Turn with me, if you will, back
to 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy 4. Our text shall be
verse 6, as you may have guessed already. I was very much blessed
and comforted while I prepared this message. The Lord made it
a comfort to my own soul, and I pray that he will do the same
for you this morning. Let's read the text again, verse
6 of 2 Timothy 4. Paul says, for I am now ready
to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. My departure is at hand. That's the title of my message. That's the thought. That's the
subject. And we'll consider what Paul meant by that, and then
consider how we have to bring it closer to our own self. Billy, your departure's near
at hand, and my departure's near at hand. There's no one here,
Pete, is there, whose departure is not near at hand? Paul's long
day's work was nearly done. His long day's work was drawing
to a close. He's a prisoner at Rome. He's
been, as we read earlier, he's been forsaken by just about all
of his friends, and the expectation of another summons before Nero
makes the apostle pretty certain It'll be the last. After that,
because he was a Roman citizen, he couldn't be crucified. That
was against the law. But he was most likely beheaded. However it was, Paul says, my
departure is at hand. What a road this man had traveled. And we go through the book of
Acts. It's almost hard to keep up Even I did it one time, just
considering the places Paul went to preach. I mean, oh, I can't
remember how many there were. And remember, he didn't have
a car or get on a plane, rode horse or ship or walked, but
all what a road he had traveled since that day, since that unforgettable,
eventful, One of a kind day when he saw Jesus Christ there on
the Damascus road in Acts chapter 9. He saw the living Christ was
his testimony and heard the words of his mouth. And Saul would
never be the same after that. He would never be the same after
that. Listen to what he wrote in 1
Corinthians 15. These are familiar verses to
you. Paul said, And last of all, he,
that is Christ, was seen of me also as one of them born out
of due time. For I am the least of the apostles
that am not meet fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God. But But by the grace of God,
I am what I am, and His grace which was bestowed upon me was
not in vain. And because of that grace, the
grace of God, I'm safe in saying again that what Paul experienced
on the Damascus Road, he never got over it. He was never the
same after that. Now, I realize And I'm just going
to make mention of this because it's not pleasant. It's true,
but it's not pleasant. That the word grace has just
about been worn threadbare in our religious study. Isn't that
so? I mean, it's just about been
worn threadbare and demeaned next to nothing. I'm talking
about in the religious world, not God's true grace, but the
grace we hear about. the grace that most preachers
talk about, the grace that most of their listeners believe. It's
not the true grace of God. It's a fallacy. It's an imposter. Larry, that's a pretty strong
accusation. Can you back that up? I better
be able to back it up. In this so-called grace, there
is nothing in it wondrous about a grace that after all needs
the assistance of the sinner to make it work. Now is that
not the grace most commonly taught? That's not the grace that Paul
was speaking of. He said the grace of God toward
him and in him was not in vain. It accomplished just exactly
what God intended it to. We hear that grace has done all
it can, but it's powerless to do what needs really to be done
after all. The giving of life, spiritual
life. To raise dead sinners to life. If Lazarus takes the first step
before grace comes to him, then he doesn't need grace whatsoever.
And if a sinner dead in sins, Billy, that's where we are. That's
how we were born. Dead in sins. And we proved it
by the life we led. It might not have been a life
of debauchery, but it was a life without Christ, without grace,
without hope, and that was okay with us. Living in darkness and
loving the darkness. Lazarus has to take the first
step, then he's in trouble. But if he can, if any sinner,
you, I, any sinner, the world over, from the beginning of time,
that's ever taken the first step to God, without God first coming
to them, then they don't need God, they don't need grace. If
they can take the first step out of their spiritual death
and darkness and grave, They don't need grace, but that's
the type of grace we hear spoken of. You take the first step. I heard that. I like to have
a dollar every time I heard that from some well-meaning soul winner.
Larry, you take the first step and God will take the rest. Larry,
God's done all he can and now it's up to you. Larry, if you'll
sign your name right here on the dotted line, the decision
card that you accepted Jesus, you'll be on your way to heaven,
and don't you ever doubt it. And I could have cared less.
I could have signed their decision cards until I had writer's cramp,
and it wouldn't have made a lick of difference, not one lick of
difference, except give me a false hope. Oh no, the grace of God
that Paul speaks of is far from that. No, no, and if that were
true, that grace needs my help to make it work, then we, instead
of singing, oh, to grace, how great a debtor daily I'm constrained
to be, we ought to be singing, oh, to myself, how great a debtor
is grace constrained to me. Not unto God be the glory, but
unto the sinner be the glory, if he contributed in any way
to his own salvation. That's not the grace Paul speaks
of. That's not the grace he experienced
on the Damascus Road and every day up to this time when he was
ready to give way from grace to glory. Listen to what he says
in Galatians 1. Here is another place. Paul's
not bashful in describing and telling the story of how God
saved him. how different it is from so many
testimonies today. He said, you've heard of my conversation,
he wrote to the church at Galatia. You've heard of my conversation,
how I lived in times past in the Jews' religion, how that
beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and I wasted it,
that's what I wanted to do, waste it, and profited in the Jews'
religion above many mine equals in mine own nation. being more
exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. I will go to my
grave fighting tooth and nail to uphold and maintain the tradition
of my fathers." A proud, proud Pharisee. But. Oh, I love those. But what happened,
Saul? What changed your tune? But when
it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and
called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me. That's what the
true grace of God does. God's grace does the impossible. God's grace does the impossible. It comes to the sinner dead in
sins and doesn't try to raise him to life. doesn't ask their
permission to be raised up. Oh, no. Hear Him who said of
Himself, I am the resurrection and the life. That's Jesus Christ
speaking. That's the Word made flesh talking. That's not some dried up theological
words in a book, most of them that we can't even understand.
No, that's the Son of God, and listen to what He says. For the
Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that he himself
doeth. And he will show him greater
works than these, that ye may marvel." That ye may marvel. Salvation is a marvel. Oh, this
is the Lord's doing, the psalmist said, and it's what to you, David?
It's just marvelous in our eyes. It's a wonder. It's a miracle. Verily Christ said, verily, verily
I say unto you that the hour is coming and now is when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that
hear shall go on their way. They that hear will just turn
around and walk out and say big deal. They that hear will just
go on and live like they've always have. Oh no, no, no, bless his
name, no. They shall hear the voice of
the Son of God and they that hear shall live. Period. Nothing mysterious, nothing hard
to understand about that. That's pretty plain. Christ takes
the initiative. Christ went to where Lazarus
was. Lazarus couldn't come to him
and neither could you, neither could I. His grace made us willing. People hear you speak about sovereign
grace, God having mercy on whom he will, and they hate that,
you know. They say that's not fair, but then they say, well,
if what you believe is true, then God saves people against
their will. Well, that's just ignorant. I've
never said that. God doesn't save people against
their will, but he makes them willing in the day of his power
by the drawing of the Holy Father. Okay, first of all, first of
all. Now, y'all stick with me. I think this will be a blessing
to you. First, this departure. that Paul
speaks of, just exactly what does he mean by that? The time
of my departure is at hand. When he uses the word departure,
it's exodus. It means exodus, or his decease. It also has this meaning. It's like a ship loosing anchor
and selling out the sea. That's the analogy here. Isn't
that a good one? That time had now come that God
had determined. Paul didn't say my time, he said
the time. God's appointed time. The time
had now come that God himself had determined for Paul to end
his pilgrimage. It's over, Paul. It's over. to
end his pilgrimage here below and move to a house not made
with hands eternal in the heavens. Paul, come up hither." Wow. Wow. Remember in Luke's Gospel,
Chapter 2, the same word is used that Paul uses and it has the
same meaning. Old Simeon, old, that is an old
man. God told him, Simeon, I'm not
going to allow you to die. That time's not going to come
until I show you God's salvation. Old Simeon went into the temple.
Here comes Joseph and that baby in the arms of its mother. And
God, the Holy Spirit, whispers into Simeon's ear and says, that's
him. Now, we have no idea. any reason
to expect Simeon thought that he would see God's salvation
in the arm as a babe. Oh, but God said, that's him,
that's him. Remember what Simeon said? He took him up in his arms, that
is Christ, and he blessed God and said, Lord, now let thou
thy servant depart in peace. Same word. Let me exit this world
in peace according to thy word, for my eyes have seen thy salvation."
Another meaning of this word, depart, other than exodus, it's
the word like it's used for the relieving of a soldier on guard,
a sentry from his post. It conveys the idea of the hour
having come when the slave who has been working in the field,
puts down his hoe and says, it's time to go home and rest. That's what it means. Isn't that
sweet? It's time to extinguish his lantern
and go home and lie down. This is what Simeon is saying.
Lord, send me on my way. Let this be my exodus. Many times
I've found this. I don't know who wrote it. Doesn't
matter, but I liked it. Words from a hymn. Many times
in my childhood when we traveled so far, by nightfall how weary
I'd groan. Father's arms would slip round
me and gently he'd say, my child, we're going home. Now the twilight is fading and
the day soon shall end. I get homesick, the farther I
roam. But my father has led me each
step of the way, and now we're going home." Going home? Yes, I'm going home. There's
nothing to hold me here. Yes, I've caught a glimpse of
that heavenly land, and now I'm going home. That's what Paul
said. That's what Simeon said. And
Jesus Christ himself spoke in the very same way. This is from
Luke chapter 9. This is when he took with himself
Peter and James and John and went up to the mount and was
transfigured before them. And it says, as he prayed, the
fashion of his countenance was altered and his raiment was white
and glistering. And behold, this was a sight,
and behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses
and Elias, Elijah. who appeared in glory and spake
of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." His
decease is the word Exodus, as it was with Paul, as it was with
Simeon. From the second book of Moses,
so called because of the children of Israel, the departure, Exodus
out of the bondage of Egypt. Elijah and Moses. Moses the lawgiver, Elijah representing
the prophets, but they spoke of his decease which he should
accomplish at Jerusalem. What else would they talk about?
Huh? What else would they talk about?
There's not a word mentioned. I mean, Moses had some experiences,
didn't he? Oh, my soul. I mean, look. the
parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the law. I mean, God raising
him up, going to the favor of all those plagues. Not one word
is mentioned about Moses other than the fact he was on the scene.
Elijah, that man went to heaven in a chariot of fire. I mean,
he's walking along with Elisha and all of a sudden God just
takes him to glory. That's not mentioned. They talked
about the decease, the exodus of the Lord Jesus Christ that
he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Remember what our Lord said after
he rose from the dead? He told his disciples, and he
did this. Beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself. Don wrote a book, Christ in All
the Scriptures, one volume. And it takes a chapter for each
book of the Bible. Christ in all the scriptures.
In Luke 18, just prior to this encounter, this visit with Moses
and Elijah, we read in Luke 18, He took unto him the twelve and
said unto them, Behold, behold, look up, pay attention. This
is important. He said, Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem and all things All things that are written by the
prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto
the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and
spitted on. And they shall scourge him, and
put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again. Concerning all those things he
told them, all things shall be accomplished. Now don't you,
you've got to find comfort in that. I mean it just shouts with
hope. It's just pregnant with blessings
of mercy and grace flowing to God's people from the Lord Jesus
Christ. He shall save his people from
their sins, accomplished. He shall obtain eternal redemption
for us, accomplished. He shall finish the transgression
and make an end of sins, make reconciliation for iniquity and
bring in an everlasting righteousness. It was accomplished. It was done. Remember Paul's
words when he met the elders of the church of Ephesus on an
isle called Miletus on his way to Jerusalem. He met them there
and this is what he said. He said, now behold, I go bound
in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, not the exact particulars, save that the Holy
Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions
abide me. But none of these things move
me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish
my course. that I might finish my course
with joy in the ministry. What was it, Paul? What course
did God put you on? What did he command you to do?
Which I have received of the Lord Jesus that testified the
gospel of the grace of God. I wonder at this very hour, all
the many churches around us, how many of you could go in and
sit down and hear the wonderful gospel of the grace of God? Not too many. This might be the
one. Hear everything. The church of
what's happening now, if it feels good, do it. Come as you are. You don't want to change it?
Don't want to take off your PJs? Well, just come in your PJs.
It's all right. A little bit of everything for
everybody, except the one thing needful to do a lost sinner any
good, the good news of the gospel. Paul says, I must finish my course. And here in 2 Timothy 4, his
last words, while alone in that cold dungeon in Rome, awaiting
his departure, his exodus, he says, I've done that very thing.
I fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I finished my course. It wasn't
long after this. he stepped out of that dungeon
into glory. When that executioner's axe came
down, severing his head from his body, absent from the body,
present with the Lord. Just that fast. Oh, my soul,
what a prospect. When he shall come with trumpet
sound, oh, may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness
alone, Paul loves to stand before the throne. Here's the second
thing, the second thing about Paul's words, this departure,
the certainty of it, the absolute certainty of it. You don't need
me to prove that to you. Our departure, our own departure,
our own exodus from this world, it's certain and it's soon. All
flesh is grass. That includes all flesh, believer
and unbeliever. It is appointed unto man once
to die. And when he dies, he's not going
to float above the operating table in the hospital and look
down at everything that's going on, then come back and write
a book and sell it to a bunch of fools. No, no, no, no. It's
appointed unto man once to die, and after that, he's not coming
back. The judgment. For we brought
nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry
nothing out. What is your life? It is even
as the vapor that appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth
away. Here's a threefold request made
by David to his Lord. This is the text. Lord, make
me to know my end, and to measure my days, what it is that I may
know how frail I am. These are the words of brother
Henry Mahan. He said, The first of those three
things, make me to know mine end. David's ending goal was
to awake with thy likeness to dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. Help me to rest in this hope.
The second thing Henry said that David asked of the Lord, make
me to know the measure of my days. How short my days are upon
this earth and how near I am to my goal. my departure, my
exodus. The third thing David asked God
to do is to make him know how frail I am. I'm looking out right now on
some tired people. You're looking at one. We're
growing frail. People have given me advice and
remedies about my back and everything. It's 73 years old, that's the
problem. I've got some relief and I've
done some of the things I've been told, but there's no cure
for old age. Except when we go to glory, where
time shall be no more. Make me to know my end, how frail
I am. A good understanding Henry wrote
of my frailty, and flesh will humble me. I declare none of
us are exempt from needing that, are we? We're all proud by nature. Make me more thankful for Christ.
Enable me to be more patient and forgiving with others. And
wean me from this world of flesh and materialism. Last Christmas, December 25th,
I was at Robin's son's house, Brian, Tammy, his wife. Early
Christmas morning, I woke up early. I was the first one up. So I just lay in bed, kind of
waiting for somebody to stir. And while I did, I was thinking
about my children, my three children. And I sent this email to them.
I said, I'm waiting for folks to start stirring around here,
but I'm thinking about each of my children. and remembering
the Christmases we've shared when y'all were growing up. What
precious memories. I don't want to put a damper
on your day, but please remember your old dad will soon leave
this world, and my greatest desire and continual prayer is to have
my children with me in heaven. I love each of you very much
and hope you have a wonderful day in Christ alone, dad. That's just truth. That's just
the reality, isn't it? But a few hours after that, I
got an answer from my eldest son, Larry L.D., we call him. He said, Dad, is there something
wrong? Is there something you're not telling us? Has the doctor
told you something that we should know? And I said, no, Dad, L.D. Flesh is grass, our life's a
vapor. I'm soon going to be gone, and
you may be before me. I thank him I'm not mistaken.
He asked you the same thing because he thought I was snowballing
him. No, no, no. Our departure is at hand. It's near. Oh, by grace, by grace,
oh, by grace alone, through Christ alone, may we be like the Apostle
Paul. Isn't it, in one sense, amazing
how he faces his own death so calmly? So calmly. He knew that soon he was going
to be absent from this body and present with the Lord. And he
could say, I know whom I have believed. Nero, send your executioner. Send him on. Send him on. What
blessed knowledge it is to know Jesus Christ, because he said
this is life eternal, that you might know me, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom God did send. He's revealed himself
to you, my soul. You can't get over that. You
can't get over the wonder of that. I know we grow in grace
and we mature as believers of my soul. Jesus Christ chose me. He loved me, he saved me, and
he wants me with him where he is. Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona,
because God's gonna make you wealthy and healthy. No, no,
no, no. You're blessed, Simon Barjona,
because God has revealed to you who I am. You know me. Regardless of what anybody else
is saying, and they all have opinions, and Peter said, I don't
give a flip about their opinions. I know who you are. God Almighty
did that for Peter. God gave him that precious gift
of faith, and you're a blessed man, Peter, and every sinner
When God gives the faith to behold the Son of God, you are a blessed
individual. You have something of more value
than this whole world put together and every single thing in it.
I mean every single material thing in it, all the gold, all
the silver. All the prestige, all the human
glory, all the celebrityism. You have something worth more
than all of that. You know who the son of God is. Amen? What about that? What about
that? Paul says, the time had come
for him to go board that good ship, which was setting sail
to the other side. My departure, remember, the loosing
of the anchor. from a house of clay, from this
earthly house of our tabernacle, to a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens, to everlasting habitations and mansions in Christ
the Father's house. John Gill said this, now there
is a time, notice Paul said, the time of my departure is at
hand. Gill said there is a time for
this, saints are not to continue here always, This is a state
of pilgrimage and a time of sojourning, and which is fixed and settled,
the time for going out of this world as well as for coming into
it. That's God's doing. Paul wrote
to the church of Philippi and said, I'm kind of in a strait
between two things, to stay here and be with you, be profitable
to you, or to depart. I have a desire to depart. Depart. There it is again. And to be
with Christ which is far better. Far better. How can that be? Because he was departing to be
with Christ and nothing, nothing could be better than that. I found this. It took a little
time but I remembered it and I wanted to share it with you
again. I had before. The poet said, in vain my fancy
strives to paint the moment after death, the glories that surround
the saints when yielding up his breath. One gentle sigh their
fetters break. We scarce can say they're gone
before the willing spirit takes their mansion near the throne. Here's the last thing. The joy
of that departure. poet that I just read a stanza
from. In vain my fancy strives to paint
the moment of my own death. I'm leaving this world. And as I leave, I think, I inhale
in this world and I exhale in glory. I closed my eyes to everything
here and opened them looking at the king and his beauty. Like
David said, such thoughts are too high for me. I just can't
reach that high. Exodus means we're going home
to be where Jesus Christ is. Don's last commentary that he
wrote was on Exodus, two volumes, Christ in Exodus. The manuscript
was finished and it went to the publisher, Peter Minnie, Go Publications. Before it was put in book form,
before it was printed, Don had done made his Exodus out of this
world to glory. His ship had sailed. I thought that was appropriate,
that Exodus should be his last commentary because his personal
Exodus took place before it came into print. Here is an excerpt
from Don's book, Going Home. He wrote, imagine this. Go into a darkened room. There's
complete silence. A wife sits by the bed of a dying
husband and holds his hand. The children stand around the
foot of the bed. Tears fall silently down their cheeks. Only the ticking
of the clock can be heard. For a brief moment, The man opens
his eyes widely, a smile crosses his face, and he breathes deeply
for the last time. His spirit is gone. Of that man,
God says, blessed, blessed. Blessed are those who die in
the Lord. You cannot write cursed where God writes blessed, and
you cannot write blessed where God writes cursed. Someday the
civil cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing, but all
the joy when I awake within the palace of the king. Some day
my earthly house will fall, I cannot tell how soon it will be, but
this I know my all in all has now a place in heaven for me. Some day till then I'll watch
and wait, my lamp all trimmed and burning bright, that when
my Savior opens the gate, my soul to him shall take its flight,
and I shall see him face to face. Our passage, Don wrote, through
death into heaven shall be both safe and easy, being assured
that Christ will have his purchased people. The prophet said, and
the ransom of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, They shall obtain
joy and gladness. Sorrow and sighing shall flee
away. I want to share a few comments
in an article that Brother Darvin wrote, and then we're done. The Living Hope, from 1 Peter
1. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again, unto a living 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, salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Darwin said, when I read these
verses, I cannot help but think of Israel of old. standing on
the brink of the Red Sea, hemmed in on three sides with a vengeful
army closing fast at the rear. How impossible salvation must
have seemed to them and how unlikely was a crossing of the water.
But having passed through the sea on dry ground and standing
on the other side to see their enemies buried in the depths,
how little doubt could have been in the minds and hearts of those
who witnessed God's salvation. I think also of Israel standing
on the brink of their promised inheritance, knowing the four
fortified cities, giants, and the armed forces they now faced,
and how fearful they must have been. But after God had crushed
their enemies, and the man after God's own heart took the throne,
what peace and comfort must they have experienced on the other
side? This, I believe, is what Peter
is saying to the church. Christ has conquered the enemy.
crushed his power, and now sits at the right hand of God, expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool. The believer's hope
is alive and seated in glory, and has already taken possession
of their inheritance. In him their hope is incorruptible,
undefiled, and cannot fade away. May the Lord be pleased to allow
us to view our salvation from the other side. Amen. Amen. Thank you for your attention.