Please turn to 2 Timothy, chapter 2. We will begin with verse 1.
Thou therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please Him Who enrolled him as a soldier.
And if also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned except he have contended lawfully.
The husbandman that laboreth must be the first to partake of the fruits.
In the same chapter, beginning with verse 20:
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the Master’s use, prepared unto every good work.
But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
And chapter 4, beginning with verse 6:
For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved His appearing.
Dear Heavenly Father, we have read Thy Word, and now we look to Thy Holy Spirit to quicken Thy Word to our hearts, that these may not be just words, but that we may hear Thy words.
We commit this time into Thy hands and pray that, through the working of the Holy Spirit, Thy purpose for this moment may be fully realized, to the praise of Thy glory. In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
This second letter to Timothy is the last letter written by the Apostle Paul. We can call this Paul’s last will and testament, as it relates to his last time.
After Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment, he was able to fulfill his desire of visiting his friends and God’s people in various places: in Ephesus, in Colossae, in Philippi. We believe that he was even able to visit Spain, as he desired.
But times were going to change. In the year A.D. 64, Nero burned the city of Rome. We do not know for what reason. Probably he was mad; perhaps he wanted to rebuild the city of Rome. But anyway, he burned the city of Rome.
A third of the city was burned. We are told that, when the city was burning, he was there playing the harp and joining the singing. Because of this, the people in Rome were stirred to rebellion.
Therefore Nero tried to find a scapegoat, to put the blame on somebody else. He found it easy to blame the Christians.
Because of this, Christians were greatly persecuted everywhere. To be a Christian was a crime.
Because of this change of situation, we know that the Apostle Paul was rearrested and brought to Rome to be judged. But this time was very different from the first time of his imprisonment.
You remember that, in the first imprisonment, even though he was a prisoner, he was allowed to live in his own hired apartment, and he was given the freedom to receive all who visited him. He was acquitted at that time.
But this time it was very, very difficult. He was taken as a prisoner of Rome, a criminal in the sight of the empire. Therefore, he was put into a dungeon, probably that terrible place called the Mamertine Prison, where many died because they were either starved or eaten up by rats.
Because of this tense situation, all Asia—that is, all the people in Asia—deserted the Apostle Paul. When he made his first defense, nobody was willing to be his witness, his character witness, because it was too dangerous. Everybody was just thinking of himself, and Paul was left there alone, deserted even by those among whom he had labored.
But we must remember that Paul was a human being. Sometimes we think that Paul was a superman, but he was not. As a human being, no doubt he felt deeply the desertion of his friends and of those whom he loved.
He must have suffered intensely. That is the reason why any token of sympathy, loyalty, and love was greatly appreciated by him.
You remember how he wrote in his last letter concerning Onesiphorus. This man from Asia, perhaps for some reason coming to Rome, inquired about Paul. Finally, he found Paul in the dungeon and was able to see him. It was dangerous for that person. We do not know whether, because of that, he was also killed. But Paul appreciated even that little token of sympathy and love.
How could a man bear all these things?
In this last letter, which was really his last will and testament, Paul testified. The secret was this: “I know Him Whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”
Not because Paul himself was strong, not because he had such an iron will, but because he knew Whom he had believed. He knew the Lord. It was his knowledge of the Lord Jesus—his amazing knowledge of the Lord Jesus—that kept him through all these trials.
He had the confidence that what he had entrusted to the Lord, the Lord would keep until that day. That is the day of Christ, when he shall appear before Christ and there be rewarded: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Paul wrote this letter to Timothy. Now, who was Timothy, and what was his condition?
We know that Timothy was relatively a young man. Even though at that time he might have been around thirty-eight to forty years old, he was still a young man in comparison with the aged Paul. Paul considered him as a son in the faith.
Timothy was naturally a timid person. His disposition was shy and timid. We know that he was physically weak; he had stomach problems.
He was a person who did not like to stand at the front. He always liked to live under the shadow of somebody else. He lived under the shadow of the great Apostle Paul, and he was contented.
But now his friend and father in the faith was taken prisoner. He was soon to lose his great strength and father in the faith. Timothy was pushed to the forefront. He was given the responsibility of carrying on the testimony of Jesus after Paul departed.
It was a tremendous responsibility, and it came in a most unfavorable situation. Would Timothy falter? Humanly speaking, he would probably try to hide himself from the responsibility.
It is for this reason that we find the Apostle Paul writing his last letter to him. Knowing what Timothy was, Paul tried to encourage him, to rekindle the gift that was in him.
Timothy needed to be strong. Do not be weak; be strong. But how? In the grace that is in Christ Jesus. That is the secret.
So far as Timothy was concerned, he could not meet the situation. It was beyond him. But there is always sufficient grace, and it is only by the grace of Jesus Christ that he might be able to carry it.
Now look at the situation of the church at this time—not only the church in Ephesus, but the church of God throughout the world.
The Roman Empire was the greatest empire in the world. It had tremendous power. Nero had the will to annihilate Christianity, to wipe it out, and he had the ability to do it. He had the will to do it, and he was doing it.
Would the church be able to exist, to continue on? Would it be completely wiped out?
No doubt such thoughts must have gone through the mind of Paul, the mind of Timothy, and many others. The church was in crisis. Would the testimony of Jesus be maintained and carried on? Or would the testimony of Jesus be wiped out in the world?
Does God have any direction to give to His people at such a moment?
This is the reason why this letter to Timothy was written. It was written for three reasons:
We believe that this letter is most relevant and important to us today. This is not to say that it is the only book in the Bible relevant to us today. No. Every book in the Bible is relevant and important to us today, because they are all written for our admonition.
But this letter, in a very special way, is very near to our present situation. Why is this? Because, dear brothers and sisters, we are living in the last days, as Paul mentioned in this letter.
Not only that, but the church today is in a very critical time. We are in a crisis.
We find that not only is the world pressuring the church of God to compromise, to yield, to capitulate; unfortunately, we find that the world seems to be very successful in doing so.
Within the church, among the people of God, we find that God’s people are divided and scattered. We find heresies rampant and moral corruption everywhere—not only in the world, but in the church too.
Sometimes we wonder, where is the testimony of Jesus? Will God be able to maintain His testimony on earth? How are we, who are in such a situation, to act or react? Does God give us any direction for such a time?
Because of this, we believe that this last letter of the Apostle Paul answers these questions. We need to take this letter to our hearts and find in it God’s direction as to how we can stand and how we should behave when the church is in crisis.
We hope that in this letter we may see Christ and the church.
In the first letter to Timothy, we find that the apostle says that the church is God’s house, the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
But here, in the second letter, he says that the church is a great house, in which there are vessels unto honor and vessels unto dishonor. There are vessels of gold and silver, and vessels of wood and earth.
Why? Because when he wrote the first letter to Timothy, the church was still viewed in its normal state. Normally speaking, the church is the house of God, where God dwells.
The church is the assembly of the living God. Those who have received life assemble together unto the living God. The church is the pillar, the testimony, which maintains the testimony of the truth. It is the base of the truth, the reservoir, the keeper of the truth. That is what the church is normally.
But then a change came. The church is no longer called God’s house; it is called a great house. Outwardly it seems to be great, because at that time the gospel had been preached throughout the world.
But in actuality, it had become a great house with vessels unto honor and vessels unto dishonor. In other words, you find that there is a great mixture within it—wheat and tares.
In such an abnormal situation, this is what we find in this letter.
The first matter is the promise.
When Paul wrote 1 Timothy, he said:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Saviour, and Christ Jesus our hope.
Paul was an apostle, a sent one, commissioned by Jesus Christ according to the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.
But in 2 Timothy, he says:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus.
Now this is really our hope. Why? Because in the first letter he said, “According to the commandment of God our Savior,” but here he says, “According to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus.”
When it is a normal time, God’s command is sufficient. God gives the word, and that is enough. But in an abnormal time, you find the emphasis shifts from command to life. Why? Because unless life is supplied, that command can never be carried out.
So here, at the very outset, the Apostle Paul says that now is a time in which we must emphasize life.
Dear brothers and sisters, for the maintenance of the testimony of Jesus in the last days, or for the recovery of God’s testimony on earth in a difficult time, the secret is in life.
What is the gospel? What is the glad tidings? We find in 2 Timothy 1:10:
Our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death, and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel.
In other words, what are the glad tidings? What is the good news? What is the nature of the gospel? The nature of the gospel is to bring to light life and incorruption.
What Christ accomplished on the cross was to annul death and to bring to light life and immortality. This is what the gospel is.
Brothers and sisters, when death has set in, the only way to counter death is by life. The life here is the resurrection life of our Lord Jesus.
In other words, when death has come upon this earth, when death has come upon a person—I mean spiritually—when death has come upon the church, how are we going to fight against the intrusion of death?
Only by life. The life that we receive from the Lord Jesus, the life that is released in the gospel of Jesus Christ, is resurrection life. It is a life that has gone into death, swallowed up death, defeated death, and come out of death.
This is the life that has been given to us. If only we trust in this life, if we only depend upon this life, then we will gain the spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.
If we forget this life and try to meet the situation with any other resources, we will find that there is nothing equal to death. But thank God, life overcomes death.
The life we have received in Christ through the gospel is that life which overcomes death. If we just follow life, we will be delivered from all confusion and deception. If we cultivate life, we will be able to rise above everything and carry on the testimony of Jesus.
Life is the secret.
Especially when you read the writings of the Apostle John, we often say that the Apostle John is the apostle of recovery. Why?
Peter cast the net and drew many into the church. Paul was a tentmaker, and he began to build up those who had been drawn into the church of God. But because the church had suffered, you find many holes and cracks. John came in to mend it.
So the ministry of John is a ministry of recovery. When you read his writings, you find that they are the last writings of the New Testament. His Gospel is the last of the four Gospels, his epistles are the last of the epistles, and Revelation is the last book of the whole Bible.
John always comes at the very last because his ministry is a ministry of recovery—how to recover the testimony of Jesus when it has suffered. You find that the whole emphasis of the writings of the Apostle John is on life.
In the Gospel of John, “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” In the first epistle of John, he says, “We declare unto you the Word of life.” In the book of Revelation, you find how life swallows up death.
In the New Jerusalem there is life everywhere. Not only do you have the river of life, but you have the tree of life all over the city. Everything speaks of life.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are living in a very critical time—critical not only to our own personal Christian life, but critical also to our corporate life as the church of God.
We find death everywhere. We find that death is trying to enter into the church, to corrupt it, and to destroy it. How are we going to battle against such death that is coming into the church and coming into our brothers and sisters?
See the life that God has given to you. Trust in that life. Depend upon that life. Follow that life. Cultivate the life, develop the life, and let the life increase in you. When life increases, death is overcome.
So we do believe that in these days our emphasis should be on life. It is not a time to emphasize command: “Do this and do not do that,” because it will not work.
It is a time in which we should emphasize the glorious life of our Lord. Know this life that is in you, and if you know this life, you are able to overcome.
This is not the time merely to emphasize knowledge, even though knowledge is good. Knowledge cannot fight against death. Life can.
The reason Paul was able to stand, to stand, to stand, was because he knew. He said, “For to me to live is Christ.” It was not Paul; it was Christ Who lived in him.
He knew Christ. That is the secret. Brothers and sisters, how we need to know Christ as our life. He is not only our Savior Who saves us, but He is our very life.
This very life is to be known, experienced, and increased in us. This is the only way we can maintain the testimony of Jesus in these difficult days.
The second matter is pursuit.
Paul says, “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Brothers and sisters, when the situation gets difficult, our natural reaction is to withdraw, not to pursue, not to advance, so that we may be able to preserve ourselves.
But the Apostle Paul says this is not a time to withdraw. This is a time to pursue—to pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.
As we mentioned, the church is now a great house. In the great house there are vessels unto honor and vessels unto dishonor—vessels of gold and silver, and vessels of wood and earth.
What are the vessels unto honor? Vessels of gold and silver.
Gold represents the nature of God. You find in the Bible that whenever the nature of God is represented, or wherever God’s glory is manifested, gold is used.
Silver represents the redemption of Jesus Christ, because you need silver shekels for redemption money.
We are all vessels in the great house. Vessels are for the purpose of the house owner, and of course the house owner is God Himself. We are His vessels, and He desires to use us for His purpose.
Some vessels are vessels unto honor—that is, they are used for honorable purposes. If we are vessels of gold and silver, in other words, if we live by the life of God, we become vessels unto honor.
We have His life in us, and this life has a divine nature. If we live by that divine nature that is in us, and if we live by the redemptive work of Christ Jesus—that is, by His grace—then we become vessels unto honor.
But if we do not, we will be vessels of wood and earth. Now, wood in Scripture always represents human nature. We are human, like wood, corruptible; and earth, of course, reminds us that we are made of dust.
In other words, even if we are the Lord’s, we are in the house; yet if we continue to live our natural life, our earthly life, if we continue to walk in the flesh and in the human way, we become vessels of wood and earth, vessels unto dishonor.
This does not mean that God has predestinated some believers to be vessels unto honor and others to be vessels unto dishonor. If you read this passage carefully, you find that whether you are a vessel unto honor or a vessel unto dishonor depends upon how you respond.
Why? Because if you have purified yourself from these—in other words, if you are not willing or content to be a vessel unto dishonor, if you are willing to purify yourself, if you are willing to let the Holy Spirit discipline you, if you are willing to cooperate with God, if you are willing to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow the Lord—then you have purified yourself from the wood and the earth.
You will become that which is of gold and silver. You will become a vessel fit for the Master’s use, sanctified and honorable.
Usually in your house you have many vessels. But I think usually you have more vessels of wood and earth than vessels of gold and silver. Probably gold and silver vessels are very rare. There may be just a few, but you have lots of earthen vessels and wooden vessels in the house.
Spiritually, this is true. You find that even in the time of Paul, when he wrote this letter, the church in general had fallen away.
“All that are in Asia turned away from me.” All that are in Asia deserted Paul. Think of it. How much Paul had poured himself into Asia! How he wept and shed tears day and night! How he gave his life to those saints in Asia!
He had not withheld anything from them, but had communicated to them the whole counsel of God. He poured himself out upon those people in Asia, but all Asia deserted him.
But that does not mean that there were none in Asia who were still faithful to God and loyal to Paul. There was the household of Onesiphorus. Here was a man who was able to despise the danger to himself. Even in Rome, he tried to find Paul, and his very presence comforted Paul greatly.
There were also Priscilla and Aquila, Onesiphorus, and a number of other people, but they were in the minority.
Brothers and sisters, how we like to be popular. How we like to go with the crowd. Wherever the crowd is, that is where we like to be. We do not want to be in a minority.
But those in the minority may very well be those who are vessels unto honor, vessels of gold and silver. You find that this is always true.
What should we do? Should we compromise? Should we go along with the crowd? Or are we willing to purify ourselves and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart?
The Lord knows them that are His, and let everyone that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.
The Lord does not look at our appearance; He looks upon the heart. He is looking for those who have a pure heart.
What is a pure heart? A pure heart is different from a good heart. Some people may have a good heart, but a pure heart is a heart that is single toward God.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
The pure heart is a heart that sees God, a heart that sees God only. It is not double vision. It is like a dove’s eye; it can see only one thing at a time.
Dear brothers and sisters, when things begin to be difficult, it is very easy to have double vision. But the Lord is looking for a pure heart.
Wherever you can find people with a pure heart, pursue with them. Be with them, that together you may seek righteousness, faith, love, and peace.
The third matter is this: when things begin to be difficult, when the church is in a crisis, what do you do? How can you withstand the current and maintain the testimony of Jesus?
Go back to the source.
It is very interesting to see that in this last letter, this last will and testament, Paul goes back and says, “I thank God, Whom I serve from my forefathers in a pure conscience.”
Paul always tried to maintain a pure conscience, a good conscience. That was his testimony. If you read the book of Acts, you find again and again that he says, “Before God and men I strive to have a conscience void of offense.”
Conscience is very important. Or may I put it this way? Conscience is the last link between God and fallen man.
As man has fallen, the last link with God is conscience. Your conscience tells you that there is God. Somehow your conscience tells you that what you do is wrong.
Why is it wrong? If there is no God, somehow your conscience tells you that if you do wrong, you will suffer accordingly. There will be wages; there will be a penalty.
This is the reason why, when the gospel is preached, people are pricked in their hearts. That is the pricking of their conscience. It is through the conscience that the gospel of Jesus Christ is able to enter into people. It is through this last link between man and God.
But of course, a fallen man’s conscience is undependable. You cannot say, “I live by my conscience.” Everybody says, “I live by my conscience,” but where is this conscience? This conscience can be hardened.
The conscience of an unbeliever is totally undependable. You cannot live by your conscience because your conscience may be hardened. It is not dependable.
But to a believer, conscience is very important. Why? Because the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed our conscience.
All the accusations and all the evil things in the conscience have been washed and cleansed by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus. Now we can stand before God with a clean conscience, and we need to keep it that way.
Any believer who begins to neglect his conscience will be like a shipwreck as to his faith.
So Paul, at the very last, says, “I serve God from my forefathers with a pure conscience.”
Paul’s forefathers served God with a pure conscience. Paul said, “I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.” He came from a Pharisee family.
We usually think of Pharisees as hypocrites, and they were. But there were true Pharisees too. Evidently Paul’s forefathers were true Pharisees, as Paul was. According to the knowledge they had and according to the light they had, they served God with a pure conscience.
They tried to serve God according to the light they had in their conscience. Of course, that was not perfect. But thank God, on the road to Damascus, Paul received the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You find that his conscience was then able to live under a perfect light. That is, Christ Jesus became his conscience.
Paul always tried to serve God with a pure conscience, with a good conscience. He could say, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.” He always obeyed the heavenly vision.
He served God with a pure conscience, and it went back to his forefathers. His forefathers served God with a good conscience under lesser light, but now, with greater light, he served God with a pure conscience in a better way.
There is a root in Paul’s faith. He told Timothy the same thing. Paul said, “Timothy, the unfeigned faith, the sincere faith that is in you, was in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that it is in thee also.”
We do not know how Lois and Eunice came to the Lord. There are different theories offered.
Some people think that perhaps Lois and Eunice, these two widows—mother and daughter—were among the original disciples. That is to say, on the day of Pentecost, many people were in Jerusalem, and they came from everywhere, from Asia and from other regions. Perhaps they were among those people.
Other people think that perhaps they came to the Lord through Paul and Barnabas when they first came to Lystra. These two women came to the Lord because they were devout Jews. They were looking for the hope of Israel.
When they heard the gospel that Jesus is the fulfillment of the hope of Israel, the Messiah, they believed in the Lord Jesus. However, it does not matter very much. What matters is that in grandmother Lois and mother Eunice there was this sincere faith.
This faith was also in Timothy. Very precious. How Timothy came to the Lord, no doubt Paul was an instrument, because Paul called him “my child in the faith.” But evidently these two women had a great influence upon this young man.
He was brought up under the nurture and admonition, the discipline, of these two women. One says, “Marvelous.” Another says, “We can understand why Timothy was a little timid.” But anyway, he could trace his faith to his grandmother Lois and to his mother Eunice.
But more than that, Paul says, “Remember from whom thou hast received, and what thou hast received.” Timothy was brought up, spiritually speaking, under Paul. Paul must have spent much time with him, trying to build him up in the Lord.
Paul said, “Timothy, you remember my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my longsuffering, my love, my patience, my persecutions, my sufferings—everything about me. You know all of it. You know the source of it. Therefore abide in them, and if you abide in them, you will not be distracted or deceived.”
There is the source. More than that, from a youth Timothy knew the sacred writings, the Holy Scriptures, which are God-breathed.
Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness:
That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
Brothers and sisters, when things begin to change, when heresies begin to spread, when doubts begin to come in, it is time to go back to the source. The source is the Word of God.
If we know the Word of God by heart, we will not be deceived. If we know from whom we have received, and what we have received, and abide in it, we will not be distracted. If we know the faith of our fathers, we are able to continue on.
The fourth matter is this: in these difficulties, there is not only the promise of life; we must go back to the source and pursue with those who seek the Lord out of a pure heart. But then we find the word, “Commit.”
The things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
It is very, very interesting to see that in the first letter to Timothy, Paul mentions elders and deacons—the order in the church.
But in 2 Timothy, you find that he does not mention elders or deacons. He only mentions faithful men. Why?
Because when the church is in its normal state, the church is the house of the living God, and therefore there is a divine order established in the church. In the divine order, you have elders overseeing and deacons serving.
But when the church is in an abnormal state, God is no longer looking for outward order, as it were. God is looking for inward quality.
Office is of no importance anymore. Reality is all that He is after. It is not a matter of setting up elders and deacons; it is a matter of finding all who are faithful.
Those who are faithful ought to be entrusted with the deposit that God has deposited.
Brothers and sisters, Paul represents the first generation. Timothy represents the second generation. The first generation is passing; Paul will soon be dead.
The testimony of Jesus is being handed over to Timothy, who represents the second generation, for the second generation to carry on.
How is it to be carried on? “Commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
This is the same thing you find in the New Testament. When Paul wrote the first set of letters to the churches, he was writing in a normal situation. For instance, in Philippians he speaks of bishops—that is, elders—and deacons, with the brethren.
But in the second set of seven letters to the churches, written by John in Revelation 2 and 3, you find that these things are no longer mentioned. It is written “unto the angel,” the messenger, of the church in Ephesus, in Smyrna, and so forth.
Who are the messengers? They are not those who have official positions. They are those who are faithful to the testimony of Jesus. They are those who overcome: “He that overcometh.”
So, brothers and sisters, when the church is in crisis, what God emphasizes is no longer outward organization. He is not trying to reorganize. What He emphasizes is inward reality.
Faithfulness is what He is looking at, and it is in those who are faithful that He will carry on the testimony of Jesus.
Not only must Timothy carry on, but he must find people who are faithful to go on together with him, because it is more than one person can do. Brothers and sisters, we believe this is what God desires for us today.
Finally, Paul says, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
What is the call of the gospel? The call of the gospel is not only that we are called to life and incorruptibility, but the call of the gospel is also a call to suffer.
We must remember how our Lord Jesus suffered, and then entered into His glory. Therefore, all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution.
Brothers and sisters, do not think suffering is strange. Suffering is normal. It is our calling. We are called to suffer—not to suffer for our own faults, but to suffer for Christ’s name.
So suffer as a Christian. Do not be ashamed.
Paul said, “Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner.” Do not be ashamed of my bonds, because I am in bonds for Christ’s sake. Take your share in suffering with me.
Dear brothers and sisters, if we have the mind to suffer, if we know that we are called to suffer, then when sufferings come, we will not be overwhelmed.
We know that suffering is part of our calling. It is through suffering that God is able to perfect us, mature us, and prepare us for glory.
If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.
Are we willing to suffer for Christ’s sake?
Finally, Paul says, “This is my last will and testament: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”
Of course, we know it was not by himself. We know it was because of Him Whom he believed. But Paul could testify, “I have fought the good fight. I have kept the faith. I have finished the course.”
Now there is a crown of righteousness waiting for him. But, he says, not just for me, but for all who have loved His appearing—that is, all who love the appearing, the manifestation, the coming of our Lord Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord is coming soon. The time will not be long. God will keep us for His heavenly kingdom.
Even though Paul had to lose his life, he knew that he was kept for that heavenly kingdom. Dear brothers and sisters, do we know Whom we have believed? Are we fully persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day?
If we do, then there is nothing to fear. Instead of retreating, let us advance. Let us go forward until His purpose is fully realized.
May the Lord help us. Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, we have heard the last will and testament of Thy servant Paul. May we be encouraged by Thy grace.
May we also bear such testimony: that we know Whom we have believed, and that we are fully persuaded that Thou art able to keep that which we have committed unto Thee against that day.
To Thee be the glory. In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.