When you have reached your final Chapter
2 Timothy 4:6-8
6. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that loves his appearing.
Paul is writing one of his last letters, which is addressed to Timothy, his son in the faith.
In this letter he is reviewing his life for God. He knows that his life is almost over.
So he describes his Christian life in three distinct terms.
1. He considers the Christian life as a “good fight.”
He fought against Satan. In Ephesians 6:12 Paul wrote, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
He fought against the Jewish and Pagan vices.
He fought against immorality in the church, against false teachers, the distortion of the gospel, worldliness and sin.
Yes he fought a good fight, and held his ground until the very end.
2. Secondly, Paul wrote that he had finished his course.
Amidst trials, difficulties, discouragement and affliction he has remained faithful to his Lord and Savior.
3. Thirdly, Paul wrote that he had kept the faith.
In times of adversity, severe testing, great discouragement, and many afflictions, Paul kept holding on to his faith in God.
When he was forsaken by friends and opposed by false religious teachers he stood firm upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He never once compromised the truth of the gospel.
The last chapter of Paul’s life was truly victorious.
As I was praying a few days ago these few verses were impressed in my mind.
I began to think, “What can we say when we have finally reached the last chapter of our life?”
Now, this isn’t a funeral sermon, even though it may sound a little like one.
It is a message to jolt within us the realization that our lives are spent here only for a short time, and only what we do for Christ will be of everlasting value.
It is a message also to remind us to stay faithful and true to God in the midst of trials, temptations and struggles that we face while fighting this battle of faith.
When I come to the end of my journey here I hope I can say with Paul, “I have fought a good fight.”
I’ve had a lot of struggles, but I have fought my way through.
I hope I can say, “I have not fought the evil fights of ambitious or quarrelsome people, fighting for power or position.
But my fighting has been the good and noble fight of faith.
A fight with the world, the flesh, and the devil, a contending for the faith delivered to the saints.
A fight maintaining the lustings of the Spirit against the flesh, a warring with spiritual wickednesses in high places.”
Paul was saying, “I’ve struggled hard! It hasn’t been easy! Sometimes it was tough!”
“I’ve had to stand against those who would pervert the gospel, and those who would try to mix paganism and Christianity.
I’ve fought with immorality in the church! In 1 Corinthians 5:1 Paul wrote, “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you.” And Paul even advocates that some were having an affair with their step-mother!”
Talk about scandal in the church!
As we mentioned, Paul fought against those who would take the gospel and distort and misinterpret its meaning.
He fought against worldliness and worldly methods in the church.
I have a feeling Paul wouldn’t be popular in today’s church world either!
Paul said he had fought a “good” fight! And it was a good fight indeed!
For he bravely and courageously stood upon the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ, not compromising or watering down the truths of the gospel.
Paul didn’t desire popularity nor did he preach to please men.
When it comes my time to leave this world I hope I can say, “I have fought a good fight, I have stood upon the Word of God, I have not compromised the gospel to please men,
I have not bowed to the pressure of the carnal crowd, but I have preached against sin, I have stood against immorality, I have stood against anything that would pervert the pure gospel,
and I have not implemented the world’s standards to gain favor from them.
Listen church, continue fighting the good fight!
Take a stand against anything that opposes God!
Take a stand against the wicked devices of Satan!
Take a stand against worldliness and sinfulness!
Take a stand against immorality!
Take a stand against false teachings that would pervert the gospel and lead men and women to deception.
Fight a good fight! Don’t compromise! Don’t concede to the world! Stand up for the gospel, stand up for the faith, stand up for holiness, and stand up for the truth.
The second term Paul used was, “I have finished my course.”
The Greek word for course is, “dromos” which means “a race”.
Paul possibly thought about the Greek Olympic games when he wrote this phrase.
The word course in the English interpretation is, to run or move swiftly through or over.
No doubt Paul had witnessed the athletes running a race, running toward the finish line.
Paul had finished his course! He had run the race! He had made it to the finish line! And he has won!
In spite of all the trials he had faced,
In spite of all the difficulties he had been through,
In spite of all the temptations and hardships,
He has made it to the finish line!
God has given you and I a course to run! It began when you gave your heart and life to Jesus Christ. And it will end when God calls you home!
We are still running this race this morning! We are still striving to win!
We are still running our course! The finish line is out there somewhere!
For some of us, the finish line may be just a few more weary days ahead.
For some of us, the finish line may be years down the road.
But we are in this race to endure till the end!
We may face hardship!
We may face adversity.
We may face trials and temptations.
We may endure difficulties.
We may stumble and fall, but we must get up and finish the race.
A few days ago I saw a video of a young man that was running in a race.
He was favored to win. It was certain that he would come in first place.
But suddenly during the course of the race he began to experience tremendous pain in his leg.
He fell to the ground in agonizing pain!
But he got up! With the look of agonizing pain on his face he began to stumble along the racetrack toward the finish line.
Ignoring the officials who came out to stop him, he kept stumbling in pain toward the goal.
Suddenly from the crowd a man came running toward the athlete.
The officials tried to stop the man but he kept running until he reached the young athlete.
He placed his arms around the runner and helped support him as he tried to limp along.
Finally, together they reached the finish line.
No, he wasn’t the winner! He didn’t come in first!
But he received a standing ovation from the crowd!!
And oh, the man who helped him to the finish line? It was his father!
Listen, you may stumble and fall along this race, but just get up and keep on running!
God didn’t say you had to come in first! He didn’t say you had to be the fastest runner.
You may not even be favored to win by those who know you.
But if you will just keep on running, if you will just keep on stumbling along, if you won’t sit down and give up, some day you just might receive a standing ovation from the angels of heaven, as you pass through the gates of Glory.
There is an old song we used to sing that went like this:
I'm going through, I'm going through,
I'll pay the price, whatever others do;
I'll take the way with the Lord's anointed few;
I'm going through, Jesus, I'm going through.
Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
When we come to the end of our last chapter of life, can we say, “I have finished my course!”
In spite of the trials and temptations, I kept on going!
In spite of the difficulties I kept on pressing through!
In spite of disappointments I kept on running!
In spite of my failures I got up and stumbled through!
My friend, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus!
There is an old hymn that sums it all up:
Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
We're tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God's eternal day.
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.
Life's day will soon be o'er, all storms forever past,
We'll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;
We'll share the joys of heav'n - a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we'll lay our burden down.
I challenge you this morning to determine to finish your course.
Keep on praying
Keep on singing
Keep on fighting the good fight of faith
Keep on witnessing
Keep on testifying
Keep on keeping on! Until we see Christ in His Glory!
Thirdly, Paul wrote that he had kept the faith.
In times of severe testing, great discouragement, afflictions, and discomforts, Paul kept the faith.
In times when friends forsook him, he kept the faith.
In times when false teachers opposed his preaching, he kept the faith.
He never compromised the gospel of Jesus Christ!
He never watered down the gospel!
He never bowed to the pressures of the carnal church crowd.
But he kept the faith! He stood upon the true principles of the Word of God.
Listen my friend, in a religious world of compromise and carnality, let us not forsake the authentic, genuine, free from hypocrisy, gospel of Jesus Christ.
When churches are compromising the standards of holiness to please the crowd, let us be steadfast in the purity of our faith.
When other churches are getting into the entertainment business, let us continue to preach Jesus and Him crucified.
When other churches are omitting the blood of Jesus, ignoring the cross, and preaching motivational speeches that are leading men and women to humanism and secularism instead of holiness and separation from the world, let us continue to preach the truth and hold on to our faith!
We have not been called to mimic the world but to magnify and illuminate Jesus!
We have been called to shine as beacons in a world of darkness.
So in closing, when you have reached your final chapter, can you truthfully say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, and I have kept the faith.”
In verse 8, Paul wrote, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge will give to me on that day, and not to the only but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
Church, let us keep on running this race, let us keep the faith, until we have finished our course, and then receive the crown that fades not away.
This I can claim as my due; but the crown I expect is not one of fading leaves, but a crown of righteousness; the reward which God, in his kindness, has promised to them who are faithful to the grace he has bestowed upon them.
