God saved us by His grace and has a wonderful ministry for each of our lives. The Bible says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Praise God, we all have a ministry unto good works and it is all part of God’s wonderful plan for our Christian life.
In Part 1 of this message, we examined the "what we are to do" or our responsibilities as a Christian. In part 2, I’d like to go one step further and examine "how we are to do it." In other words, now that we know "what we are to do" to meet our challenge as a Christian, "how are we to do it"? Once again the answer is in God’s Holy Word. Listen to this wonderful challenge given us in 2 Timothy 4:5-8 concerning the fulfillment of our ministry:
"5. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6. For I am already being poured as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8. In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."
First, to meet our challenge as a Christian, we must BE STEADY. Notice Paul’s words in verse 5: "5. But you, be sober in all things...” Paul says, in essence, be consistent, do not be up one day and down the next, do not be off and on in your Christian commitment. Steadiness (soberness) always comes from a firm base. Here the apostle is exhorting Timothy to rest upon that firm foundation which will result in a consistent, steady life amidst all the pressures and the countering forces of any day or age. Paul earlier exhorted Timothy to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." This raises the question: What is your base? I think we have to ask ourselves every day whether we are resting upon that firm foundation. Do we have fellowship with the Lord? Are we in communication with him in prayer? Are we learning more of his mind and thinking through His Word? Are we saturating our thoughts with his thoughts so He might impart to us the wisdom and power we need to live today? That’s what it means to be steady.
Second, to meet our challenge as a Christian, we must ENDURE SUFFERING. Notice Paul’s words again in verse 5: "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship....." Paul had already exhorted Timothy to "endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2 Tim. 2:3) All those who seek to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The reason, of course, is that Christianity is a counter-culture movement; it is against the trend of the day and the spirit of the age. If we are going to live in faithfulness to what we believe, then we will experience some rejections, some difficulties, some pressure, and even some persecution.
Third, to meet our challenge as a Christian, we must DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST. Notice Paul’s words again in verse 5: "5. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist..." This does not imply that all pastors must have the gift of evangelism but it does imply all pastors and Christians must do the "work" of an evangelist. All the gifts God has given to the Body of Christ must ultimately be directed to the world as well as to the church. The church is in this world in order to teach it the truth about life and about God, and to offer to the world the good news about forgiveness and healing in Jesus’ name. That is the work of the
church--to reach the world. That is not necessarily the gift of an evangelist, but it is doing the work of an evangelist, using the gifts that we have. This is the thought that Paul is relating to Timothy.
Fourth, to meet our challenge as a Christian, we must FULFILL OUR MINISTRY. Notice Paul’s words again in verse 5: "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." Paul means, do not quit until the end, keep on until you have done all that the Lord has sent you to do. When you have reached that time when the Lord takes you home; that is the end of your ministry.
The message is clear: we have a ministry until we die. Our ministry is to be a Christian, to live as a Christian, to walk and talk as a Christian wherever we are, whatever we do. Paul said it best in Acts 20:24: "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my cause and fulfill the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Anyone can look well for a while, but it is those who endure to the end, those who manifest the basic change of their hearts that they are born again, who have possessed the life of Jesus.
Finally, to meet our challenge as a Christian, we must PASS THE BATON. Notice Paul’s words in verses 6-8: "6. For I am already being poured as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8. In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." He knows his time of ministry is coming to a close. In speaking of his death, Paul is saying the time of my loosing has come. In other words, he will be set free from earthly ties to sail out on a new adventure in life. That is what the word "departure" means. What a wonderful view of death that is! There is no fear on the apostle’s part, no regrets over his termination as a sacrifice, but a sense of adventure as he sails out into a new experience of life with Christ. Remember, in like manner, Paul told the church at Philippi "to depart and to be with Christ...is far better."
Paul lays out for us three criteria for successfully passing the baton. First, he says, "I have fought the good fight...” Notice he says, "the good fight" not "a good fight." The late Pastor Rey Stedman said, if he said that he had fought a good fight that would be indicative of his view of how well he had done. It would be boasting. But that is not what he says. He says, "I have fought the good fight," i.e., the significant fight, the great battle which life had presented to him.
Second, Paul says, "I have finished the course." The race, of course, is the Christian life itself, which is lived moment-by-moment, just as a race is run step-by-step. The question is whether you live each step in the flesh or in the Spirit, whether you are walking in the power of the new life you have from Christ, or whether you are still running in the old ways of thinking, the old self-centered, fleshly, self-serving attitudes. Every moment is either contributing to reaching the goal for the prize or delaying it, wasting time in the flesh. Christians are called to run that race. Remember Paul’s words in Philippians 3: "Forgetting what lies behind, and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Finally, Paul says, "I have kept the faith." He means by that the whole body of truth that is involved in the gospel. He has guarded it as a treasure, and he tells Timothy in turn to "Guard the good deposit which has been entrusted to you." Paul kept this treasure from being mistreated or distorted and dispensed it freely to all. He says in Scripture, "I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God."
Paul says in verse 8 for those that pass the baton in this way there is a "crown of righteousness." What a comfort this will afford us to be able to speak in this manner toward the end of our days! The crown of believers is a "crown of righteousness", purchased by the righteousness of Christ. Christians who pass the baton have this crown laid up for them in heaven’s glory and they can one day lay it at Jesus’ feet. Praise God!!!
In closing, may your prayer and mine be that we will fulfill our challenge as a Christian in such a way that our Savior will say, "Well done good and faithful servant." Remember, walk so close to God that nothing can come between. Jesus paid it all, all to Him we owe, give Him the Glory!
