Rev. David Holwick ZE 2 Timothy series
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
September 19, 2010
2 Timothy 4:6-8
WILL YOU FINISH WELL?
I. Finishing can be hard.
A. My experience running a 6 mile (10 kilometer) race in Germany.
1) I ran only 3.5 miles. (the farthest I have ever gone)
a) Children and old people breezed by me.
b) I finished the race, but was almost crawling at the end.
2) I am in good company.
Historians tell us that in the year 490 BC, a Greek messenger
by the name of Pheidippides was dispatched by a Greek general
to inform the citizenry of Athens that the Persians had
been defeated at the Battle of Marathon.
Pheidippides supposedly ran a route that took him south along
the coast and up and across a series of coastal foothills
before descending into Athens, a distance of about 26 miles.
According to legend, as he arrived in Athens, Pheidippides
announced, "Rejoice. We conquer!"
Then he fell down dead!
In honor of Pheidippides the ancient Greeks held several
long-distance races.
But it was the modern Olympic games which resumed in Greece
in 1896 which initiated the modern marathon of 26.2 miles.
In 2005, there were 382,000 finishes in American marathons.
Still, many runners can relate to the sentiment of the great
American marathoner and Olympic medalist Frank Shorter.
While running in the marathon trials for the 1971 Pan American
Games, Shorter had only 5 miles to go but he was really
struggling.
He had "hit the wall" and was fading fast.
As he was being passed by U.S. Olympian Kenny Moore, Shorter
groaned one of the more famous quotes in running lore when
he muttered at mile 21,
"Why couldn't Pheidippides have died here?"
#34636
B. Finishing is hard, but finishing well is harder.
1) Bible heroes aren't that common.
Howard Hendricks teaches at the Dallas Theological Seminary.
He did an exhaustive study of the men and women of the
Bible and concluded that there are approximately 100
detailed biographies in the Bible.
He notes that approximately two-thirds of those men and
women ended poorly.
Either they turned to immorality or they drifted away from
the faith or they ended their life in a backslidden
condition.
The Apostle Paul was not among them.
He finished well.
What kind of finish do you think you will have?
#62877
II. Paul had a pretty good idea of his present situation.
A. He knew his end was near.
1) Paul had felt this way in the past (Acts 20:25) but now
it seems more immediate.
2) As others have mentioned, knowing you are about to die
has a wonderful ability to concentrate your mind.
B. He says he has been poured out like a drink offering. 4:6
1) This reflects the Old Testament.
a) The Day of Atonement ended with a drink offering.
b) A priest took a jug of wine and poured it out on the
altar.
c) In his own service to God, Paul feels like he has
given it everything he had. There is no more left.
2) Did Paul realize he was about to be beheaded?
a) Ray Stedman: beheading would be a nice way to die.
Quick, relatively painless, and you get an audience.[1]
b) Paul seems to have no regrets about it, and no fear.
C. The time has come for his departure.
1) The word Paul uses has several backgrounds:
a) It can mean pulling up your tent stakes.
b) It can also mean unmooring a boat.
2) Both are appropriate ways of portraying death.
D. What is your present situation?
1) Most of us probably don't think death is around the corner.
a) (Though some of you do.)
b) Nevertheless, all of us are mortal.
2) If there are things you want to accomplish, start now.
a) The movie "The Bucket List" focuses on the places you
want to go and experiences you want to have before
your life is over.
b) Getting closer to God was not on their list, but should
have been.
c) Is it on your list?
III. Paul takes time to reflect on his past life.
A. This is among the most famous passages in 2 Timothy.
1) As he often does, Paul uses images from the world of sports.
2) If he had lived in New Jersey, he would have had season
passes for the Giants.
B. He has fought the good fight.
1) Rather than a fight, may allude to a contest (race).
2) "Good" means a noble contest - serving the gospel.
a) He is not boasting about how good he was, but about
the importance of the contest of faith and life.
b) He has led a disciplined life.
C. He has finished the race.
1) Importance of finish lines.
2) Paul knew that his life always had a goal.
3) In Philippians 3:13 he wrote:
"One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to
win the prize for which God has called me heavenward
in Christ Jesus."
D. He has kept the faith.
1) Paul had a reason for living - he served for the glory of God.
2) What did Paul intend by it?
a) Some think he is saying that he never gave up on God.
b) It is probably better to say he was always true to the
gospel that had been entrusted to him.
1> He has believed it, preached it, and defended it.
2> Soon he will die for it.
E. What do you want to be remembered for?
1) Are your efforts being expended on things that are
worthwhile, even eternal?
2) To reach a goal, you must first set it.
IV. Paul had confidence in his future.
A. Most honors are ephemeral.
1) Winners of Greek competitions got laurel wreaths.
a) An awesome honor, but it didn't last long.
b) (like our altar flowers, which wilt in a few days.)
2) Recent award of Medal of Honor to a living recipient.
a) He received it from action in Afghanistan.
b) The medal will last his whole life.
3) Paul's crown of righteousness is eternal.
a) Elsewhere in the New Testament, Paul makes clear that
righteousness - being declared in a right
relationship with God - is something we have now.
1> We receive it the moment we believe.
2> Note that Paul says here it is "in store" for him.
b) Paul is looking to the ultimate fulfillment of that
relationship.
1> It will never fade, rust or evaporate.
2> Nobody will be able to take it away from him.
B. His judge will be righteous.
1) This means God, of course.
2) He might be thinking of the UNrighteous judge he will soon
face, Nero.
C. The crown will be shared with others.
1) Do you live in expectation of his coming?
2) Show it by the way you live now.
V. How well will you finish?
A. A long life is not enough.
It's easy to live a long life, at least in America.
Look at the statistics: Out of every 100,000 persons,
88,361 reach 50 years of age,
more than 70,000 make it to 70,
and almost 17,000 get to 85 or more.
Staying around a long time, however, should not be our primary
goal.
Instead, we should be concerned with giving significance and
value to all our years.
You don't want to let them end in shame and disgrace.
How we finish the race depends to a great extent on the pace
we set along the way.
Joseph Wittig remarked that when we write people's biographies
we should start with their death, not their birth.
After all, you have nothing to do with the way your life began,
but you have a lot to do with the way it ends.
#18204
B. Many people have unfinished business.
1) Perhaps you need to settle something with your family.
2) Maybe there are spiritual changes you need to make.
C. You can have confidence about your future.
1) Paul faced death with no regrets. Could you?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] Kerux sermon #5384 by Rev. Ray Stedman, “The Passing of the Torch.”
#18204 “Finishing the Race,” Our Daily Bread, Nick Lica Collection.
#34636 “Why Couldn’t Pheidippides Have Died Here?” by Rev. Gary Bruland,
Kerux sermon #27608.
#62877 “Finishing Well,” by Dr. Ray Pritchard, Calvary Memorial Church;
Oak Park, Illinois, Kerux Sermon #27625, August 24, 2003.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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