Please turn to 2 Timothy 4. We will read from verses 1 through 8.
I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, Who shall judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
Preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;
And will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.
But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.
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.
We have been studying 2 Timothy together because we believe that 2 Timothy has a very intimate relationship with our time. If we want, in this day, to be faithful to His testimony, then we have to gain help from 2 Timothy.
We hope that every word in 2 Timothy can enter into the depths of our hearts. Through the Holy Spirit, Who works within us, may these words become our life, so that in our last days we can glorify our Lord.
We know that 2 Timothy is Paul’s last letter. This is the last letter he wrote before he was about to leave the world. We can say that this is his last word before he leaves.
In the Bible, we find examples of final words. For example, in Genesis 49, when Jacob had lived out all his life and was in his final days, he gathered his sons before him.
He spoke to them concerning what would happen to them in the latter days. Those were the most precious words from Jacob. He gave prophecies to his sons, and then he worshiped God upon the top of his staff.
We see the same thing in Deuteronomy 33. When God was about to take away Moses, His servant, Moses spoke his final words to the people of Israel. He gave God’s final blessing to the tribes. Then he went up to Mount Nebo, and God showed him the promised land, flowing with milk and honey. Then he died on that mountain.
We also see this in the book of Joshua. After Joshua had led the Israelites, in his last days, when he was about to leave the world, he gathered the Israelites and spoke his last words to them.
He told them, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Then he went back to God.
We also see this in 2 Kings 2 and in 1 Chronicles 29. When David, God’s servant, was about to leave the world, he also spoke his final words. He encouraged his son Solomon to be strong and courageous, to rise up and complete the temple, and to follow the will of God all his life. Then the promise of God would remain with that house throughout the ages.
In the New Testament, we see the same thing. When our Lord Jesus was about to leave this world, He gathered His disciples together. He had the last supper with them. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end.
In John 13, He laid aside His garments, girded Himself with a towel, poured water into a basin, and washed the feet of His disciples.
He told them, “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you say well, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. And ye ought to love one another.”
From John 14 through 16, He told them not to be troubled. “I will come again to you. I will ask My Father to send another Comforter. He will not only be with you; He will dwell in you.”
In John 17, He brought His disciples before His Father. He prayed not only for them, but also for all those who would hear their word and believe. That includes you and me here today.
Our Lord brought all of us before His Father and prayed for us. He said that we do not belong to this world. Although we are in this world, we do not belong to it. He has chosen us out of this world.
He also prayed that, as He and His Father are one, all of us who believe in Him might also be one in Him. We are to be in such unity that the world may know that God sent Him into the world.
Dear brothers and sisters, in this world every person is different. We have different backgrounds, different customs, different learning, different opinions, and different nationalities. There are not two people in the world who are alike.
But God has done a very wonderful thing. In His own life, He has brought all of us who are different into His life. In life and in Spirit, He has made us one.
This is something never found in the world. No one in this world can accomplish it. If someone wants all people to be one, he has only one way: he uses violence to unify the world, making everyone like himself. He does not allow anyone to be different.
That is outward unification, not inward unity. But our Lord has done a very wonderful thing. Although we have many differences, those differences may continue. Yet there is one unity that surpasses all differences, so that we may truly be one in His love.
Then the world can see that He is indeed sent by God. This is the testimony of the church.
On the negative side, the testimony of the church is that she is separated from the world. She does not belong to this world. Whatever the world has, she does not have; and whatever she has, the world does not have. The church is separated by God to be holy.
This is the testimony on the negative side: we are different from the world.
But the church also has a testimony in the positive sense. We who are different are one. We are one in Christ. This is the testimony of the church on this earth.
This testimony declares that Jesus is indeed Lord. In His last days, the Lord gave us this very precious teaching and this precious example. He has the greatest hope for us, brothers and sisters.
Paul was an old soldier. He had served the Lord all his life. Now he had come to the end of his days, and he wrote his second letter to Timothy, his dear son Timothy.
This was his last word before he left. In other words, he wanted to tell his son what he should be.
When a man comes to his last days and knows that he is going to see the Lord, he will not speak about irrelevant things. He will speak out the most precious thing in his heart.
So when Paul was about to speak his last words to Timothy, we know that these words came from the depths of his heart. They were words poured out with tears and blood. They are very precious words.
This is a very serious matter. Paul says, “Before God, and before Christ Jesus, Who is about to judge the living and the dead, by His appearing and by His kingdom, I charge you.”
Paul was one who lived before God. After he met the Lord on the road to Damascus, he lived before God. Daily he sought the face of God. He stood before God and desired only to please God.
We remember Genesis 17:1. God spoke to Abraham:
I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.
Paul was indeed walking before God. Because he walked before God, he became a mature man. Of course, we know what perfection means in the Bible. Perfection does not mean sinless perfection. Perfection in the Bible means maturity.
Paul grew before God. He did not stop at any stage. More and more, he grew up into the likeness of our Lord. More and more, he was conformed to the image of the Son of God.
Brothers and sisters, how can we be conformed to the image of the Son of God? We know that this is God’s heart for every one of us.
Romans 8 tells us that those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Only those who bear the image of His Son can be qualified to be united with His Son.
God wants to prepare a bride for His Son, and this bride must be a match for Him. This is the will of God. Everyone whom He has chosen, He calls. Those whom He calls, He justifies. Those whom He justifies, He glorifies.
What is glory? Glory is God Himself. Glory is the life of God. Glory is the character of God. Glory is our Lord.
I truly thank God. Since He has chosen us, He will not let us go. He will work in us until we are brought into glory. Individually and corporately, the church is to become a glorious church. This is the will of God, and this is something He will surely accomplish.
But for this work to be completed, on our side, we have to live before God.
In 2 Corinthians 3, we have an unveiled face. There is nothing hidden before God. We open our face before Him and gaze upon His face. Then we are transformed. The Holy Spirit works in us to transform us into His image.
This is the heart of God. For the will of God to be fulfilled, we need to live before God. We need to see Him every day.
Brothers and sisters, we have to seek His face. God says, “Seek ye My face.” Our hearts should answer, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”
It does not matter if we do not see man’s face. It does not matter if we do not see our own face, even if we do not look into a mirror. But every day we need to see the face of our Father. If there is one day when we do not see His face, we are like dead men.
Paul stood before God. He served God with a pure conscience. Daily he saw the face of God and did not allow anything to come between him and God.
So when he was about to see the Lord, it was clear to him. That face was not a stranger to him, because he had seen the face of God every day.
Paul charges Timothy before Christ Jesus, Who is about to judge the living and the dead. Brothers and sisters, God has given the authority of judgment to His Son.
John 5:22 tells us:
For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son.
Our Lord is the judging Lord. In fact, He was judged on the cross for us, so that we who believe in Him will not come into judgment before the great white throne.
When heaven and earth pass away, a great white throne will be established. Everyone will be resurrected and stand before that throne. According to the record of his life, each one will be judged.
Before God, every one of us has a record. That record is more complete than any FBI file. Our whole life is in the record.
But we thank and praise God. Although our record may be very bad, because of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that record has been emptied. What grace this is!
If we believe in Him, we have passed out of death into life. We will no longer be judged before the great white throne in the matter of eternal life or eternal death.
However, this does not mean that there is no judgment for us. Paul says that he stands before Christ Jesus Who will judge the living and the dead.
Although the judgment of the great white throne has passed for us, we are now members of God’s household. But in a house, there are rules of the house.
This is not the judgment of the great white throne, but there is a judgment before the judgment seat of Christ. One day, we who believe will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and we shall be judged according to our works.
This is not a judgment of life or death. It is the judgment seat of Christ.
There is a background to this expression. In Eastern countries, large families used to live together. When I was young, four generations could live under one roof. Even a daughter who had married might still live within the family household.
In such a great family, there was a head of the house, the master of the household. From time to time, all the members of the family, young and old, would come into a large room.
In that room there would be a raised platform. The head of the family sat upon that platform, and every member of the family stood before him.
If you were not born into that family, you were not qualified even to attend the family meeting. Only those born into the family had the responsibility to attend.
What happened in that family meeting? If a child had done something that brought honor to the ancestors and to the family name, the head of the family would praise that child and give him a reward.
But if someone had brought shame to the family name, then before everybody the head of the family would mention what he had done. He would rebuke him, and he might even discipline him.
This is the background of the judgment seat of Christ. We praise and thank God because we have believed in our Lord and escaped the wrath to come. We have escaped the judgment before the great white throne.
But we must not say, “Now that I have escaped the wrath, I can do whatever I want.” Brothers and sisters, no. We need to be careful.
Indeed, we have escaped the wrath to come, but now we are members of God’s family. If you are a member of God’s family, there are family rules, and there is still a Lord of the house.
The Lord of the house will examine us. After we become children in the family, are we glorifying the family, or are we putting the name of the family to shame? All this will be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ.
God has already condemned this world, though He has not yet executed His judgment. Therefore, the world feels there is no judgment.
The same is true in the household of God. Because the hand of the Lord is not immediately heavy upon us, He is still tolerating us and giving us opportunity to repent. Let us not think that there is no judgment seat of Christ.
One day, when our Lord returns, He will descend from heaven. As 1 Thessalonians 4 tells us, those who have died in Christ will rise first, and those who are living will be transformed.
Those who are still living and remain will be changed. They will be caught up to meet the Lord.
Sometimes we think how joyful it will be when we are caught up to meet the Lord. But perhaps when we are caught up to meet the Lord, some will weep and cry. Why? Because the judgment seat of Christ is there.
Then the Lord will judge the people of His own household. Some will be praised. Some will be rewarded. But some will be cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
These words are not referring to unbelievers. Often people think they refer to unbelievers, but the Bible says these are servants; these are virgins; these are those who belong to Him.
When the Lord returns, we need to be watchful. If we live for the pleasures of the world and seek to satisfy the lusts of the flesh, we may lose such glory.
It is not that such people are not saved, but they are merely saved. First Corinthians 3 tells us that the fire will make every work manifest.
What is that fire? God is a consuming fire. He will appear to examine the work of every person.
Every day, whether consciously or unconsciously, you are building. Some build with gold, silver, and precious stones; some with wood, hay, and stubble.
When the fire appears, the work built with wood, hay, and stubble will be burned up. Then all the years from the time you were born again until the time you see the Lord may be wasted. You may be saved, but only as through fire.
But that which is built with gold, silver, and precious stones will remain when tested by fire.
Paul lived every day in the light of the judgment seat of Christ. That light guided his way, so that he could come before the face of the Lord with a clear heart.
Brothers and sisters, are we living every day in the light of the judgment seat of Christ? Or are we turning aside and willing to remain in darkness? Are we unwilling to walk in that light?
Paul also speaks of Christ’s appearing and His kingdom. One day, our Lord will appear. His appearing means that He will come down from heaven to the earth. When He appears, His kingdom will come.
The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. We thank and praise God: the day of our Lord’s appearing is at hand.
Our Lord told us to learn from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when we see these things, we know that the Son of Man is near, even at the doors.
In Eastern countries, a house is different from a Western house. In a Western house, when you open the door, you enter directly inside. But in an Eastern house, you may need to pass through several gates.
Outside there is a wall and a large gate. The one living behind that gate may be a gatekeeper, not a member of the household. If the house is wealthy, there may be several gates through which you must pass to enter.
Therefore, in the original language, the expression is not merely “at the door,” but “at the doors.” He has already passed the great gate. We do not know at which door He is, but we know that He is near.
Our Lord is near, and His kingdom is coming. How serious this matter is!
When the Lord came the first time, John the Baptist cried out, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent!” You cannot remain as you are. You cannot pretend. You must be serious, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
When the Lord comes the next time, the kingdom will indeed be here. This is such a serious matter.
Paul saw that the kingdom was coming. He saw dangerous times. He saw that men’s ears were itching, that the truth was being cast aside, and that the testimony of God seemed to be wavering.
Therefore, he reminded his son Timothy: “You cannot be loose. You cannot withdraw. You have to preach.”
Here it says, “Proclaim the word.” Proclaim the word of God, because at this time the word of God has been abused by men. Only a few people are proclaiming the truth.
Men’s ears are itching because the word of God exposes the condition of the heart. Therefore, men do not want to hear the word. They want to hear what they want to hear.
According to their own lusts, they gather teachers who speak fables, and these fables bring them into darkness.
At such a time, the word of God is so important, because the word of God is the testimony of God. The word of God gives testimony to our Lord.
Timothy, you must keep the testimony of our Lord. Whether it is in season or out of season, do not look at the surroundings. Even in the greatest difficulty, you have to proclaim the word of God.
Cut straight the word of truth. Center everything in Christ. Jesus is indeed Lord. This is our testimony, and we must keep this testimony.
Paul says, “I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand.”
From the time Paul saw the vision on the road to Damascus, he offered himself to God as a sacrifice. The first word he spoke was, “Lord, Who art Thou?” The second was, “Lord, what shall I do?”
By those words, he surrendered himself completely to the Lord. He offered himself as a living sacrifice. He had no authority over himself. “Now You are my Lord. What do You want me to do?”
From that day onward, he put himself on the altar and never left it. We often get on the altar and then get down again. We may stay down longer than we stay on it.
But Paul himself was a living sacrifice. He remained on the altar all the time, allowing the Lord to arrange him. He did not seek to satisfy himself. He was willing to be burned to ashes and become nothing, so that the Lord might be all.
In Philippians 2:17, Paul says:
Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
Paul always regarded his work as a sacrifice. He did not regard his work as his own possession or enjoyment. Many people today say, “This is my work. This is what I did. This is my right.” But Paul did not think that way.
His work was a sacrifice. In his work he sought no personal enjoyment and claimed no glory for himself. Only when the Lord was satisfied was he satisfied.
He says, in effect, “I take your faith as a sacrifice offered to God. As for myself, I am willing to be poured out upon it.”
In the Old Testament, when an offering was made, there could be a drink offering. As Exodus 29 shows, wine was poured out upon the offering.
What does wine represent? Wine represents joy. In the Bible, wine is a symbol of joy.
Paul says, “I take your faith as a sacrifice offered to God. As for me, I am like the wine poured out upon it. I am full of joy when I see you presented to God.”
“I am willing to pour myself out. I am not forced to do this. I am only a drink offering, that I may rejoice with you.”
When Paul wrote to the Colossians, in Colossians 1:24, he said:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part in my flesh that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church.
Our Lord sacrificed Himself for His church so that the body might be completed. There need to be people willing to labor with the Lord and suffer with the Lord in order to bring people fully to God.
Paul could say, “I am happy when I suffer, because I want to see the body of Christ completed.”
He also said to the Corinthians that for their sake he was willing to spend and be spent. He was willing to pour himself out for them.
Brothers and sisters, this is the drink offering.
Paul says, “I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand.” The whole life of Paul was a poured-out offering. He knew not how to drink the wine; he only knew how to pour out the wine. He did not seek to preserve the bread; he allowed the bread to be broken.
This is the testimony of Paul.
Brothers and sisters, we are in difficult times. We have many difficulties. It may seem that we are wounded all over our body. It may seem that we cannot sustain ourselves.
But we thank our Lord, Who is coming. His kingdom is coming. Dear brothers and sisters, this revives us from within.
In the history of the church, during the second and third centuries when the church was under persecution, believers had a watchword. When they met one another, they said, “Maranatha.” The Lord is coming.
When we remember that our Lord is coming, it gives strength within us to run the last course.
The book of Hebrews tells us:
For yet a very little while,
He that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry.
But My righteous one shall live by faith:
And if he shrink back, My soul hath no pleasure in him.
We are not those who shrink back. Let us move forward with courage. Let us keep the testimony of our Lord. No matter what the outward environment may be, Jesus is Lord.
Paul spoke about himself with three expressions: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.”
The original word for “fight” is actually wrestling. It is not fighting at a distance. In modern warfare, you may not even see your enemy. But this fight is face to face. It is wrestling.
From the time Paul saw the Lord on the road to Damascus until the time he was about to leave, he fought every day. He said that he had wrestled with beasts at Ephesus. The world is like a beast, and Paul wrestled with it every day.
He fought against sin. The Bible tells us not to grow weary in striving against sin. He fought with the devil. Ephesians 6 tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces in the heavenlies.
It is indeed wrestling, but we thank God: the enemy always loses, and the Lord always wins.
How do we fight this fight? We fight because we live before God. We fight in the light of the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore, we do not relax. We stand firm.
Paul says, “I have finished the course.” After we believe in the Lord, God places every one of us on a racecourse. God has a purpose for every one of us.
Paul said in Philippians that he did not consider himself to have already attained. Although he had run very far, he said, “I have not attained it yet. I am still running.”
Why? “I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus.” The Lord has a will for every one of us. He wants to gain something in us. Are we allowing Him to gain that for which He gained us?
Are we running this course? This course is not easy. It is a hurdle race. There are many hurdles, but we have to lay aside every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and run with endurance the race set before us.
We must look away unto Jesus. Do not look elsewhere; simply look to our Lord. Then we can run our course.
Paul says, “I have finished the course.” At this point, he knew he had run the course and that the Lord Jesus had gained in him what He desired.
Paul says, “I have kept the faith.” This faith is the faith once for all delivered to the saints. It is the whole word of God. It is the testimony of the Lord.
Paul says, “I have kept this.” Brothers and sisters, the Lord said to the church in Philadelphia, “Thou didst not deny My name,” and, “Thou didst keep My word.”
Paul kept the faith. He did not forsake the name of the Lord, and he did not forsake the word of the Lord.
Therefore, Paul knew that the crown of righteousness was laid up for him. Dear brothers and sisters, our God is a righteous God. If today we endure, then in that day we will reign.
But Paul says that this crown of righteousness is not only for him. It is for all those who love the appearing of the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, do we love the appearing of the Lord, or are we afraid of His appearing? If we love ourselves and love the world, we will not love His appearing.
The wicked servant says, “My lord tarrieth.” But the one who loves the Lord wants the Lord to come today.
The church has been waiting for the Lord for two thousand years. One generation after another, the cry of the church has been, “Lord, come.”
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
Today, many people delay the Lord. If you delay the Lord, then when He comes you may not catch up, just as the five foolish virgins found the door closed when they came.
But there is another group of people. They live on this earth in such a way as to hasten the coming of the Lord, that our Lord may come back soon.
May we be such people.
When Paul came to this point, although he had not yet been martyred, his spirit had already been caught up to God. We may call this a raptured spirit.
When he wrote this letter, his body was still on earth, but he was with God in heaven. Yet he was still a man. We should not think that a spiritual man has no human feeling. The most perfect Man on earth is our Lord Jesus. He is a perfect Man.
Paul’s spirit had ascended, but his soul and body were still on earth. Therefore, he still had feelings in his soul. Demas forsook him, and it hurt his heart.
Demas had served with Paul. In the letters to the Colossians and Philemon, Paul mentioned Demas and Luke together. But in this most difficult time, Demas deserted him because he loved the present world.
When men are in difficulty, they want others to be with them. This is natural. Paul was a man, and when he saw Demas leave him, it hurt him.
What Demas did was not merely temporary or emotional. Although he had been a coworker with Paul, there was something hidden in him. He loved himself more than he loved the Lord. He did not have a pure heart toward the Lord.
In the greatest trial, the true condition within a person is exposed. In ordinary times, everything may appear the same. But when the testimony of the Lord enters the greatest trial, who is truly faithful in following the Lord? Who has a pure heart toward Him? Who has other things hidden in his heart? At that point, it will be revealed.
Demas forsook Paul because he was concerned only for himself.
Paul longed for Timothy to come quickly. At the beginning of 2 Timothy, he said, “Remembering thy tears.” We do not know precisely what he was referring to. Perhaps he remembered the last time he and Timothy parted.
Paul hoped that Timothy would come soon. Before leaving the world, he wanted to see Timothy once more. History cannot tell us whether Timothy arrived, but this shows us that Paul was truly human.
Our spirit may rise up, but our soul can still be hurt. Not only that, Paul had needs in his body.
Perhaps he was arrested suddenly at Troas, and so he did not bring his cloak. He was put in prison under the ground. Winter was coming, and he felt cold. So he said, “Bring the cloak.”
Not only that, he said, “Bring the books.” Even in his last hours, Paul continued to pursue the Lord. He still wanted to read the word of God and to continue his pursuit of God until the end. This gives us encouragement.
Paul says, “At my first defense no man took my part, but all forsook me.” No one was willing to stand up and say that Paul was a good man. Everyone sought to preserve himself and left Paul standing alone.
But Paul says, “The Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed.”
This seems similar to Acts 26. King Agrippa gave Paul an opportunity to defend himself. Paul did not defend himself; he defended the testimony of the Lord.
When he stood before Caesar, he did not proclaim himself. He used the opportunity to testify to the Lord. He said that the Lord delivered him from the mouth of the lion.
Paul did not expect to escape death. He knew that the hour of his death had come. But he also knew that the Lord would deliver him from every evil work and save him unto His heavenly kingdom.
This expression, “heavenly kingdom,” is used only here in the New Testament outside the Gospel of Matthew. At this point Paul saw the heavenly kingdom. He was about to leave the kingdom on earth, but the kingdom of heaven was in sight.
When he thought of this, he worshiped God:
To Whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
At this point, when we look at Paul, who was about to be martyred, we do not merely see Paul. We see Christ. We see glory.
May the glory of God prevail upon the earth and fill the whole earth, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Let us pray.
Our Lord, You are the glory. We want Your glory to fill the whole earth.
We want Your glory to be manifested through us. We desire that one day Your glory may cover the whole earth, because the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, unto the ages of ages.