This week I lost a friend to cancer. It’s a lot to process.
But he was a strong believer and I rest in faith that he is in the presence of his Savior today, and that some day I’ll see him again.
Whenever I am confronted with mortality like this, my mind naturally goes to 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Paul wrote this at the very end of his life. He was imprisoned in Rome, awaiting execution by order of the Emperor Nero. There was no escape and his death was sure, baring a miraculous intervention by God.
At the end of this last letter to his dear friend and protege Timothy, Paul looked back on his life and penned these words. Undoubtedly, with death so near, he was evaluating whether his life had been well lived. In writing this, he was modeling for Timothy a framework of values.
This same model applies to us today.
I am already being poured out as a drink offering…
Here, Paul compares himself to the drink offering of the Old Testament Law. The drink offering accompanied many of the burn offerings. In this act of devotion, the priest poured out the the drink (about a gallon of wine) onto the sacrifice.
The thing about this offering is that it was fully expended at the altar. No part was kept back for the priests or Levites. The entirety of the drink was for God alone. The offering lasted as long as the drink was pouring. Once the vessel was empty, the offering had been completed.
This was how Paul saw his life. It was one long pouring out of himself for the glory and enjoyment of God. It was his “act of spiritual worship” (Romans 12:2).
This is the first part of the challenge. Do you see your life as a continual offering of service for God’s pleasure? Or are you a stop-and-start worshipper? Do you pour a bit, stop for a while to do your own thing, then return to pouring a little more?
Paul calls us to make our whole life one outpouring of love and service for the cause of our Savior.
I have fought the good fight…
This biblical language has crept into our modern usage. We speak of “fighting the good fight” as a way to express doing something virtuous or worthy.
To the ancient Greeks, “good” had the meaning of excellent or beautiful. To say that something was good was to imply that the object had value.
Paul was telling Timothy that he had expended his life exerting himself in the thing that mattered. The good fight.
He was not distracted by lesser fights. He did not throw away his energy on distractions. He was wholly dedicated to the worthy objective.
And what was that good thing? Paul used a word most Bibles have translated have translated fight – which has a military tone. But the Greek word simply means “contest”. It’s an event where two or more outcomes are possible, but only one is desired.
Paul had devoted himself to the the contest that mattered. His goal was the glory of God. His mission was planting churches and making disciples. He invested his life in correcting error and nurturing maturity for the cause of Christ.
At the end of his life, Paul proclaimed “I invested my life in the thing that mattered.” No regrets for Paul. He didn’t second guess himself, wondering if there was something more worthy of his time. He confidently announced that he was involved in the significant or beautiful activity.
How about you? Have you been pouring yourself into a thing that matters? When you look back on your time walking this earth, will you be able to say you were invested in the good thing?
It’s critical that you answer this question TODAY. Putting it off for a later time only puts you at risk for pouring your life into something that is not Good. Time is not renewable. You don’t get more. You can’t go back and redo it. Now is the time to evaluate what you are pouring into and affirm that it indeed is good – or change to do something else.
I have finished the race…
Paul returns to the image of the contest and says I have finished the course that was put before me. We know God had an explicit purpose for Paul (Acts 9:15-16). Paul now says that he has finished all the things that were set before him to accomplish. No thing is left undone.
By saying that he finished it, Paul is also saying that he did not give up part-way through. He didn’t grow weary and tap out. He didn’t say “this is too hard” and sit on the sidelines. He didn’t say “I don’t like how this is going, I’ll wait for better circumstances.”
Paul stayed in the course appointed for him and fought through all the obstacles and impediments that came up. Only by doing that could he, at the end of his life of service, say that he finished. He did it. Time didn’t run out on him, forcing him to finish with something incomplete.
How does this speak to you? Are you on track to finish? Are you sitting on the sideline “catching your breath”? Do you need to fight through some obstacles and challenges?
I’m not saying it’s going to be easy or pleasant. But that is the only path that leads to the statement “I have finished the race…”
I have kept the faith…
Here, Paul is saying much more than “I held on to my faith through thick and thin.”
The word “keep” can also be translated as “guard”. And it has the implication of not letting something change or keeping it in the same state.
Of his faith, Paul boldly declares: “The faith I was given when I began is the same faith I hold today. I did not alter or modify it for convenience or my own ends.”
Paul was given a pure faith, unblemished by compromise or error. He spent time with Jesus, and learned the truth. Now, decades later, at the end of his life, he is saying that he has not changed what he believed.
We like to think of things as “growing” or “evolving”. Humanly these are good attributes.
But when it comes to our faith, that which we have received from God, change is not a positive. It is a distinct negative. We cannot possibly add anything better to what God has done and given us. It is ultimately arrogant to think that we can improve upon what God provides.
Where do you stand relative to this claim? Have you kept your faith intact and complete? Have you resisted the temptation to edit your faith and make it “better”? Do you recognize that what you have been given in faith is from God and in Him there is no change or wavering?
Paul reminds us that our faith is not ours. It was given to us by a loving and all-powerful God. It’s not up to us to adapt it or change it “to make it fit better.” Our job is to hang on to it, protect it, defend it, keep it whole and complete.
Anything less than this means we cannot say “I have kept the faith.”
Henceforth there is laid up for me…
Up to this point, everything Paul had to say about his life was in the past-perfect tense. That means something that started and ended in the past. It was complete, done, finished.
With verse 8, Paul shifted into the Present tense. He started talking about the NOW.
Right now I have a treasure or a reward. Because of what was done, I have something in heaven.
Paul brings this into crystal-sharp focus. When he stands before the Judge, he expects to be rewarded for his life of faith and unwavering service that he lived. No condemnation. Just a “well done, good and faithful servant.”
Here he speaks similarly to 2 Corinthians 5:10 where he describes believers standing before the Bema seat – the seat upon which the olympic judge sat to award the laurel crown to the victor of the contest.
And he says that he is not special in this either. This same expectation is the possession of everyone who eagerly awaits the coming of Jesus again. We will all stand before our judge to receive the reward for the life that we have lived. Our sin is paid for, and no punishment is required. All that’s left is handing out the prizes.
Do you look forward to meeting your Savior as the Judge? Do you anticipate a “well done”? Or are you thinking this is the “time for you” and the “time for Him” will come later – perhaps when you’re more prepared, or trained or after you’ve had your fun?
It’s all up to you…
Paul calls us to think this through and reflect upon how we live now because today’s decisions have eternal ramifications.
For his own part, Paul boldly declared:
- I contended in the worthy and important contest.
- I did everything set before me and left nothing undone.
- I kept my faith pure – it’s the same today as when I received it.
- I’m looking forward to standing before the Judge because I know He has a crown of Glory for my service.
My friend who entered glory this week reached the end of his life. The opportunities to influence his fight ended. Even today he is in the presence of his Savior and his answers to these questions are complete. May they bring glory to God.
- Are you engaged in the the contest that matters?
- Are you on track to complete everything that you have to do? Or or are you “taking a break” right now?
- Do you recognize how precious is your faith and are you keeping it pure and untainted?
This is the greatest test that every Christian must face. It’s easy to forget about in the hurly-burly of our lives. But it is out there and it is coming inevitably toward you and me.
This is like a little alarm clock. It cuts through the distraction of our everyday life and makes us look clearly at God’s word. It’s time to do a quick evaluation. If change is needed, this is your opportunity. If you are on track, then rejoice that your life is in the service of a worthy God.
Blessings,
Dennis
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