TO KEEP, TO CLIMB, TO FIGHT
(So, to understand the text, we need to know that Paul and Timothy were speaking to each other as student and teacher with Paul trying to inspire and encourage but with warnings.)
Turn with me to 2 Timothy 4:1-7.
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead in accordance with His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and teaching. For there will be a time when they will not put up with sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, they will heap up for themselves teachers, tickling their ears, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to myths. You however be watchful in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has arrived. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
Paul starts this chapter with a final charge, an urging for Timothy to fulfill his role in the ministry God has appointed him to, as he will one day stand before God who will judge, yet Timothy is at tipping point, be ready in season and out of season, be on standby always, to preach the word, to announce, to make known the truth about Jesus, yet at the same time Paul is telling Timothy to rebuke, call attention to wrongdoing and assign responsibility, replace incorrect ideas with the correct one by preaching the Word of God.
As we know, people only want to hear, what they want to hear, so, instead of listening to the truth, they are going to go and listen to fairy tales, they will turn from the truth, yet Paul is now encouraging Timothy to keep his head, be cool, calm, and clear, be watchful and alert. Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Paul is teaching Timothy all he knows, as his death will be his final offering, he has run his race, it is now time for Timothy to do his race.
Have you ever wanted to bail when the going gets tough? Or wanted to pull out of something that is too hard?
I recall a time when my cell and I went to Suikerbos Rand, all excited, ready to go, up the mountain we walked, I was at the back of the row, I could see all the others up ahead, all I felt like doing was to turn around and go back down, I did not thanks to the encouraging shouts from the others, I carried on, my reward, spending time with God on the mountain top.
If we were to be all honest, we would all want to go back to the comfort zone, allow our human nature to drag us back down the mountain, saying it is too tough, cannot do this. Isolation, disappointment become our daily companions, taking over our daily lives, now I am not speaking about the pandemic isolation but the isolation that you place yourself in by going against sound judgement, we start thinking irrational thoughts, it is not worth it, might as well give up.
If you are a person that aspires to be someone or do something in your life… you dream about what would be…. instead, you wake up to what is…it is hard…you want to climb this mountain…but.
You want to know what I think…that tough times do not just reveal what is in you, it can reveal what is God’s character in your life. I mean if you are in that place, always fighting, arguing, questioning should I carry on? If you are about to turn your back then just maybe you are in the right place at the right time…BECAUSE MAYBE GOD WANTS TO MOVE IN YOUR WEAKNESS, TO DO SOMETHING FOR YOU RIGHT THEN.
As we look at this text, Timothy is climbing his mountain, he must decide, he needs a push…to carry on or to bail out. (sometimes when we get stuck and need a push) so, people are leaving his church, there are problems in his ministry, people turn away from the truth and on and on it goes, here Paul encourages Timothy to be ready, to take a firm stand, dig deep, keep the truth, keep faithful to what God called you to.
How many of you have retreated? Even stopped? The kingdom of God is advancing, not in the way you would like it but you have to stay at your post, remember it tells us in Ephesians 6 that we are not fighting about something we can see, THE ENEMY WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO GIVE UP, FOR YOU TO TURN AND RUN.
Paul knew his life was done, he was encouraging timothy to run his race, this means that you need to take life seriously, Jesus is going to judge us all, you need to be ready all the time to do what God called you to do.
All good and well you are saying, and the question is how do we stay at our post, how do we stay in the fight? Let us look at David, he had his ups and downs, yet he always looked to God even when he did wrong. Throughout the Psalms we hear how David pours out his soul to God, turn with me to:
Psalm 103: 1-5 (A Psalm of David)
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
FIRSTLY: WE NEED TO SAY IT TO OUR SOUL.
MY SOUL WILL PRAISE THE LORD, MY HEART ABOUNDS WITH THANKSGIVING AND PRAISES TO THE LORD. Perhaps your soul is not where it is meant to be. Talk to your soul, prophesy to your soul.
SECONDLY: DO NOT FORGET TO REMEMBER OF WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US AND ALL HIS BENEFITS.
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus, on His provisions, remember who He is. If He can do it for David, then he can do it for you. If He can do it for Moses and Abraham, then He can do it for you. (is somebody getting excited, He can do it for you, are you getting it, He can do it for you)
YOU NEED TO REMIND YOURSELF THAT HE CAN, HE WILL, HE WANTS TO DO IT FOR YOU.
THIRDLY: HOLD FAST TO TRUTHS ABOUT GOD
We do not know what will happen this year, it could be another 2020, it could be different, we do not know, it is a bit like when your children ask you questions that you do not know the answer to.
I do not know much; I will however keep in what I know:
HE IS JEHOVAH, HE IS GOD ALMIGHTY, HE IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, HE IS EL SHADDAI, HE IS THE ALPHA AND OMEGA. HE IS JEHOVAH EZER, THE LORD OUR HELP, HE IS JEHOVAH JIREH, GOD OUR PROVIDER, HE IS JEHOVAH RAPHA, THE GOD WHO HEALS, HE IS OUR BANNER, JEHOVAH NISSI.
DID YOU PUT THAT IN OUR SOUL, HE STILL RESCUES, HE STILL HEALS, HE STILL RESTORES?
IF WE WANT TO STAY IN THE FIGHT, WE HAVE TO COMMAND OUR SOUL, DIG IN, STAND FIRM ON THE WORD OF GOD, ON THE TRUTH OF GOD.
HE IS GOOD AND ALWAYS IN CONTROL
Let me remind you: in the garden of gethsemane, Jesus sweated out blood, in so much pain and anguish that he asked God to remove this cup of suffering from Him, He told the disciples to stay put, to pray yet they fell asleep. JESUS STOOD, STAYED IN THE FIGHT FOR YOU AND ME, HE SAID LORD NOT MY WILL BE DONE BUT YOURS be done.
Are you not glad that He stayed in the fight? How much more should we stay in the fight for God, for His kingdom, for your salvation, for what God has put in your heart.
Please stand with me, we are not going to lay hands, we are not going to pray for it. We are going to speak to our souls, this is between you and God.
SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY TO YOUR SOUL, WILL THIS BE THE YEAR THAT YOU STAND UP.
SAY SOUL THIS YEAR YOU WILL RAISE UP, SOUL YOU WILL NOT BE DOWNCAST, SOUL LIFT YOUR PRAISE. REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU, REMEMBER THE DAY HE SAVED YOU, SOUL THANK YOU, LORD THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME. IF YOU NEED HEALING, GOD IS THE HEALER IF YOU NEED RESTORATION, GOD IS THE RESTORER. GOD COME HEAL ME, COME RESTORE ME, GOD IS ALL YOU NEED.
Do you know Jesus?
Romans 10:9
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.
Maybe you have become distant, back slide. Come back and get to know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
Repeat after me: Dear Jesus
I give you my life, I need you, a new beginning, please forgive me of all my sins, come into my life as my Lord and Saviour, today, I surrender all, I chose you, I chose life. amen
