Upload
fay-pitts
View
218
Download
2
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
What would you like on your tombstone? Tombstones can tell a lot about a
person. Let’s look at a few:
Thomas Jefferson Daniel Webster Winston Churchill
What would you like on your tombstone? What about MY tombstone? What about YOUR tombstone?
“Faithful until death.” “My family came first.”
What about Paul? I think for the apostle Paul, it would
simply say: “I was poured out as a drink offering
before God.” Let’s read 2nd Timothy 4:6-8
2nd Timothy 4:6-8 6 For I am already being poured out as a
drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8 in the future 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.
2nd Timothy 4:6-8 Paul is not bragging… He is encouraging…encouraging
Timothy! The baton of faith is being handed from
one generation to another.
Paul’s Feelings How does Paul feel about what is
happening? He is buoyed by the knowledge of the life
he has lived… By the future he is anticipating…
So he says: I am already being poured out as a drink
offering…
What is a drink offering? Exodus 29:40
This passage talk about the types of sacrifices that would be offered…
Meat offering & Drink Offering Meat offering:
an animal; residual benefit for the one offering it; allowed to take some meat to eat for himself
Drink offering: No retrieving it from the ground; no physical benefit
for the one offering it; it was a demonstration of giving something completely to God.
What about us? Our Divine Challenge
Take our selfish ambition, personal pride, meaningful energy…and just offer it to God!
Give ourselves COMPLETELY to God!
I am being poured out… Present tense…He is dying in God’s
service. Paul understands this…
No regret No bitterness No fear He is calm and confident
I am being poured out… Living illustration of what the Psalm
says: “Yea though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for YOU are with me.”
He was living what he wrote in 2nd Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but
though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
I have fought the good fight… Paul fought many battles
With himself With his countrymen With saints
He encourages Timothy to do the same… He told Timothy to “wage the GOOD
warfare.” He wants Timothy to fight for the faith!
I have fought the good fight… 1st Timothy 6:12
“Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
I have fought the good fight… Some battles only you can fight… Temptations
1st Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers
to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
Things that challenge us in the flesh It’s warfare It’s doing battle for the soul
I have fought the good fight… Our families
We have to fight for our families! It’s a fight about what is right! It’s a fight for their souls! If you don’t fight for them, then who will?
I have finished the race… Paul loves to use sports as illustrations. The Christian life is like a race.
Athletes train hard They tax themselves physically They endure pain They sacrifice They are disciplined They follow the rules of the competition Why?
They believe the reward is worth it!
I have finished the race… To begin something requires the trait of
Resolution. To finish something requires the traits of
Persistency & Perserverance. We admire people who endure through hard times
and remain faithful. 1st Corinthians 15:58
“Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
That’s what Jesus did!
I have kept the faith. This can have several meanings:
I have obeyed the rules 2 Timothy 2:5
I have guarded the gospel Faith is what kept Paul going. These points are not just for Timothy…They
are for us too! It IS really worth the effort…The fight IS
worth waging, the race IS worth running, and the faith IS worth keeping!
Why do people quit? 2 reasons
They can’t complete the task because it is too much for them…it is beyond them
It just is not worth it…it’s not worth the effort it is going to take to finish
Paul says neither apply here! You can do this!
Why is it worth the effort? 2 great reasons why:
1st the reward is there! 2nd you can make a difference
In Conclusion… Sometimes we forget to celebrate now…
We talk about how miserable we are How miserable this world is…how bad it is. Sometimes it is…sometimes life is just tough! But, what did Jesus say… Look at Abraham…
Had a good life at times, but he had hard times too! Ecclesiastes 7:14 Genesis 25:8 He died an old man and his years were full…despite
his difficulties, his years were full.