What Matters Most

I would this morning turn in your Bibles to the book of 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 4. And we are probably going to read down through from verse 1 to 18. Before we read the Scripture, let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Lord as I come before you today, I come just to say thank you for the privilege and the honor that we have to be gathered into this place. The privilege and the honor, dear God, to be able to know you, dear God.

The Reality of Death and the Urgency of Life

Your Word, by the witness and the testimony of your Holy Spirit. Lord every time that you give us this opportunity, this privilege to stand, dear God, I am frightened and I am afraid, dear God, for I never want to mishandle your Word.

I never want to speak on your behalf. So I would just ask you today, dear God, to do a work that only you can do through the preaching of your Word. And God, keep me out of the way. Pray God that your Son Jesus Christ would be exalted, dear God, that your Son Jesus Christ would be lifted high today.

That the lost may come to know that they can be saved. And God, that the redeemed might continue to have hope and encouragement in you today. For you and you alone deserve the glory, the honor, and the praise in all things.

For it is in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. Yesterday we attended the funeral of a friend. Yesterday we received word that another friend had lost a child of his which was only twelve years old. Death is no respecter of persons.

Scripture says in Ecclesiastes that one event happens to all, whether you are good or bad, lost or saved. That all of us, because of the sentence of death, or the sin in our lives, have the sentence of death upon us, therefore we are going to die.

The book of Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27, the Bible says, it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this, the judgment. I don't know about you all, but there are times in my life when I find myself more aware of the imminence of death, more aware of the reality of death, more aware of the life that I'm currently living at the present as I am at other times.

In this passage of Scripture in the book of 2 Timothy in chapter 4, this letter was likely probably one of the last letters that the Apostle Paul penned. He penned it, he wrote it from prison, about to die as we're going to see, and the verses particularly that we're really going to focus on, we're going to read 1 through 18, but verses 6 through 18 are kind of Paul's last testimony, if you would have it, and it is a tremendous picture.

It is a tremendous thought that we have preserved here in the Word of God for us to really consider our lives. It does you and I no good to go to our deathbed and then regret the life that we lived. We ought, as Christians, to every day live our lives in the light and in the knowledge of the fact that one day, it may be today, it may be tomorrow, it may be 10 years down the road, it may be 50 years down the road.

Miss Lincoln, it might be 150 years down the road. But one day, we're going to face death. And there is nothing like death according to the Scriptures in Ecclesiastes. It's when we are at the house of mourning, it's when we're at the point of death that it seems like we really give some hard thought to our lives.

But what I want to suggest to you today is this, consider your life right now. And I want to encourage you and I want to exhort you today from the Word of God to know the serious nature and the effect and the extent that your life has today.

Johnny, do you have the testimony that you are saved by God's grace? Then guess what? Your life matters right now. How you live your life, you have the testimony that you are saved. Amen? Then guess what?

When you go to school, and the words that you speak and how you live, how you act, and how you carry yourself make a difference. I'm not standing before you today, and just to kind of clear the air before I go any further, I'm not saying that you're going to be perfect because you're not.

But we are called from the Word of God to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable unto God. Paul, in the book of Romans, chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, he said, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The least that a Christian can do is live his life for the honor and for the glory of God. We need not ever get to the place. That was Romans, chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. You're welcome. We need never get to the place where we think or we assume that we ought to let up on living a holy life for God, but that we ought to continually be striving.

For Paul went on to say, and do not be conformed to this world. Do not be shaped like this world. Do not be molded by this world. Do not be like this world. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

And for the Christian, how our mind is renewed is by reading and studying God's word. It is renewed when we gather together each and every week for one purpose and for one reason, and that is to magnify and exalt the name of Jesus Christ together.

When we sing, we are singing not only to each other to encourage each other, but we are singing unto the Lord to exalt his holy name. And when the word of God is opened and the word of God is preached and the word of God is proclaimed, it is to one end that Jesus Christ might be honored and Jesus Christ might be glorified.

You say, what does that have to do with understanding the serious nature of death? What does that have to do with considering every day the same in our life as a Christian? It has everything to do with it because guess what?

This could be it. If this is the last time that we are gathered together, and truly it'll be the last time that we're ever gathered together exactly like we are. Your hair will be a little bit longer next time we're gathered together.

Something might happen in your life this week for the next time you're gathered with your church or you're gathered together with this body that it's not going to be exactly the same as it is today. And there's not a one of us who has the power to turn back time.

That old song, it's not a Christian song, who was it? Cher, If I Could Turn Back Time. She's 112 years old and still trying to act like she's 24. You can't do it. But what you can do is this. You can cherish each and every moment that God gives you.

And you can cherish and make the most of each and every moment God gives you. And when you do mess up, thank God for His amazing grace and His forgiveness. Pick up the pieces and keep on keeping on. But do not stop.

Paul’s Charge to Preach the Word

The Apostle Paul in the scripture here in 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. In these first five verses, this is where we began at the beginning of this year. Concerning the importance of sound doctrine.

Concerning what the Word of God is. Actually, let's back up to verse 14 of the third chapter to read there. And remember this. This is Paul's letter written from prison to Timothy, the young pastor. He's encouraging him.

He's telling him the importance of making the most of his life. And we'll see as we move through this passage of scripture exactly just why it was so important. And what kind of urgency Paul had that he was speaking to Timothy with.

In verse 14 of the third chapter he said, But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of. Knowing them from whom you have learned them. And that from a child you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God. And is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect or complete, thoroughly furnished unto every good work.

And then Paul says, I charge you therefore before God. He is saying, Timothy, this is bigger than you and I are. And he said, I want you to understand that the charge, that the word that I'm speaking unto you, that the exhortation that I'm making to you is so important.

It's not just before your fellow man but before God, he says. And the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. If you'll study the book of Revelation you will find that there is coming a day.

One day, I don't have the exact date, I don't know the exact time. And honestly, I can't tell you all the details of every event that takes place. But I can tell you this. There is coming a day according to the book of Revelation where God is going to open up the book of life.

And whosoever's name is not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. And the Bible also says this, and another book was opened. And out of that book were all the people of all the earth that have ever lived any time throughout history.

And they are gathered together. And the Bible said those who were not found written in the book of life would have to give an account of the things that they did. And so Paul says this, this is serious business here.

We are talking about a charge that is given before God, before the Lord Jesus Christ. Because God will judge the living and the dead. And then Paul said, preach the word. Be instant in season and out of season.

When it's popular and when it's not popular. When it's comfortable and when it's uncomfortable. I'll be honest, I've been so uncomfortable. I've been so nervous in coming into today and I don't even know why.

There are some weeks where I'm confident. There are some weeks where I'm so timid and so shy and so seemingly afraid as I am today. But you know what? Paul, like he told Timothy, the word goes to us as well.

Preach the word. Be instant in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine or teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires.

Because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers. And they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But watch ye in all things. Endure afflictions.

Do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of your ministry. It's not about the comfort of the preacher and it's not about the comfort of the saints of God. It's about the clear proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So he said, Paul or Timothy, this is serious business. And then in verse 6 we find where Paul begins to lay out kind of, I believe it's one of those, that's what I'm going to call it, kind of one of those deathbed testimonials.

Paul didn't need though to be realizing that he was on his last leg for him to be able to have the confidence that he had in Jesus Christ because truly throughout his life from the time he got saved, what we have recorded in the scripture is a man who knew whose he was.

He knew he was a child of God and he lived his life in such a way. He knew his purpose. He knew what God had intended for him. And what God had intended for Timothy was that he would be the preacher of the gospel unto the Gentiles.

To those who were seemingly outside the grace of God. But God saved him to let them know that the gospel call goes to anyone who will hear the message. And so he goes on to say this, I am already being poured out as a drink offering, in verse 6, and the time of my departure is at hand.

He said, this is it. I am on my way out. I believe as he thought about that though, I believe he was probably encouraged. I am encouraged. And it's the same spirit that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead that saves the believer.

And it is the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead that saved the apostle Paul. And I think that according to the word of God, that when we get to the place where we have nowhere to look, it seems like we're gone as low and as far down as we can go.

The only thing that we can do is look up. And the psalmist said it this way. I will lift up my eyes and I will look unto the hills from whence comes my help. And my help, it comes from the Lord. I fought the good fight.

Paul said this, and these are things for you to consider as we're moving through this passage. Are you fighting the good fight today? Are you fighting the good fight today? Nobody, no fighter goes into the ring.

Listen, no fighter goes into the ring. If a person knew they were going to be fighting Mike Tyson, you're not going to go into the ring with your hands behind your back. I'll tell you how I go into the ring.

If I knew I was fighting Mike Tyson, I'd go into the ring like this. I'd put my ears. Because he bit off Andrew Holyfield's ear. Prepared, I would go in ready. And that's what Paul is saying. I have lived my life in a constant, continual state of readiness to serve God.

I fought a good fight. I have finished the race. How many of you, seems like you found your time and a point in your life where you seemingly strive to live for the Lord? You're doing everything you can to live for the Lord.

And something happens, and you feel like your legs have been swept out from underneath you. And it seems like you want to throw in the towel, and that you want to quit, and that you want to stop. But friend, there is no place for stopping short in the life of the Christian.

If you have to crawl on your hands and your knees, on your belly, to the finish line, then do just that. And I'll go a step further, and I'll say this. If you are saved, you can't help but keep on keeping on.

Even when you want to quit. Even when you want to throw in the towel. The Holy Spirit that lives within the life of the believer, He will prompt you, and He will urge you, and He will pull you onward, and He will pull you upward.

Paul said, I fought a good fight. I have finished the race. And then he said this, I have kept the faith. I have kept the faith. I have continued in that. And as he told the Ephesian believers, that it is by grace that you are saved through faith.

And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created unto good works, in Christ Jesus. Verse 8, he said, Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.

Lori, your daddy, he liked that song, Gone Home. I'm not going to stand here and say I've always known he liked it. I didn't. A couple of weeks ago at the hospital, Kenny and I went over there, and he said, I want you to listen to this.

Kathy said he makes them play it all the time. You probably knew that. Gone Home. He had something that he was looking for. He had something more than what this life has to offer. And for you as a Christian, if you are a Christian, if you have been born again by the Spirit of God, you have something to look forward to more than this life.

Do not get your heart fixed and your heart focused on the things in this world, because the things of this world are passing away. But heaven is eternal. Heaven is reality. Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day.

On that day. When is that day? Don't know. Not going to try to predict it, not going to try to tell it to you on that. But I can tell you that based upon the Word of God, which is all my hope and my stay, that there is coming a day.

And he said this, and not to me only, but unto also all who love him at his appearing, unto those who are looking for his appearing. A lost man, a lost woman, a lost boy or a lost girl is not going to look for the appearing of Jesus Christ.

A person who is outside of the grace of God is going to do nothing else but try to hide and try to manipulate and try to scheme and try to plot and try to plan and try to figure and try to do everything they can to get away and to disappear from his appearing.

But sir preached this years ago. When you were a child and you play hide and seek, what did you say when you got finished counting? Ready or not, here I come. And friends, there is coming a day. Whether you are ready or not, he is coming.

And the question is, how will you be found at his appearing? Will you be found wrapped in the robe of his righteousness? Will you be found trusting in his mercy and in his grace? Or will you be found trusting in your goodness and in your righteousness?

Because the Bible says that all of our righteousness, every good thing that we think we do, is nothing but filthy rags in the sight of a holy God. And Paul went on to say this. Be diligent, this urgency, be diligent to come to me quickly.

For Demas, a friend and a partner in the ministry, Demas has forsaken me. Having loved this present world, many will say, Oh, I don't wanna go to one of those churches where they preach against worldliness.

I don't wanna go to a church where they talk about being different than the world. I don't wanna go to one of those churches where I'm called to be holy. I don't wanna go to one of those churches or hear one of those preachers that talk about being sanctified, that talk about being set apart, that talk about being different, that quote verses like, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercy of God that you present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.

People do not want to hear that. But to the Christian, it is not a burden to hear that. To the Christian, it is an honor for us to hear this proclaimed from God's Word, because it is a reminder every time that we hear it, that we are God's, that Jesus paid a price for us, that that price that He paid was His precious and His holy blood.

And that according to the Word of God, David, that we ought to glorify God with our bodies, which are not our own, which are not our own. He said, Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and he's departed for Thessalonica.

Crescens departed for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. And then Paul said this in bringing everything down to these last few verses. He said, only Luke is with me. And then he said something very important, because when you're faced with the reality of death, when you live your life with the understanding that death is imminent, and that every moment counts in our lives, you consider more than what your selfish desires and your selfish will desire for you.

You desire the things that are gonna be pleasing and acceptable unto God. Paul said, only Mark, only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for the ministry. You say, what's the big deal there?

That don't sound like much. Well, if you'll study it out early in the book of Acts, there came a time when the apostles and the disciples that were gathered together, they split up, one group to go this way, one group to go that way in their ministry, and Paul had an opportunity to take Mark with him earlier on, but there was some contention between them.

And he said, no, you Silas, or he said, no, Barnabas, you take Mark with you, I'm gonna take Silas with me. And there was a little bit of contention as there is, because we're human, right? There's gonna be contention.

But our agreement is in Jesus Christ. And so here at the end, Paul says, everybody else has left me, only one that's with me here is Luke. He said, if you would, get Mark and tell him, come on. Whatever we got left in us, let's do this together.

And then verse 12, in Tychicus, have I sent to Ephesus, but the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, when you come and the books, especially the parchments. Now, Paul, I believe if you'll study it and you'll look at kind of his character and who he was, he was a very practical person.

There was a reason for the things that he did. He wasn't one of those that just acted on a whim. So in this verse, particularly, you see his practical nature kind of coming out, even at the point of death, Paul is encouraging what we have preserved for us in the word of God, encouraging those whom he wrote to and encouraging those of us who read it now to continue reading.

Well, you've lost me now, preacher. Just hang on, we ain't got too much longer. We're about finished. You mean I'm supposed to study? I'm supposed to read? Paul told Timothy early on, study to show yourself approved a workman unto God that needs not be ashamed, but rightly dividing the word of truth.

Amen? Amen. That's what the word says. Where does that say that? That is in 1 Timothy. I'll have to look up the reference for you afterwards, okay? I will do that though. You're welcome. So Paul says, bring the cloak I have left with Carpus at Troas, when you come, bring the books and especially the parchments.

So the parchments, assuming probably were scripture that was written down, books were the historical documents concerning the scriptures. There was always this always, there was always the importance of scripture because in the New Testament, they didn't have the New Testament.

So long, everybody know that? In the New Testament, what we have is the New Testament. During this time, they didn't have what we had. They were writing what we had. All they had was the Old Testament.

But whether Old or New Testament, the message was the same. The righteous will be justified by his faith. That God from the beginning set it up and ordained it so that man would have faith in him in the promised sacrifice of his Messiah.

And in the New Testament, we have the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament spoke of. So he said, pay attention to reading, give heed to reading, bring the books, especially the parchments. And then in verse 14, he said this, Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm.

May the Lord repay him according to his works. I believe that we can apply this in our lives, in living our lives in face of imminent death, making the most of every moment that we have by saying this, don't get so hung up on people who do you wrong.

Turn them over to the Lord and then move on. Because guess what? They're in far worse shape if you'll turn them over to the Lord than they are with you worrying about it because they ain't gonna do nothing but tear you up and destroy you.

Being concerned about it, figuring out how you're gonna get revenge on them. The scripture says, vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay. That's what the word of God says. Focus on the Lord. You also must beware of him.

He warned him. And I believe it's right for us to when we know someone is contrary to the scripture who goes contrary to the word of God to warn others about them. That's why this year you've heard a concentration of that.

Warning you against those who teach false doctrine. Warning you against those who speak against the word of God. I believe that's necessary. That's important. It's not mean. It's not mean spirited at all.

It may be considered mean by the world that we live because everybody figures everybody out to have their own opinion and their own right to do their own thing. And all they're doing is fulfilling what the scripture says because the scripture says in the Old Testament that every man did what was right in his own eyes.

And the scripture says that there's a way that seems right unto man but the end thereof are the ways of death. So we are not called to live according to the world or live for the applause and the praise of this world.

We are called to live for Jesus Christ. Him who died for us and rose again for us. Verse 16 in closing. He said, at my first defense, no one stood with me but all forsook me. But he said, may it not be charged against them but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.

There's gonna be a time when husbands and wives, you might be at odds with each other. She ain't gonna stand with you and you ain't gonna stand with her. Her time, just natural, it's the way things are.

But I will tell you something that you need to hear. God is not a man that he should lie. He is true and he is faithful. He will always hold true to his covenant. If you are his child, he has promised never to leave or to forsake you.

Paul said, all forsook me but the Lord, he stood with me. The Lord, he was there. Maybe you just need to take your eyes off your fellow man for a little bit and turn your eyes upon Jesus. You need to look full in his wonderful face.

You need to focus on him. I've let you down probably more times than you can count. And guess what? There'll be more times that you can count. You just need to learn to count higher. I'm gonna let you down probably that many more times.

But he won't, he won't. The Lord stood with me. The Lord strengthened me so that the message, Paul said, might be preached fully through me. And that all the Gentiles might hear. Also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the line.

Well, there is nothing that will bring you confidence than remembering what God has already done. This will help you, this will help you stay in line. You know, Paul said, he said, he delivered me out of the mouth of the line.

I don't know if he said it like this, but it's just how I am. Cause I don't know if any of you ever get excited and you just go, yes. You get happy in the Lord and you say, hey man! Or you say, whoop, that's it.

I believe right there when we live in the face of the imminency of death, when we live trying to make the most of every moment of our life and we are considering the work of God in our lives and we remember where God has brought us from.

Number one, if you are saved, believe the fact that he has saved you by his amazing grace and that not only he has brought you from point A to point Z where you are now, but he's brought you through every other letter of the alphabet and you are where you are because of his goodness and because of his mercy.

Paul said, I've been delivered out of the mouth of the line. You know what the practice was during this time for Christians? Christians were taken into a Colosseum. Christians were beaten, they were tortured nearly to the point of death.

They were tied to a stake in a big arena and lines were let loose on them. Killed, dead, but you know what? The Lord let Paul get beat. He let him get tortured. He let him get put into that circumstance and that situation and guess what?

Here's the thing, you need to know it's not gonna be the same for everybody. Some of them Christians got eaten up. Some of them got killed, dead, but they died honoring and glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul was just remembering. I remember when that line was running around me. I don't know what kept that thing from eating me, but all I know is they must have got tired of sitting there and watch that thing walking around in circles because here I am.

And the Lord will deliver me, Paul said, from every evil work and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever, amen. And the Lord will deliver me. Deliverance is not always what we perceive it to be.

Deliverance is not always getting out of a bad situation. Sometimes it's going through a bad situation. For the children of Israel, deliverance was not God providing them a big boat to get across the Red Sea when Pharaoh and his army came.

For the children of Israel at that moment, it was God having a man who followed him by faith, willing to stand and to say, God, I'm gonna do whatsoever you have commanded me to do. And the Lord said, Moses, lift up your staff.

And Moses lifted up his staff and the whole night, a strong east wind blew and divided the waters hither and thither. And the Bible says the children of Israel didn't go around, they didn't go over it and they didn't go under it, they went through it.

Sometimes deliverance is going through stuff. Sometimes you do get delivered by it, but not every time. But whatever the case may be, whatever your situation, whatever your circumstance might be, honor God with your life.

Honor God with your life. Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for this time that you've given us today. And God, I pray again, as I prayed earlier, that you would take your word and that you would cause your word to do your work in the life of your people, God.

That you would give us each and every one a greater hunger and a greater thirst for righteousness, God. Continue, God, for me, I can't necessarily pray this for other people, God, because I don't know that others are as bad as I am, God.

But I need your help, Lord, to have a lesser taste for the things of this world and a greater hunger and a greater thirst for your righteousness. And I know, oh God, that's only gonna come from your word.

So help us be faithful and true and in your word. God, I just wanna ask you to give comfort and encouragement, dear God, to families that have lost loved ones. God, I wanna ask you to give peace and to give hope, dear God, as they continue to move on with their lives, not forgetting their loved ones, not forgetting the problems, not forgetting where they've been, but remembering where they've been and to know that through it all, you are there.

For it is in Jesus' name I pray, amen.