How To Finish What We’ve Started For Christ
II Timothy 4:1
Purpose: To explain how a Christian can be faithful.
Aim: I want the listener to be inspired so he won’t give up serving Christ.
REVIEW:
1:1-2:13I. How Should a Christian React to Stress?
2:14-26 II. How Should a Christian Relate to Fellow Believers?
3:1-17 III. How Can a Christian Reside in a Hostile Culture?
LESSON:
4:1-22 IV. How Can a Christian Remain Faithful to Christ?
INTRODUCTION: I don’t know about you, but I find it a lot easier to start projects than it is to finish them. Many of us have unfinished projects around the house to prove it. The Christian life can be that way too. It a lot easier to say “I’m going to follow Christ, no matter what” than it is to do it consistently. Paul just finished telling us, in three chapters, what the Christian life looks like. Now he is going to show us how to live that life.
Much of the problem lies in the depth of our faith. For example, many people say that God is holy and all powerful, but only those who live pure lives when no one is watching really believe it. ✔ What you do proves what you believe. We may say that the Gospel has the power to change lives, but if we aren’t sharing the Gospel with others then we must not really believe it. If we care about people and if Jesus is the only One with a cure for the cancer in our souls, then we will share Christ with those around us.
Faithfulness begins when we learn to,
Vs.1-5 A. Put First Things First
Paul is going to show us four things that are necessary if we are going to know how to put first things first.
Vs.1 1. The seriousness of the commands “solemnly charge you”
SOLEMNLY CHARGE means “to earnestly testify.” Serving Christ is serious business. Paul made this point many times in his letters. All Christians who have served the Lord well also understood how serious serving Christ was. John Knox was such a man. He said, “Lord, give me Scotland or I die” and the Lord greatly used him to bring thousands to Christ.
George Matheson was only fifteen when he was told he was losing what little eyesight he had. Not to be denied, Matheson continued with his plans to enroll in the University of Glasgow, and his determination led to his graduating at age nineteen. But as he pursued graduate studies in theology for Christian ministry he did become blind. His sisters helped him by learning Greek and Hebrew to assist him in his studies. He pressed faithfully on.
But his spirit collapsed when his fiancée, unwilling to be married to a blind man, broke their engagement and returned his ring. He never married, and the pain of that rejection never totally left him. Years later, as a well-loved pastor in Scotland, his sister came to him, announcing her engagement. He rejoiced with her, but his mind went back to his own heartache. He consoled himself in thinking of God’s love which is never limited, never conditional, never withdrawn, and never uncertain. Out of this experience he wrote the hymn, O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.
O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths it flow
May richer, fuller be.
[Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (356). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.]
How determined are we as we serve Christ? Why is serving Christ serious business? Serving Christ is serious for three reasons.
a. God sees us “in the presence of God”
1 Timothy 5:21 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. (NAU)
1 Timothy 6:13-14 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, (NAU)
2 Timothy 2:14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. (NAU)
Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden
from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. (NAU)
✔ Every time we sin we do it in full view of our loving Savior who died for that sin.
President Woodrow Wilson’s father was a pastor in the South. One day he joined a group of men caught up in a heated discussion. One of the men lost his temper and swore loudly. Only then did he see the Reverend Wilson in their midst. The man apologized profusely and said, “Sir, I had forgotten that you were present. Please pardon me.”
Dr. Wilson replied, “It is not to me that you owe an apology, but to God.” [Larry Brook, The Quiet Hour, September-November, 1997, p. 54. 10,000 sermon illustrations. 2000 (electronic ed.). Dallas: Biblical Studies Press.]
b. God judges us “who is to judge”
Often you’ll hear people say that we shouldn’t be afraid of God. But, we forget the wonderful benefits of fearing God.
“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever” (Ps. 19:9); “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10); “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (Prov. 8:13); “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence” (Prov. 14:26); “the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life” (Prov. 14:27); “and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
Many people believe that talking about God’s judgment is not a good way to encourage people to come to Christ, but Jesus must not think so. ✔ Jesus talked about hell ten times more than He talked about any other truth.
For example Jesus said that hell is a place, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:48 NAU). Jude told us to, save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. (Jude 23 NAU)
Never forget that Jesus is the One who has been given the title of judge. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22 NAU) and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. (John 5:27 NAU)
Peter boldly proclaimed, “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10:42 NAU)
The judgment that Paul is talking about here has to do with evaluation. Christians should never fear the judgment of God because their sin has already been judged on Calvary. But, we should fear the coming evaluation of our God. The Lord is going to evaluate our actions and our motives. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (NAU)
Whom are you trying to please? Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (NAU)
c. God is coming “His appearing and His kingdom”
Listen to Christ’s last words to us: Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (NAU)
Robert Moffett said,✔ “We have all eternity to celebrate our victories but one short hour before sunset in which to win them.”
Jesus Himself said, John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. (NAU)
1 John 3:2-3 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (NAU)
CONCLUSION: If Jesus were to appear this morning and end human history, what would He say about your work for Him?
Paul taught us that only Christ evaluates our service correctly all of the time. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness [#1 reveal things about other servants of Christ we know nothing about] and disclose the motives of men’s hearts [#2 reveal what was really in our hearts when we served Him]; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God. (NAU)
✔ God bas many servants, but little service in the world. Thomas Adams [Thomas, I. (1996). The golden treasury of Puritan quotations. Includes index of authors. General index created by Christian Clasics Foundation. (electronic ed.). Simpsonville SC: Christian Classics Foundation.]
