SERMON: HOW WELL DO YOU LIVE?
Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for His appearing.
At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
One by one, the writers of the various books of the Bible, and the 12 Disciples all died. Especially the 12 disciples ... one by one, all dying as far as we know, the death of a martyr. John appears to have lived to a ripe old age, of maybe a hundred years, give or take. But they all died. The writers of the scriptures, the 12 disciples, and countless billions from then, until now. Some have died as recently as while I've been talking about people dying.
But, I submit that how they died, whether a martyr's death, a coward's death, or somewhere in between .. they, nevertheless, died. And, in the ultimate scheme of life, and of this world, how we die is not nearly as important as .....what? Come on, someone, tell me! How we die is not nearly as important as how we .... LIVE! Let's get life right, and death will not be a tragedy! Let's get life right, and death holds no fear at all. Let's get life right, and nothing else, absolutely nothing else, really matters.
Living RIGHT is what counts, you see.
I am not sure anyone would die, gracefully, if they knew the reason they were dying was because of something that was untrue.
I remember the circumstances of a pastor, several years ago, being accused of molesting a child. I was visiting with him in his jail, and he told me that he didn't do what he was accused of, but they told him his choice was one of two: He could plead guilty, and be out in 3 years, or he could go to trial, and if convicted, was certain to get at least 20 years.
I was telling my dad about the visit, and the remarks, and I'll never forget my dad's words: He said that if he was not guilty, he would NEVER plead guilty, that he would take the 20 years if convicted, rather than say he was guilty if he wasn't. I have to admire that kind of courage, that kind of will to suffer inordinately, if he was not guilty.
what would you do, in that circumstance? I hope that neither you, nor I, will ever have to face that choice
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But, let's step up the pressure a bit. Let's talk about your faith, your belief in Christ Jesus, and your willingness to suffer for that. Supposing there was a swat team outside, ready to take all of us to jail for 20 years, if we confessed to being a Christian. Would you deny your faith, to escape a 20 year stint in the pokey with Smoky, or would you boldly say, "YES! I am a Christian. I will gladly ... hear that word, now ... GLADLY go to prison rather than deny either my Lord, or my faith in Him.
It's not how well you die, my friends ... it's how well you live!
I believe 2 Timothy is likely the last letter that Paul wrote, that became Scripture. He may have written other letters, later, but we have no record of any, if he did. Would it surprise me to learn that a new one had been discovered? Not at all. Would it be added to the Bible as part of HOLY SCRIPTURE, THE WORD OF GOD? That, I don't know. But, since I believe this second letter to Timothy was likely his last, I hope you will notice that even though he was in jail, even though his life was nearly over, due to the Roman Government being ready, now, to kill him because of his faith and because of his lifestyle, he writes these great words to his protege, Timothy.
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
That, my friends, is a statement made by one who has lived well. He has not lived for the moment, but rather, for all time and eternity. What is especially a blessing to me, and I am sure to you, too, is that there is no POOR ME attitude, no weeping and wailing over his soon to be fate, no regrets at living for Jesus, a life that is true, trying to please Him, in all that I do!"
There is no attitude of whoa ... wait a minute .. wait just a solid minute here, and let me rethink my position. Let me make sure that I want to go on with this Jesus business.
I detect no self pity in Paul's words, no hesitation ... he just steps right up to the plate and kicks a field goal for Jesus!
And, at this point, we might well ask: So, Preacher, how can Paul help me with my own life and struggles and situations? What can he do, to tell me to live well, to live abundantly, to live victoriously, to live above the world, to live so that I can be in heavenly places in Christ Jesus?
And we might make the excuse: But Preacher. Things are different now. Things are harder now. Things are considerably worse, now, that when Paul lived.
And, you might be right. It might be harder now, because we have so much more STUFF. We have our cars and TV's and bank accounts and nice houses full of nice furniture.
I don't recall the characters, any more, but I do recall the scene. A preacher was visiting one of his parishoners in Texas, and was being shown around the ranch ... he saw several thousand acres of good pasture land, and large herds of cattle. He saw many oil wells, pumping away, churning out dollars by the thousands. He saw several expensive automobiles parked around the 27 room mansion. He saw servants at every turn, ready to give the owner what ever service was requested.
And the man asked the preacher .."Well, what do you think?" The Preacher said, "These are the things that makes it hard to leave this world."
The man swung his hands in a wide arc, saying, "And I own all of it, all of what you see, and have seen."
The old Preacher pointed upward toward the heavens, and asked, "How much do you own, in that direction?"
Cooper McWhirter, a Presbyterian minister, wrote a comment that I think deserves a greater hearing than it has had ... and so, I bring it to you, today.
He wrote: "what can Paul teach us about finishing life well? Much in every way! First of all, notice the sequence. In verse 6, Paul speaks in the present tense where he says, “I am already being poured out...” In verse 7, he pauses to reflect upon his past labors where he says, “I have fought the good fight…” In verse 8, he closes by saying, “in the future (there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness…”).
"Each tense: present, past, and future represents not only a reference to time, but a calm assurance of a life that was worth living; a life worthy of dying for."
So, let's take a few moments to look at how Paul teaches us to live, not for the moment, but for eternity!
Galatians 2:20-21 (MSG) reads thus: "I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I am not going to go back on that."
Perhaps the hardest thing for any human to do is to get over himself or herself. We all have an ego that must be dealt with before we can become what God intends for us to become. And Paul's conclusion is that he will never change his mind about living for Christ. That is his primary and ultimate goal!
Check out Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG) " ... what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
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Living God's way, Paul writes, the only way that we can truly live. Living God's way is the ultimate, for human beings. Living God's way is that which makes us able to love without regret, to share joy with each other, to possess that peace that passes understanding.
Living God's way is the only way that we can become gentle giants in the faith, striving to please Him in all that we do. Living God's way is the only way to a faith that leads us to true holiness.
In Ephesians 4: 29-32 (MSG) we find these helpful instructions: "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you."
Say only that which helps ... what a wonderful world it would be, if we would just quit spreading things that are, perhaps, titillating to hear, but are of no real help. When Gossip reaches the ears of the wise, it dies on the spot. Ah, yes! Let each word be a gift!
This Scripture section contains a 6-fold anthem of 'how to do it right.' Hear those words, my friends .... make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting profane talk. Be gentle, be sensitive, and be forgiving!
Can you imagine a world where those concepts are truly practiced by everyone? Well, believe this: There is coming such a world for those who live God's way!
Looking at Ephesians 4:31-5:2 (KJV) we find these concepts of how to live for God: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor[r, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Be followers of God, as dear children;
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and hath given Himself for us ..."
What would it be like, if we all, every single one of us, would truly walk in love, only in love, always in love, with one another? Hatchets would be buried from one end of the world to the other. Friendships that would last through eternity would be forged, here on earth.
We could concentrate on growing food, rather than building bombs. We could raise our children, instead of raising walls of indifference. We could lock, not our doors to keep others out, but could lock our lips to refrain from saying anything that would no sit well with our Loving Father.
Paul teaches us how to live for God.
Listen when Paul says, in Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
And finally for today, but not for all the things that Paul teaches us about living for God: What will we do with things like: Philippians 4:6-8 (KJG) "in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; .....think about these things."
What we think about, you see, that is what we become. If we think about true things, honest things, fair and just things, pure things ... those are the things we become.
Apply that to other areas of life: When we think about hungry folks, we start to want to be of help. When we think about folks who need shelter, we will soon be trying to figure ways to help them find living quarters. When we think about folks who are sick, we will start taking them casseroles.
Our bodies do tend to drift toward those things we think about... for good, or for ill. Let's go with the good, you see. And that, my friends, is how we live for God. Amen.
