The End and the Beginning

2 Timothy 4:6-8
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, July 10, 2016
Copyright © 2016, P. G. Mathew

Introduction

In 2 Timothy 4:6–8, the apostle Paul speaks about the end and the beginning. The Bible says that it is appointed for man once to die and then comes the judgment (Heb. 9:27). We all must die, unless the Lord comes. So “the end” speaks about our death. If we are believers in Jesus Christ, we are speaking about our death in Christ, our death in the faith. And for believers, “the beginning” is the beginning of our life with God in heaven. But for those who are not believers, “the beginning” means the beginning of life in hell.

Jesus Christ spoke more about hell than anyone else in the New Testament. Eternal hell is a reality, and the vast majority of people will go there when they die. Few will enter heaven, as Jesus himself said. But if you are outside of Christ, there is still hope for you. What must you do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and saved forever.

Paul gave Timothy his final charge with all earnestness and solemnity. He told him that he must preach the gospel for two reasons: first, in view of the coming apostasy of certain believers in the church, and, second, because of the certain martyrdom of Paul and his soon departure to God’s presence in heaven.

The preaching of the gospel and the work of Christ’s church must continue until the epiphany, that is, the glorious second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is true that God buries his workmen. But he also carries on his work of building his church with other laborers. For example, Joshua followed Moses, Elisha followed Elijah, and now Timothy must follow Paul.

In 2 Timothy 4:6–8, Paul is looking back on his thirty years of ministry (AD 36-66). He heard the gospel as a young man (Acts 7:58). Now he is an old man (Philem. 9), thrown into a Roman dungeon, waiting to be executed for his faith in Jesus.

Jesus calls every believer to follow him even to death. He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). He also declared, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26–27). It is a serious business to become a Christian.

From this passage, we want to consider Paul’s statements about his present situation, his past labor for Christ, and his future blessed expectation.

 

Paul Concerning His Present

In verse 6, Paul gives the second reason why Timothy must preach the word. The first reason was the apostasy of certain professing believers in the church. Earlier Paul wrote, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3–4). That is what happens in true churches. Those who leave do so because they cannot put up with the gospel. They are unbelievers, and they go out to their own damnation.

But there was a second reason Paul commanded Timothy to preach the word: Paul was about to be martyred for his preaching. He was telling Timothy, “I know I must die, so you must preach.”

Years before, Paul received his ministry from Christ. He writes, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service” (1 Tim. 1:12). He also says, “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald [that is, a preacher] and an apostle and a teacher” (2 Tim. 1:11).

But he could not continue to preach anymore. He knew his end was fast approaching. His life was already being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice of his ministry to the Gentiles even as a gallon of wine would be poured out gradually on the burnt offering sacrifice of a lamb until the last drop was poured out. Paul’s whole life had been a living sacrifice. He practiced what he wrote to the Roman Christians: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Rom. 12:1).

Now Paul was facing beheading and the shedding of his blood. His blood was being poured out, not by Nero’s soldiers, but by Christ the high priest, who poured out his own blood on the cross in our place and for our salvation.

So Paul was telling Timothy, “The process of my death has begun already. My death is certain. I am not going to be delivered as I was in my first Roman imprisonment.”

We read about Paul’s first deliverance in his epistle to the Philippians: “For I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance” (Phil. 1:19); “It is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me” (Phil. 1:24–26); “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you” (Phil. 2:17); “I hope, therefore, to send [Timothy] as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon” (Phil. 2:23–24).

Before, when he wrote to the Philippians during his first imprisonment, he was not very certain of what would happen to him. Now, having been rearrested, he was writing his last letter to Timothy. This time, as he wrote from the dungeon, he was very certain of one thing: his imminent death. He knew his blood was about to be spilled on the sacrifice of his life service to God as wine was poured out upon the burnt offering.

In the Greek text, Paul uses another metaphor to explain his impending martyrdom. By using the verb analuseôs, he was saying, in essence, “The anchor of the ship of my life has been weighed, that is, unloosed from its mooring, and I am about to set sail from this world to the happy shore of heaven.”

Paul uses the same language of departure in Philippians 1: “Tên epithumian echôn eis to analusai kai sun Christô einai, pollô mallon kreisson.” In other words, he is saying, “I want to set sail, I want to depart and be with Christ, which to me is far better” (Phil. 1:23).

Jesus has given us eternal life. Paul writes that Christ has destroyed our death by his death and brought life and immortality for us instead (2 Tim. 1:10). So we are secure in our Savior. Paul declares, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:37–39).

In Christ, the following is true of all God’s adopted children:

1. Philippians 1:23: “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” To depart from this life means to be with Christ forever. It means to die, to sleep in Christ. It is far better.
2. 2 Corinthians 5:8: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” When believers leave this world through death, they go home to God.
3. Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Can you say that? If you are a believer, then you will say that.
4. 1 Thessalonians 4:14: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” To die in Christ is to fall asleep in Jesus.
5. Revelation 14:13: “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’” For believers, death is blessed; it is rest from our labors.
6. Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” A believer’s death is precious to God.
7. Hebrews 12:23: “[You have come] to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect.” The souls of believers are perfected at death and enter into heaven.
8. Luke 23:43: “Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’” At death our souls enter paradise.
9. Luke 16:22: “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.” At death, our souls are carried by holy angels into the third heaven, to Abraham’s bosom.
10. John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” At death, we go to our true eternal home.

 

 

Paul knew he was about to be killed, yet he was not depressed. In fact, he was about to experience the second installment of his salvation. He had the “blessed assurance” that he would be with Jesus. He was looking forward to heaven, just as Stephen the martyr did. In Acts 7 we read, “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’” (Acts 7:55–56).

Jesus also knew when his hour had come to die. In John 17:1 we read, “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.’” Now Paul knew that the hour had come for him to depart.

 

Paul’s Past in the Ministry

As Paul wrote to Timothy, he knew that his own service for Christ was now completed. He was looking back on his thirty-year ministry with satisfaction. But we also notice that his sinful past life is not recorded. Why? Because it was forgiven and forgotten. So Paul writes, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:15–16).

Paul uses three parallel clauses in verse 7 to describe his successful ministry. He uses three perfect tenses to emphasize the finality of his work for God.

 

I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

First he says, “Good fight I have fought.” In other words, “I have fought the good fight successfully and finished it.” In the Greek it is, “I have agonized the good agony.”

Jesus promised this good fight for all his followers. When Paul was converted, Jesus told Ananias, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). Paul himself wrote, “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18). He also said, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:12). Every minister and believer must fight the good fight. This is what Paul did, as he says in 2 Corinthians 11:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. (2 Cor. 11:23–26)

Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 5: “Blessed are you when people insult you.” Many people will hate those who believe in Jesus Christ. They oppose the Bible. So Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” We must be filled with the Holy Spirit and be filled with the Scriptures so that we can fight the good fight. Then Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11–12). This is the story of every preacher of the gospel.

Why does Paul call it a good fight? He does so because it is God’s fight, because it is good for the salvation of God’s elect sinners, and because it will always end in victory.

True ministers, and all believers, are engaged in this good fight all of life. And they will emerge from this fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil as more than conquerors through him who loved us (Rom. 8:37). So Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Paul said, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:3–5).

It is true that the devil is against us. But Christ the conqueror is for us. Thus, we can fight and win in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the power of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and in the power of prayer in the Holy Spirit. Paul exhorts:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Eph. 6:10–18)

 

By his death and resurrection, Christ defeated all his and our enemies. So we can resist the devil and he will flee from us. (PGM) By grace, we must resist and fight. Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” And Paul writes, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

The Lord gives us grace to live, grace to fight, and grace to die. So we read, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev. 12:11).

The entire Christian life is an intense struggle against evil powers. But we fight not in our own strength but in the power of the Spirit of God. Paul’s words are true of every believer: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20).

 

I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE

Then Paul uses the metaphor of a race, saying, “The race I have finished successfully.” He likened his ministry to a footrace (see also 1 Corinthians 9:24–27).

A Christian must be highly disciplined and full of power. He must always be looking at the goal and running toward it without any distraction. Earlier Paul wrote, “Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Tim. 2:5). The Hebrews writer declares, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb. 12:1–3).

Paul often compared his ministry to a race: “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:22-24).

 

I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH

The third statement Paul makes is, “Faith I have kept.” Paul did not wander away from the truth of the gospel as the false teachers did. He wrote about them: “Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:17–18).

Paul always preached the apostolic doctrine given in the Old Testament and in the gospel. He preached salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised from the dead for our justification. And not only did Paul preach the gospel, but he also lived the life that this faith demands.

Elsewhere Paul instructed Timothy to “[hold] on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith” (1 Tim. 1:19). In the evangelical world, there are thousands of people, especially ministers, who have shipwrecked their faith. Paul also says, “If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. . . . Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:6, 16). And in Revelation 14:12 we read, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus

Paul fought the good fight, he ran the race, and he kept the faith. He did it all by grace, meaning God did it all. Paul explains how this works in Philippians 2, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12–13).

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “[God] chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord’” (1 Cor. 1:28–31).

Who are we? We are mere falling blossoms. Yet think about how arrogant man can be! Arrogance comes because of one’s intelligence or appearance or wealth or power. But all arrogant people will face judgment by the Judge of the whole world, Jesus Christ.

 

Paul’s Future Happy Expectation

Previously in this epistle, Paul said that through faith in Jesus Christ we have eternal life (2 Tim. 1:1), faith and love (2 Tim. 1:13), strength of grace (2 Tim. 2:1), and salvation (2 Tim. 2:10).

As branches vitally joined to the vine will produce much fruit through the life of the vine freely received, so believers receive the life of Christ so that they may bring forth fruit as evidence of their salvation. In Christ, we find salvation, eternal life, faith, love, grace, and strength. Without Christ, we can do nothing. But with Christ, we can do all things, including suffering martyrdom, according to the will of God.

Once we are truly saved, we are saved forever. Our future is glorious. Paul says, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Phil. 3:8–9).

In verse 8 Paul says, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.” In other words, “The crown of righteousness is reserved, not for another but for me.” It is reserved by Jesus Christ in heaven.

This was the great hope of Paul and of every true believer. He writes elsewhere, “But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope” (Gal. 5:5). And Peter writes, “And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you. . . . Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:4, 8-9). Our crown of righteousness is kept in heaven for us. Jesus Christ himself keeps it.

Our Lord Jesus is quite able to guard it, just as he is able to guard what we have entrusted to him (our salvation) for that day (2 Tim. 1:12). We are to believe in Jesus so that we may be saved eternally. Let God be true and every man a liar. When he tells us to believe and we will be saved, he means it.

We must believe the words of Jesus. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Then he asked, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:25–26).

My victor’s crown of righteousness is not with me now; it is reserved for me in heaven by the Lord Jesus. Yet this crown of righteousness, this crown of salvation, is very secure. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19–21).

We enjoy our salvation in three installments. The first is now, when we believe in Jesus; the second is when we die and our souls, having been perfected, enter heaven; and, finally, on the day when Christ will come again with great glory.

This crown of righteousness is earned for us by Christ alone. We did not earn it for ourselves. Paul writes, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5–6).

This righteousness is imputed to us now, but on the day of his epiphany, we will enjoy our crown, consisting in the righteousness of Christ, in its perfect reality. This crown will evidence our justification by faith (Rom. 3:21–22).

The Bible speaks of several crowns for believers: the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), the crown of eternal life (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10), and the crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4). So Paul writes, “But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope” (Gal. 5:5). The Lord says, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). All these crowns are waiting for us. They speak about the fullness of our salvation.

Paul was not depressed at the prospect of his beheading. Rather, he was rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. He was looking forward to Christ’s epiphany. He stated this in his epistle to Titus. We are to live “self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12–13). He also wrote, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:20–21). We are going to receive a glorious body and there will be no more pain. There will be no misery because there is no sin in heaven.

Paul wrote, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thess. 4:16–18). The Bible alone gives us hope.

Paul said that Jesus the righteous Judge, unlike Pilate and Nero, would give the crown of righteousness to him. He will also give it to every true believer who loves Jesus, even to a person of little faith. Those who love Jesus will also love his appearing and live holy lives. John writes, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). And Peter says, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat” (2 Pet. 3:11–12). Paul says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13).

 

What about You?

What is it that you love most—the coming of Jesus or something else in this world? We all must answer that question. Consider John’s words: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15–17).

Luke 10:27 tells us, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” What do you love most? In 1 Corinthians 16:22, Paul writes, “If anyone does not love the Lord—a curse [anathema] be on him.” Then he says, “Maranatha(Come, O Lord!).”

Jesus is telling us, “I am coming soon.” Will you say in response, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”? Or will you say, “Please wait. I have many plans. My girl is about to be married. I am going to Harvard University. Please do not come. Why don’t you change your calendar? Come another time when I am ready to die.”

If Christ does not come in our lifetime, we must make certain that we will go to him, as Paul did. That is why we called this, “The End and the Beginning.” May God help us all to make our calling and election sure.