to 2 Timothy chapter four. 2 Timothy four, we're gonna look
at verses six to eight for this Bible study. Let's begin reading
in verse one. I charge thee, therefore, before
God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and
the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word,
be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine, For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall
they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And they
shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned
unto fables. But watch thou in all things,
endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof
of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth,
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Verse six, Paul said, I am now
ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I
have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up
for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing." You notice how
many times he says, I, my, me. Now if we were in false religion,
that would be our focus this morning. Okay, if we were reading
these verses and we were in false religion, that would be our focus. I, my, and me. Okay, I fought a good fight,
I finished my course, I kept the faith. That is not where the emphasis
goes in this. That's not Paul's focus in what
he's saying here. That is not any believer's focus. I want us to see that from the
word. I, my, and me is not the cause of anything. It's only
the result of he, him, and his. And that's what I want us to
say. I want us to really see that from the word this morning.
So verse six, he begins by saying, I am now ready to be offered
and the time of my departure is at hand. He said, my time
has come to leave this world and I'm ready for it. My time
has come to leave this world and I'm ready for it. Man, I've
been thinking about that. This was Paul's last letter that
he ever wrote in his life on this earth, 2 Timothy. That was
his last letter and this is the end of the letter. This is the
last chapter of the letter. These are his final words. These
are Paul's final words. And he said, it's time for me
to depart and I'm ready for this. Paul had been ready for this
moment for quite a while. They say that he wrote this somewhere
between 62 and 64 AD, the year, you know, the mid-60s. Well, 20 years before that, the
mid-40s, he was called up to the third heaven. And he heard
things that were so glorious, he said, it's not even possible
for me to talk about it. I can't even, I can't even talk
about what I saw, what I heard. And then he had to come back
down here to this earth and he had to carry around a thorn in
his flesh for at least 20 more years. And he told the Philippians,
he said, this whole time I've been in a straight between the
two. He said, I want to be here to
be with you because it's more needful. And I understand that
most people. I mean, most people don't want
to leave this world. Does anybody, does anybody want to leave this
world today? You had to pick, check yes or
no. You want to die today? Most people are not ready for
this. Paul said, it's more needful
for me to be here. I have a desire to be here. But
he said, I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ because
it's far better. He said, this is needful, but that's far better. And he said, I'm ready for it.
He said, when the appointed time comes, I'm ready for it. And he does not just mean in
saying that I'm excited about it. I'm ready to go. I mean,
we have, we believers, we true believers have moments where
we get excited about it, but he's not just saying I'm
excited and I'm ready to go. What he's saying is based on
the next two verses that we're about to look at. What he's saying
is, I'm right with God. I'm right before God. What needs to be dealt with concerning
me has been dealt with. What needs to be accomplished
concerning me has been accomplished. What needs to be put in order
has been put in order. I'm ready. Now, if a child of God can say
that, It's only because of this reason. The only reason Paul
could say that, the only reason any child of God can say that
is because of this reason right here. The same man, all right?
Turn back a page or one page to 2 Timothy 1, 2 Timothy 1.
Verse 12. For the which cause I also suffer
these things, nevertheless I'm not ashamed for, right here,
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. What
have you committed unto him? Me. I've committed me unto him, everything
concerning me. He said, I know who I believe. I know what he's able to do.
I know who he's able to do it for. I know who he's able to
keep. Look at 1 Timothy 1, back one book to 1 Timothy 1. Paul,
the same man. Verse Timothy 1, verse 15. He
said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom
I am chief. Paul, why would you say you're
ready to go stand before God? Here's why. It's because Christ
came into the world to save sinners and I'm the chief. That's why
I would say that. Turn over to Romans 8. Would you like an epiphany for
life? Romans 8, 28, it says, and we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. Every time I
really, really read that, I have an epiphany. Every single time. You know, the world seems so
bad to us, doesn't it? Everything is so bad. Nothing's
working out, nothing. Every single, for God's people,
to them who are the called, according to his purpose, everything is
good. Everything is good. Doesn't matter
what it is. Verse 29. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called,
them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
The same man is writing this, Paul. He, he, he, he, he. Verse 31, what shall we then
say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written,
for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We're accounted
as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we're
more than conquerors through him that loved us, for I am persuaded. that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul said, that's why I can say
that. That's the reason why I can say
that. It's because of who God is and what God has done for
sinners like me. It's because of he, him, and
his. Paul did not claim his own works. He claimed God's works in him. He told the Ephesians, we are
his workmanship. He told the Philippians, it is
God which worketh in us. He told the Corinthians, let
no flesh glory except for in the Lord, only in the Lord. All
right, now go back with me to 2 Timothy 4. Verse six, he said, for I am
now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand. I have fought a good fight. How? What does he mean? What did he do to fight a good
fight? Well, look back at 1 Timothy chapter six, verse 12. 1st Timothy 6 verse 12. It says, fight the good fight
of faith. You know what faith is? Faith
is looking to Christ. That's what it is. Trusting Christ. Waiting on Christ. Hoping in
Christ. Believing that he is. And he will do everything that
needs to be done. He will do everything that needs
to be done. Don't you love faith? Don't you
thank God for faith that causes us to rest and trust? He'll take care of it. He'll
take care of it. Just listen to these, okay? This
is 1 Samuel 17, verse 47. This is what it says. The battle
is the Lord's. Another place says the battle
is not yours, but God's. Exodus 14 verse 14 says, the
Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace. Just
hold. What should I do? Hold your peace.
Just hold your peace. You want to fight the good fight.
Hold your peace. Look to him. But this is what first Corinthians
15 57 says. And this is really what I want
us to get out of this. Okay. It says, thanks be to God
who has given the victory to us. He's given the victory. He's the one who got the victory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
the victory over every battle that had to be fought because
of our sin. The battle of this flesh. We
have a battle going on with this flesh. The battle of sin, the
battle of death, the battle of hell. That victory was won on
the cross of Calvary. He got the victory. but he gave
his victory to his people. And that's what his people will
look to for the rest of their lives. His victory that was given
and applied to them. You know, the scripture says,
Abraham believed God and it was counted to him. That's wonderful,
isn't it? Verse seven says, Now go back to, sorry, go back
to 2 Timothy 4, verse 7 says, I have fought a good fight of
faith. Why? Because you conjured it
up on your own and no, that was not of myself, God gave that
to me. God brought that in me. Verse
seven, he said, I have finished my course. You know, Hebrews
12 says that that course is of faith. It says, let us run the
race set before us, looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ, the author
and finisher of our faith. How do we know we're going to
make it all the way to the end? I finished my course. All right, if any
of us finishes our course, I know that you older people, and I'll
let you all decide who is older. But y'all are smirking at us
younger people thinking we get to go before you do. Maybe not. Maybe not. If we leave this world, whenever
that moment comes, look into Christ. not departing from the
faith, not drawing back from the faith. How are we going to
make it? How are we going to make it all
the way to the end? Here's how. Philippians 1 verse
6 says, He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it all
the way to the end. He'll perform it in you. Verse
7, he said, I fought a good fight because Christ fought it for
me and gave the victory to me. He said, I finished my course
because Christ finished it for me and carried me all the way
to the end. That's the only way. That's the
only way. Verse 7, he said, I have kept
the faith. Why? How? Christ kept it for
me. In John 17, the Lord prayed,
Father, I have kept them and none of them is lost." We don't
keep ourselves. 1 Peter 1 says, we are kept by
the power of God. If anything concerning us is
kept, it's only going to be by the power of God. 1 Corinthians
1 says, God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship
of his son. He's faithful to keep us in the
fellowship of his son. Verse 8 says, henceforth there
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. Whose righteousness,
Paul? Is it your righteousness? No. Isaiah 64 says, all of our righteousnesses
are filthy rags. They're all filthy rags. 1 Corinthians
1 says, Christ is made unto us righteousness. He is our righteousness. And the word I want to emphasize
there is our. You know, if I give you a gift,
if I really do give you a gift, is it yours or mine? If I really actually do give
you a gift. Is it yours or mine? If I give
you a gift, do I have the right to come back to your house tomorrow
and take it back? Well, I gave it to you, it's
yours. If I really do give it to you,
it's yours. He is our righteousness. He is made unto us righteousness. Turn over to Romans 10 with me. Verse 1, Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear
them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge. He said they're all talking about
God. You know, they all say they love God. They all say they want
to go to heaven to live eternally with God, and they're all promoting
God. They want to do their best for
God. He said, they have a zeal of God, but it's not according
to knowledge for they being ignorant of God's righteousness. When we talk about righteousness,
we're not talking about ours. We're talking about his, they
being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish
their own righteousness. They have not submitted themselves. You know, submission, when we
talk about husbands and wives and those kinds of things and
talking about the word submit, submission is not bondage. It's
not a man saying to his wife, now you better submit to me.
Submission is an inner willingness to put another first. The greatest
example I've ever known of submission is when you are coming up to
a door with someone else and you take it upon yourself. Nobody
made you to open that door and stand there and say after you.
That is submission. And that's what all of God's
people do to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Not unto me,
it's you. I'm not trying to walk through
at the same time with you. I'm not trying to hold the door
open with you, it's unto you. It's I submit to your righteousness. They being ignorant of God's
righteousness, going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believes, to everyone that believeth. Christ is our crown. Christ is our righteousness. Jeremiah 23 says, His name is
called the Lord our righteousness. Christ is our righteousness.
He's our. Christ is our victory, Christ
is our endurance, Christ is our finish line, Christ is our keeper,
Christ is our faith, Christ is our crown. Where do you put your
crown? I'm gonna put it on my head. Who's your head? Christ is my head. Christ is our righteousness.
Turn back to 2 Timothy 4. Almost done. 2 Timothy. Four, one line here clarifies
that, clarifies what Paul is saying. Verse eight, he said,
henceforth, there is laid up for me. He didn't say, henceforth, I
have earned it. He said, this is reserved. This
has been reserved. Christ is my victory. Christ
is my accomplishment. Christ is my faithfulness. Christ
is my righteousness. Christ is my crown of glory because
he has given all of that to me, laid up for me. He has given all that he is to
me. It's all reserved for me. It's in my name. credited to my account. Every child of God can say that.
Verse 8, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness
which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day
and not to me only but unto all them also that love is appearing. Peter said the exact same thing
that Paul is saying. Turn over to 1 Peter 1. We're
going to close with this. 1 Peter 1. Verse 1 says, Peter, an apostle
of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. elect according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification
of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept. by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time wherein you
greatly rejoice though now for a season if need be you're in
heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." At the appearing. of Jesus Christ whom having not
seen you love. Paul said this reserved inheritance,
he said this in our text, he said it's to all those who love
his appearing. Verse 8, whom having not seen
you love, in whom though now you see him not yet believing,
you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. That's
what Christ accomplished for his people. That's what he reserved
in heaven for his people and credited to the account of his
people. That made me think of the story,
you know, that story of Roland Hill. He said that he dreamed
one night that he died and went to heaven. And when he got there, he heard
music. And he went to where the music
was coming from, and all of a sudden he said, it was this great choir
in front of me singing the most beautiful song I've ever heard
in my life. And he said, I was thinking to myself, oh, I would
love to sing with that choir. And he said, I looked up all
the way at the top of the choir. He said, there was one empty
seat. So I made my way up all the way to the top of the choir.
And he said, when I got there, there was a plaque on that seat.
It said, reserved for Roland Hill. I don't think everything about
that dream is accurate, but that part is. reserved in heaven for
you. Well done, you. You fought a
good fight. You finished your course. When
did we do all these things? You did them in him, by him,
from him. All of us are going to cry amen.
Amen. That's the hope we have laid
up for us in him. Amen.