result.

But then, think about this one. It's not only the world, the flesh, and the devil. Very often, it's the church itself that has to be fought with. Not in the sense of carnality, not in the sense of actually going to blows, but there's opposition, there's resistance, there's a hesitancy.

I think it is so well described in the book of Judges. At Judges chapter 15, the nation of Israel is under a Philistine occupation. They're enslaved to the Philistines. And the Philistines come to get Samson, because Samson has done some ruination.

He's engaged in his ministry of destruction relative to the Philistines. So the Philistines come to get Samson. But what is unconscionable, absolutely positively unconscionable, is that Judah helps the Philistines. Judah comes to the rock Etam, where Samson is, and they say, turn yourself in to the Philistines.

Don't you know the problems you're creating for us? Don't you know how difficult you're making it for us? The very Savior of Israel, they come and tell to go ahead and subject himself to the enemies. It is absolutely incomprehensible that the people of God Judah, no less, the royal tribe, the first tribe in the book of Judges that is tasked with going into the land and taking possession, or dividing up the land and retaining it because of God's good grace.

But they turn over Samson into the hands of the Philistines. Which, unbeknownst to them, that was the best and blessed thing, or most best and blessed thing that they could do, because Samson finds the jawbone of an ass and kills a thousand Philistines. So, much to their chagrin, they actually did destruction upon their captors. So it is the case at times.

I believe this Alexander the coppersmith perhaps at one time was an associate or a professing believer. We don't know the state of the case of Demas having loved this present world. We don't know if he came back. We don't know what his situation was.

But that internal threat that faced the nation of Israel in the old covenant and that internal threat that faces the church today is oftentimes the reason why it's a good fight. we have to fight with reference to advancement of the cause of Christ.

Finishing the Race

Notice, secondly, he speaks of having finished the race. The similarity again with 1 Corinthians 9, 24 to 26, but also in Acts 20. Remember that pastor's conference on his way to Jerusalem. He's in Miletus, he calls for the elders at Ephesus, and he gives them a charge.

And then he says in Acts 20 at verse 24, when he's rehearsing, that he doesn't know what's going to happen, except that the Holy Spirit testifies that in every city there will be chains and afflictions. Imagine that. We don't want to go anywhere where it's a little bit uncomfortable. We don't have the Holy Spirit telling us to go into these cities where there's going to be afflictions and change.

Paul does that. And he says this to those elders. He says, none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. The apostle is able to say at the 11th hour, I have finished the race, because he effectively ran the race from hours 1 to 10.

Brethren, that's the point of this sermon. You're not going to say in the 11th hour, I've fought the good fight, if you're not fighting it now. You're not going to be able to say on that 11th hour, I have finished the race. If you're not running it now, if you're lazy, if you're inactive, if you're not giving service to the Lord Jesus, you're not going to have this conscience when you come to die.

You're going to be wracked with unbelief. You may be wracked with doubt and sorrow. The apostle Paul is not because he was faithful throughout his life. And then

Keeping the Faith

notice thirdly what he says, he had kept the faith. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There's two ways we can understand Paul's keeping of the faith. There is the subjective, Paul's belief in the gospel, and then there is the objective, Paul's protection of the gospel.

In other words, the subjective belief of the apostle Paul in Christ Jesus, our Lord, or the objective content of the truth of the gospel. Either way, and in both instances, Paul can say, I have kept the faith. I have kept my personal faith. With all of the trials, with all of the difficulties, with all of the hardships and the afflictions, Paul never recanted.

In fact, go back for just a moment to 2 Timothy 1. 2 Timothy 1, where the emphasis is on his subjective faith, his hold of the gospel. Verse 12, for this reason, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day. And now drop down to verse 15, after giving good exhortation, well, we should never skip 13 and 14.

Hold fast the pattern of sound words. Here's the objective. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

That's objective. Hold fast the truth, don't let it go, don't relinquish it. When everybody in the church says, we don't want to hear about predestination, preach predestination. When everybody in the church says, I don't want to hear about submission to the Lord Jesus, preach submission to the Lord Jesus.

When everybody in the church wants to hear Joel Osteen on how to get rich, don't do that, Timothy. Hold fast the pattern of sound words. It's about Jesus Christ, life, death, and resurrection. Now he's going back to the subjective, the fact that he's held fast with reference to gospel truth.

Verse 15, This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. "'The Lord grant mercy to the household of Vanessa Forrest, "'for he often refreshed me "'and was not ashamed of my chain. "'But when he arrived in Rome, "'he sought me out very zealously and found me. "'The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy "'from the Lord in that day.

"'And you know very well how many ways "'he ministered to me at Ephesus.'" The point is simply this, all those in Asia have turned away from me. What does that mean? It means all those in Asia had a big problem, but it means that Paul didn't. Paul didn't turn away, Paul didn't relinquish, Paul didn't let go, Paul didn't compromise, Paul didn't want his joy and comfort and ease, Paul didn't ever to say to the Roman Empire, oh yeah, I'm gonna renounce the Lord Jesus Christ so I can go be a free man.

Whatever the consequences, whatever the hardships, whatever the difficulties associated with it, the apostle Paul accepted it. That is a great encouragement and a great example for the likes of you and I. So it's not only, though, the subjective hold, Paul's belief in the truth, but also objectively. Clarke says, the faith is the doctrinal content of Christianity, the deposit which God deposited with Paul and Timothy.

I'm going to come back to this point when we close the sermon. But before we go from this point, isn't this what you want to say in your 11th hour? Isn't this the kind of stuff you're hoping to be able to pass on to your children and your grandchildren? Is it going to be, I built a great company?

That's not a bad thing to build a great company. It's not a bad thing to amass wealth. It's not a bad thing to get graduate degrees. But when it comes to the 11th hour, I would suggest, brethren, that those things probably aren't going to matter.

What is going to matter is that I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. If that is what we want to pass on in the 11th hour, then we need to be faithful in hours one to 10. If we're not, we won't be. Again, I'm not suggesting we're not going to be saved because we didn't try harder or whatever, but to have this kind of a clear conscience, to have this kind of comfort.

One man in the history of the church said concerning Christians, our people die well. Our people do die well. Why? Because they have confidence in the Savior who has sustained them in hours 1 to 10, brings some of this home with power in hour 11, and then receives them unto himself when they depart from this world.

And

The Apostle's Future Hope

that brings us finally to the apostles' future hope. Notice, having said what he said in verse 7, he says in verse 8, Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. The imagery of the games continues. He uses that imagery again in 1 Corinthians 9.

He likens the discipline of the Christian life to the discipline of the athlete. The Apostle says, look at the athlete. They get up early. They buffet their bodies.

They don't go party on Friday night. They don't indulge their flesh. Rather, they discipline their body, they bring it into subjection, such that they can be faithful. They are temperate in all things.

And he says, why? They do it for a perishable crown. Do you know what you got when you won the Olympics in this time? I don't know if they actually called it the Olympics, but it was the games.

Paul was a tent maker, no doubt he was very familiar with athletic event. They'd get a garland wreath for their head and front row tickets to the theater. That was it. I read somewhere one of the countries, I think it was Singapore, gives their gold medal winner $750,000.

That's pretty good incentive. You didn't get that in the empire. You got a wreath for your head and you got front row tickets. But his point is, they do it, they buffet the body, they get up early, they don't go out on Friday night.

They do that for a perishable crown. We have an imperishable crown. We have everything. We have Christ.

We have glory. We have Emmanuel's land. We have all that God has held out for his people. And this is his emphasis here.

Paul is not in this because he just likes to suffer. Paul is not in this because he's got some sadistic or masochistic bent. He doesn't just like affliction. He doesn't just like hardship.

He's not a Spartan. He's not a Stoic. He's not the sort of guy that has no joy in his life. And the more misery and pain, the better it is.

Now he's future oriented. He is like Moses. Turn over to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11 and see what motivated Moses.

There'd be a sermon for the hucksters. The motivation of Moses, gold and money, no. Notice in verse 23, in Hebrews 11, by faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the king's command. By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin." Beautiful statement, isn't it?

He'd rather suffer with the people of God than to engage in the passing pleasures of sin. Notice that sin offers pleasure. People don't go out and sin because it hurts. Well, I mean, we do know it hurts, but... because they hate it, there's a certain form of pleasure attached to sin.

That's why people sin, but it's a passing pleasure. Notice, however, with the passing pleasures of sin, why does Moses do this? Why does he do verse 25? I'd rather suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

Notice in verse 26, esteeming the reproach of Christ, what? Greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. Same idea in the Apostle Paul. We go back to 2 Timothy chapter 4.

Now I'm not suggesting this is the only motivation, it's what God is going to give you. No, we do what God calls us to do because we're faithful, we're obedient, we're compliant, we do what we're supposed to do. But we're never to diminish the reality that God holds forth a crown. We're never to diminish the reality that we go to Emmanuel's land.

We're not to diminish the reality that we get to engage in glory that far exceeds this momentary light affliction that we face in this world. Verse 8, finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness. Same emphasis in Philippians chapter 3, verses 13 and 14. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

That reflects what he says in Philippians 1.21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is what? It's gain. Why is it gain?

Because it's more Christ. See, that's what we have in our future, and that's what encourages the Apostle Paul. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.

The Crown of Righteousness Defined

Let me give you two authors on what this crown of righteousness is. John Gill, he says, and this is called a crown of righteousness because it comes through the righteousness of Christ. It is that which gives a right unto it and without which it cannot be enjoyed. And then Augustine, this is one of those places where Augustine glows.

He says, how would God render the crown as a righteous judge if he had not first given grace as a merciful father? And how would there have been righteousness in us had it not been preceded by the grace which justifies us? And how would that crown have been rendered as due had not all that we have been given when it was not due? In other words, the crown of righteousness is inextricably tied to the graciousness of God.

It's not the reward for payment. It is the crown upon God's work in our lives and hearts. It's not, oh, good for you, Paul, you fought the good fight, you finished the race, you have kept the faith, now I'm going to give you your reward. No, it's all of grace, the entirety of it.

What God gives is given by God, not because we deserve it, but because God is gracious. Notice who the judge is on that day, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day. You see that in 2 Timothy 4 verse 1. Why does Paul tell Timothy that the church and ministers must preach the word?

Verse 1. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Christ is the righteous judge who will give that crown. Now the apostle is most likely contrasting what he's going to face when he meets Jesus and what he's going to face when he meets Nero.

Because Nero's not a righteous judge, Nero's not gonna give him a crown, but rather Nero is going to behead him. Nero is going to have his head taken clean off of his shoulders because he's been branded as an enemy of the state, a traitor. But notice that Paul doesn't stop there. He's not just it's all about me.

It's all me, me, me, me, me. He's thinking about the church. He's encouraging the people of God. He's writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Look at the end. Verse 22, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your plural spirit. Grace be with you. plural. In other words, he's writing to Timothy, but Timothy is a foil for the entirety of the church.

He's writing to Timothy to encourage Timothy, but he's writing to us to encourage us. So finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day. And not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. In other words, this is God's dealings with his people.

When you buy grace, fight the good fight. When you buy grace, finish the race. When you buy grace, keep the faith. You will receive this crown of life.

Again, Keep it out of your head that it's payment for services rendered. You do it all by God's grace. The gift, the sustaining, the seeing you through, all of that is glory given to God most high. But there is a crown at the end for all of God's people.

Towner says, the closing encouragement reminds all readers that while responsibilities in God's service may differ, all, including the apostle, are called to participate in the same contest, at the same level of faithful performance, with a view to receiving the same reward. And I love the way that Paul describes that at the end, excuse me, in verse eight. And not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. or longs for his appearing. Brethren, does that describe you?

Do you long for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is it one of those things you say or you echo with John the Apostle at the end of the book of Revelation? Even so, Lord Jesus, come, come quickly. Is there that yearning in our hearts?

Now, it's not It's not wrong to want to see our grandbabies grow up. It's not wrong to want to see people get married. It's not wrong to want to see, you know, further education and the building of good companies and all that sort of thing. But brethren, are we so tied and fixed to this world that we're not longing for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?

There ought to be that yearning on the part of God's people where we say with John, even so Lord, even so come Lord Jesus. This is a most earnest expectation that the people of God have. and it is a legitimate desire for us to express. In fact, Jesus taught us to pray, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. There are two ways that interpreters understand that phrase, thy kingdom come.

There is the kingdom of grace now. We pray on Saturday night. We pray at the prayer meeting on Sunday morning. God may your kingdom of grace come through the preaching of your word.

But there's that eschatological kingdom of glory Thy kingdom come. May it come in power. May it come in the manifestation of glory. May you consummate the age and may you enter us into that blessed state.

There is that yearning and that longing in the people of God. Look just over to Titus chapter 2. Titus 2 at verse 11, for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Notice, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the most part, here in the West, we've got it pretty good. Perhaps we're not yearning as we ought for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, not to minimize the temporal blessings and benefits that our God gives us. The psalmist extols God in Psalm 68 because he loads us daily with benefits.

Jesus speaks concerning that particular petition. Give us this day our daily bread. We have been begraced by God in the temporal sphere with a whole lot of good things. But let us never get to the point where that whole lot of good temporal thing makes us forget the glory that awaits us in the coming of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

Application

I want to end with two thoughts. First, the examination of believers. You need to ask yourself, as I need to ask myself, first, what do we want to be able to say in the 11th hour? What do we want to be able to say in the 11th hour?

It's funny, this is a sermon that I preached several years ago, and I just kind of tease out a few things in the notes to stir up my memory, and I just will read you what I have. I made a little bit of a change, but you know, what is better? I built a great company, or I achieved my education, or I got the high score on Candy Crush. I don't know why Candy Crush was in my head at that particular time, so this was several years ago.

Or even worse, imagine coming to your 11th hour and the report of your heart is, my hockey team finally won the Stanley Cup. Who cares? Who cares about any of that stuff? What do you want to be able to say in the 11th hour when you come to die?

Second, do you strive to live in such a way now that you will be able to say what Paul said in the 11th hour? Again, brethren, I hope you all know me enough to know I am not preaching justification by words. I am not teaching salvation by words. I am not teaching you that you need to live in such a way in hours 1 to 10 so that you get to go to heaven.

No, we're justified freely by His grace. Justification is by faith alone, but that faith is always accompanied by all other saving graces, such that there will be sanctification in the life of the believer, such that there will be fighting the good fight, running the race, keeping the faith. All those things are indicative of the change of heart that God has wrought through his blessed gospel. So do we strive to live in such a way that we will be able to say what Paul says in the 11th hour?

In other words, are we now fighting, persevering, and keeping? Or are we content with laziness? Are we content with apathy? Are we content with that soul-crushing and that soul-killing sort of inactivity that oftentimes attaches itself to the people of God?

Do you know that when Paul writes Philippians and he says, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain, he had been a Christian for about 30 years? That wasn't the honeymoon phase for Paul. You'll hear people speak like that. Oh, he's newly converted, so he has all this zeal and he always shows up at church.

That'll wear off. What a wretched mindset we've adopted if we begin to entertain for a moment that that's somehow legit. Going back to the temple and back to the tabernacle, God is worth it. 30 years in, God is worth your attendance at the prayer meeting. God is worth your attendance at both morning and evening worship.

God is worth your everything in terms of service to Him. The last several months has affected some people. Some people are more in earnest in terms of corporate worship. Some people are less earnest about corporate worship.

Some people didn't seem to affect at all. What are we going to do in terms of going forward? Are we going to half-heartedly fight? Are we going to half-heartedly run?

Are we going to half-heartedly try to keep the faith? Or is it, by God's grace, going to be the case that we persevere? And third, do we love, long for the appearing of Christ? Do we look forward to the crown of righteousness?

Just a bit of a background to this particular message. I wasn't going to preach this message. I was going to preach something else. But just to go a little bit beyond that, I wrote to the brothers in my absence.

Here's what's going to happen. Brother Mike is going to preach. Brother Ryan's going to preach. I just gave to the deacons.

And I said, you know, at the bottom, I said, if I die in a car crash on the way there or back, I'll see on the other side in Emmanuel's land. So I had planned to preach something. I asked a brother what he thought. And he said, you know, something that would encourage the saints.

And so I mentioned this text tonight. He says, is this your swan song? I said, I hope not. That wasn't my intention at all, not even a little tiny bit.

There's nothing of me here. It was simply an attempt to encourage all of us to faithful perseverance. If we want to be able in the 11th hour, then in hours one to 10, we serve Christ. And there's nothing better.

There's nothing more glorious. Nobody's the loser because he served Jesus. Nobody's the loser because he attended church. Nobody's the loser because they went to the Lord's supper.

These are all the benefits and the privileges associated with our religion. But for some believers, it's almost like the drudgery. It's the heartache. It's the pain and the suffering.

No, that's not the pain and the suffering. So let us, by grace, go forward in the fear of God and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. And

Call to the Unbeliever

in terms of the unbeliever, consider the infinite worth and glory of Jesus Christ. Why would a first century, most likely prestigious rabbi, go through what he went through to identify with Jesus? When you read Paul's sort of autobiography, his religious resume in Philippians chapter 3, he was a pretty polished fellow. He was a pretty good guy.

He was considered a Pharisee, or he was a Pharisee. He was looked at as a religious leader in Israel. So why would he give all that up? Why would he sacrifice that?

Well, he tells us in Philippians chapter 3, what things were gained became dung to me. Became what? The Greek word is skubalon. Is it dung or is it something that is thrown to dogs?

Either way, all those religious accomplishments meant nothing to him anymore. Why? For the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Someone well said, is what you're living for worth dying for?

Brethren, Christ is. If you're not a brethren, believe the gospel. Secondly, consider the certainty of the day of judgment. You've no doubt heard that maxim.

Two things are certain in this world, death and taxes. I tell you, you can evade paying taxes. If you don't mind a life in prison, if you don't mind a life in court, if you don't mind a life of Revenue Canada breathing down your neck, you can evade paying your taxes. But there are two things you cannot escape, death and judgment.

Hebrews 9.27, and as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment. So consider the infinite worth and glory of Jesus Christ, but as well, consider the certainty of the day of judgment. If there's something absent in this modern world, it is that, it is the thought of an afterlife. This isn't medieval England.

This isn't superstitious Africa. This isn't the place where people actually look beyond their own nose. We live in a materialistic age. We live in a very sort of affluent age.

We live in a day and age where we're all very self-sufficient. We don't think even to the grave, let alone beyond the grave. And yet the Bible everywhere sets that forth. We're going to stand in judgment before our Lord Jesus.

And then finally, for the unbeliever, consider the righteousness of the judge. Notice, finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge. We should understand that in one of two ways. First, the righteous judge isn't gonna wink and let us into heaven if we have not believed on him.

In other words, there's not going to be any finagling. There's not going to be wiggling out of the clear implications of having rejected the Savior. But this righteous judge, here and now, offers his righteousness in the gospel. This righteous judge here and now through the proclamation of the gospel on the written page of the word of God offers a righteousness that avails with God.

He says to you to come, to believe on him and you will receive both the forgiveness of sins and the righteousness that he'll clothe you in so that you'll be able to stand before God most high. So unbeliever, consider those things, the glory, the worth of our blessed Savior, the reality of judgment to come, and the reality that Christ gives a righteousness that will avail on that day of judgment. Well, let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this section of Holy Scripture. We thank you for our Lord Jesus and for the grace that He has brought to us and the mercy of God displayed so vividly in the Gospel. We thank you as well for this example of the Apostle Paul, a man of steadfastness, a man of perseverance, a man who is able in the eleventh hour to say what he says. because he had been faithful in the previous hours. Give us grace to ponder these things, and God, if we've become lazy, if we've become apathetic or indifferent in some way, God, help us to repent, help us to forsake these things, and help us to see that Jesus Christ is altogether lovely, that he is chief among 10,000, and that he is worthy of the best service that we can muster.

And we ask now that you would go with us, that you would watch over us, I pray for your blessing upon the church, be with Pastor Mike as he preaches here next Sunday, be with our dear brother Ryan as he preaches the following Sunday, and may you be glorified, and may you be honored, and may you be pleased to dwell in the midst of the people here. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Close with a brief time of meditation.

Scripture References

• Exodus 29
• Leviticus 23
• Numbers 15; 28
• Judges 15
• Psalm 68
• Matthew 6:10
• Acts 20:24
• 1 Corinthians 9:6; 9:24-26
• Philippians 1:19; 1:21; 1:22; 2:17; 3:13-14
• Titus 2:11
• 1 Timothy 1:12; 1:18; 6:12
• 2 Timothy 1:12; 1:13-14; 1:15; 2:1; 2:3; 4:1; 4:2; 4:3; 4:6-8; 4:9; 4:13; 4:14; 4:15; 4:16; 4:17; 4:22
• Hebrews 9:27; 11:23; 11:25; 11:26
• John 1:39