When you come to the end of your life, will you die well? In this passage, Paul looks around, looks back, and then looks ahead. In so doing, he shares his secret of dying well with no regrets.
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The Time Of My Departure Has Come
2 Timothy 4:6-8
The last words of a dying man are treated with special attention and importance. In these verses, we have Paul’s dying words. Paul, ever since his conversion 32 years before, has lived as a warrior for Christ. Whenever there was a battle to be fought, Paul was always on the front lines, rushing into battle, with his sword held high. However, when an army is rushing into battle, and the flagbearer is shot, it is the duty of the man nearest him to pluck the flag out of his hands and raise it high as the army continues to advance into the fire and smoke. Paul has been shot, figuratively speaking. He knows his time is short. And in his dying breath, he charges Timothy to pluck the flag out of his hands, and advance into the fray. It’s as if he says, “Timothy, charge! Advance! Conquer!”
If the Lord tarries, all of us will die. The time of our departure will come. However, how many of us will die well? It has been estimated that only about 1 in 10 professing Christians will finish well. Some will give up because living the Christian life is much harder than they expected. Others will be disqualified because of sexual immorality, or heretical teachings. Others will cross the finish line, but they will crawl over the line. They have stopped running, and barely make it to the end. My friends, how will you finish? How will you die? Will you experience a triumphant death, or will you experience a wretched death? Paul models for us the way all of us should long to die. I hope that when it is our time to go and be with the Lord, we will go out in a blaze of glory.
Here, as Paul comes to the end of his life, he looks around, he looks back, and then he looks ahead. And why does Paul describe to Timothy his dying thoughts? It is to motivate Timothy to diligent and faithful service. It is to motivate him to fulfill his ministry (vs.5). Paul has just given Timothy a solemn charge in the presence of God. In order to give Timothy motivation to fulfill this charge he uses his own life as an example. It’s as though Paul were saying, “Timothy, my life has come to an end. I have served Christ with all my heart and might. I have done what He has called me to do. In the future I have a glorious eternity to look forward to. Timothy, learn from my example! Live the way I have lived, and you too, can expect the same glorious eternal future.”
1. Paul Looks Around: (Paul’s Present Situation)
I am already being poured out as a drink offering
In the Jewish worship of the Old Testament, there were certain sacrifices that were completely consumed by fire as an offering to God. When the lamb, ram, or bull was offered to God by fire, a grain offering would be offered as well, and then between 1 and 2 quarts of wine would be completely poured out upon the burning offering. When the wine hit those hot coals, it would instantly evaporate, leaving a sweet smelling savor behind. And remember, that in Scripture, wine symbolizes joy. So, what did Paul mean when he said that he was being poured out as a drink offering. He was simply saying that he joyfully gave all that he had, including his very life, to Jesus Christ. Paul held nothing back. All that had he gladly gave to Christ. It was as if he said, “Timothy, when you hear that Nero has had me executed, don’t think that he did it against my will. No, I gladly lay down my life as an act of worship to Jesus Christ.” Paul had written earlier, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Now, Paul would follow his own teaching, in dying to the glory of God. Paul had lived his whole life as a living sacrifice. Now he would offer his life as the final sacrificial act of worship to Christ.
If we had gone into that Roman execution room, we would have seen a bloody spectacle. It would probably have made us sick to watch them fasten his body to the rack, and put his head on the chopping block. Then a big brutal soldier picks up an axe high above his head, and with one fell swoop, severs Paul’s head from his body. The head drops into a basket, and his body trembles as the life seeps out of it. Blood gushes from his neck, resembling the offering of wine over the sacrifice. However, if that’s all we saw, we wouldn’t have seen very much. This was Paul’s altar, and his death was his final act of worship.
The time of my departure has come
The word “departure” is a very interesting word. It literally means “loosenings.” The word can be used of loosening the ropes and cables that anchor a ship in its harbor so that it can set sail. Paul had been on ships many times in which the cables and ropes were loosed so that the ship could venture out into the deep. Well, now he is launching out into the greatest deep of all, crossing the deep waters of death to arrive in the heavenly harbor.
This word can also refer to loosening the ropes of a tent. John 1:14 says that “the Word was made flesh and pitched his tent among us.” Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:1, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Our bodies in this world are like tents. A tent is just a temporary dwelling. It’s not something that you would want to live in permanently. I don’t know about you, but after I’ve been camping in a tent for a few days, I’m always glad to take down the tent, and move back into our house, and sleep in my own bed! Well, this body is only a temporary dwelling for our soul, and one day it will be torn down when we die. Paul sensed that very soon the tent ropes would be loosed and the tent of his body would be dissolved, and he would move out of that tent into the eternal mansion Christ had built for him.
This word can also refer to the loosening an ox from his yoke. This life for Paul was a life of toil, serving the Lord. He knew that very soon he would enter his heavenly rest. Revelation 14:13 says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on! Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” Paul would be loosed from his earthly yoke, and enter his Sabbath rest.
The word can also refer to the loosening of a prisoner from his chains and fetters in prison. Paul is writing this letter from a dungeon in Rome, probably with his legs in shackles. However, very soon, he would be unshackled from these earthly chains and replace his dungeon for a heavenly palace.
Paul was a man of faith. Instead of seeing his imminent death as a horrible evil he saw it as great gain. Instead of being tied to an earthly harbor, he was about to set sail for a heavenly harbor. Instead of dwelling in a cheap, decrepit, temporary tent, he was about to move into his permanent home. Instead of toiling on forever, he saw himself as about to be able to rest from his labors. Instead of remaining a prisoner forever, he saw himself as about to change his residence from a prison to a palace. He saw himself departing from one place to another. He didn’t see himself as ceasing to exist – just changing his residence.
This is what Paul sees when he looks around – he is offering his life up as an act of worship in death, and he is ready to depart and be with Christ.
2. Paul Looks Back (Paul’s Past Life)
As he looks back on his life, Paul can truthfully say three great things. He has fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith.
I have fought the good fight
What is this “good fight” that Paul had fought? 1 Tim. 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith.” The Christian life is a battle. Paul had fought the devil, and his flesh, and false teachers, and enemies of the gospel. Paul’s life had been one long war. Paul had fought the good fight of faith, and had won over his enemies. He never gave into the enemy, but fought tooth and nail to the very end. When the final bell sounded, Paul was left standing, and his enemies were knocked out all over the ring. He said in 1 Cor. 9:26-27, “I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
You get the sense as you read these words, that when Paul died, he had no regrets. He had done everything that God called him to do. He truly lived life to the full. And that’s what he called Timothy to do – “fulfill your ministry.” This is exactly how Jesus Christ died. He said shortly before His death, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You gave Me to do” (John 17:4). Will you be able to say the same? Are you giving your life to accomplishing the specific work God has given you to do?
I have finished the course
Paul saw his Christian life as a race, with the Lord Himself being the One who had laid out the course that he was to run. Hebrews 12:1-2 puts it this way, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Paul writes in 1 Cor. 9:24-25, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” In Acts 20:24 Paul says, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”
My friend, your Christian life is a race. It’s not a sprint – it’s a marathon. It’s not how fast you are out of the blocks that counts, but if you snap the tape after 26 miles. It was the overruling passion of Paul’s life to finish his course. Is it yours? Oh, my friends, RUN! Run to win. Run with endurance. Run with all your might. Run so that you can say at the end of your life, “I finished my course.”
I have kept the faith
Not only is the Christian life a battle, and a race, but it is also a stewardship. The word Paul uses here (keep), is the same word Jesus used in John 17 when He asked the Father to keep His disciples in His name, and to keep them from the evil one. Jesus essentially was asking His Father to protect His disciples. That’s exactly what Paul had been commissioned to do with the gospel.
God had entrusted the “faith” to Paul as a de[psot, and commanded him to keep it. Paul’s job was to guard it, and keep it pure and undefiled, and then pass it on pure to the next generation. Paul said in 1 Tim. 1:11, “the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.” “The faith” is the same thing as “the gospel.” Paul was entrusted with the treasure of the gospel. Just as a steward is responsible to keep his master’s possessions safe and sound, so Paul must keep the gospel safe and sound. And now, at the end of his life, Paul is saying that he had done just that. He had kept the faith pure and free from corruption, and he has now entrusted it to Timothy and men of his generation to do the same.
Paul had to battle false teachers on every front. In Galatia he battled the Judaizers who taught that a person had to keep the Mosaic law and be circumcised in order to be saved. In the church at Colossae Paul had to battle those who were trying to take the believers captive to philosophy, the traditions of men, and to self-abasement and the severe treatment of the body in order to achieve a higher spiritual life. Whenever a false teacher posed a threat to the health of the church, Paul rose up and refuted the errors. Now, that he has come to die, he can confidently say that he has kept the faith.
Oh, brothers and sisters, what a joy and comfort to know that when we come to die we have fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith. That is the goal of my life, and I hope it is the goal of yours.
3. Paul Looks Ahead (Paul’s Future in Heaven)
In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness
It is true that believers will be rewarded according to their faithfulness. Paul speaks of the day in which the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon the foundation of Christ remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:13-15). Jesus taught us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, by using our money for His glory and the salvation of souls now (Mt. 6:19-24). Yes, it is absolutely true that God will give rewards according to our faithfulness to His will.
However, I don’t think that is what Paul is talking about here. He speaks in this passage about a crown of righteousness, and says that it’s not just him that will receive that crown, but ever believer who has loved His appearing. Well, every true Christian loves Christ’s appearing, because they love Christ. So, this crown of righteousness is for every true child of God, not just those who labor more faithfully than others.
Also, consider what kind of a crown it is. It is a crown of “righteousness.” In James 1:12 we are told that the Lord will give a crown of life to all who love Him. In 1 Peter 5:4 we are told that faithful pastors will receive a crown of glory. Hmmm… a crown of righteousness, a crown of life, and a crown of glory. It seems to me that all those crowns are pointing to the same truth. They are pointing to what the true child of God will receive when He dies. He will enter into a perfect and permanent state and condition of righteousness, in which He will always do what is right in God’s sight. He will enter into a state of everlasting life in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. He will enter into a state of glory – the very glory of God. None of these blessings are given only to those who faithfully labor more than others. They are all given to each person saved by the blood of Jesus. So, I believe what Paul is telling Timothy is simply what his future holds after he dies. It will be a life of perfect righteousness, and it will be granted not just to him, but all of God’s people.
Life Application
Brothers and sisters, all of us are hastening toward the day of our death, and after death the judgment. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Paul lived his entire life in light of that coming day. Notice in vs. 8 how he says that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day. That is actually the third time Paul has used that phrase in this letter. In 2 Tim. 1:12 he said, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” In 2 Tim. 1:18 he writes of Onesiphorus and says, “the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day – and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.” In all of these places, Paul is focused on the final Day of Judgment. Friends, we are all headed toward death and Judgment Day. The only question we need to ask is, “are we living in light of that day?”
When you come to die will you be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith”? Only people who live like that can say what Paul says in verse 8. Only those who fight, run, and guard the faith, have a right to believe that Jesus Christ will award them a crown of righteousness.
In our final moments together I want to exhort you.
Fight the good fight of faith! Your enemies are everywhere, and they would like to destroy you. Satan prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Your fleshly lusts wage war against your soul. The enemies of Christ would love nothing more than for you to give up your bold witness for Jesus Christ. Fight Satan! Fight your flesh! Fight the ungodly value systems in this world! What are the fleshly lusts in your life? Is it the lust for pornography, gluttony, drugs? Or maybe it is the lust for approval, or acceptance that causes you to be a man-pleaser. Maybe it is an excessive lust for recreation and diversion from serving the Lord. Identify the fleshly lusts you need to fight right now. Determine, by the grace of God, that you will wage war against those lusts. Jesus taught that if our right eye or right hand causes us to sin, we should pluck it out, or cut it off! That’s how serious we need to take our fight against sin. Remember, that this is a fight of faith. We will receive power to overcome sin to the extent that we believe God and His word. Fight to hold onto a strong faith in God and His promises. Remember, that Christian was able to escape Giant Despair in Doubting Castle only when he remembered the Key of Promise. As we trust in God’s promises, we have greater and greater victory of our spiritual enemies.
Finish the course! God has laid out a course for each one of us. My course is not your course, and your course is not anybody else’s course. Jesus finished the work which God gave Him to do, not the work God gave somebody else to do. Each of us has a race course that is laid out just for us. Run it! Finish it! Don’t ever stop running, and sit down on the sidelines, and say, “If this is how hard it’s going to be to finish this course, then I quit!” Brothers and sisters, it is only those who endure to the end that will be saved. We are saved by the gospel, if we hold fast the word which was preached to us. Otherwise we have believed in vain. Jesus taught it is only those who do the will of the Father in heaven who will enter the kingdom of heaven. Identify in your mind right now what course God has laid out for you. What is His will for you? Now, whatever that is, do it with all your might!
Keep the faith! Friends, hold on to your faith in Jesus Christ, in His perfect righteous life, His shed blood, His victorious resurrection, His second coming, His final judgment. Don’t allow your faith to be shipwrecked. And don’t allow the gospel to be corrupted or polluted. Strive to make sure that the gospel of Jesus Christ is transmitted to the next generation pure and true. Teach your children the truth of the gospel. Wherever you hear people corrupting the gospel with lies that contradict God’s word, gently bring correction. Keep the faith, unto the very end.
What is our motivation in all of this? Jesus Christ is going to appear! Do you love His appearing? Do you long to see Him face to face? Do you desire that He would grant you the crown of righteousness? Then Fight the good fight, Finish the Course, Keep the Faith!
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