Introduction
- 2 Timothy 4
- Did you go outside early yesterday morning?
- A little bit of frost in the grass…
- A nip in the air…
- Winter is coming!
- I know some of you love the winter, but your parents probably dropped you on your head when you were a baby.
- Winter weather is not my favorite.
- But, like it or not, winter is coming.
- So, most years, about this time of year, as we feel the season changing from autumn to winter…
- I like to preach a message I call Come Before Winter.
- This is a tradition of a number of pastors.
- And much of what I will say this year and every year is not original to me and probably not original to the people I heard preach it.
- The tradition goes back to 1915, with Clarence Macartney preaching a sermon with this title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- You can Google his sermon and read it.
- It is a very compelling sermon.
- Well, I preach my own version and change it up a little from year to year.
- But I trust the Lord will use it to encourage you…
- And I pray the Lord will use my sermon like he did Clarence Macartney’s sermon 109 years ago.
- Scripture…
- We are going to work our way to a passage in 1 Peter this morning, but let’s begin reading in 2 Timothy 4.
- Background
- Paul…
- Timothy…
- 2 Timothy…
- 2 Timothy 4:6 | For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. (CSB)
- Paul seems to know that his earthly life is coming to an end…
- 2 Timothy 4:7 | I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (CSB)
- Isn’t that what we all want to be able to say at the end…
- My greatest desire is that I will be faithful to the end.
- 2 Timothy 4:8 | 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 to all those who have loved his appearing. (CSB)
- Paul knew he would be rewarded for his faithfulness and his perseverance.
- What was the reward? The crown of righteousness.
- The crown of righteousness is not a piece of jewelry…
- You could read this phrase as the crown which is righteousness.
- There is an important sermon in these verses about how to die…
- How to die with no regrets and with perfect peace…
- Paul lived that sermon out all the way to the end.
- 2 Timothy 4:9 | Make every effort to come to me soon, (CSB)
- You can hear the desperation in his words…
- 2 Timothy 4:21a | Make every effort to come before winter… (CSB)
- You can hear the urgency in his request…
- Why did Paul write these words to Timothy?
- PAUL KNEW HIS REMAINING LIFE WAS SHORT.
- Second imprisonment…
- Expected to be executed…
- Likely executed in 67 AD.
- (Rome burned in 64 AD.)
- Paul knew every meal might be his last…
- PAUL KNEW TIMOTHY’S OPPORTUNITY WAS LIMITED.
- Timothy was in Ephesus which was about 1,000 miles from Rome.
- Winter storm season…
- Why did the Lord preserve these words for us?
-
A. The Brevity of Life
- Paul told Timothy, “My life is brief. My days are numbered.”
- But that is a truth that applies not only to a man on death row like Paul, it applies to all of us.
- For all of us, life is short.
- For all of us, the end of life will come more quickly than we imagined.
- And that is true whether we live to 100 or die tragically young.
- Paul knew every day could be his last…
- We are wise if we embrace the same reality.
- James 4:13–14 | Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. (CSB)
- Let me try to convince you of the brevity of life…
- First, know, the longer you live, the faster life goes…
- Kids waiting for Christmas…
- My mom’s advent calendar of Hershey Kisses…
- For the longest time, I didn’t believe life moved faster…
- You get older, you lose your hair, and you lie a lot…
- But it is true!
- Second, it is later in life than you think…
- I do this every year, though I’m afraid for some, this puts them in therapy for six months…
- Compare 78-year lifespan to an 18-hour day (6 a.m. to midnight)…
- (Current average lifespan in US is 77 years and six months. That is 11 months longer than it was a year ago!)
- If you are 25, it is 11:46 a.m.
- If you are 45, it is 4:23 p.m.
- If you are 55, it is 6:42 p.m.
- If you are 65, it is 9:00 p.m.
- If you are 75, it is 11:18 p.m. (Happy holidays!)
- Compare 78-year lifespan to a 365-day calendar…
- If you are 30, it is May 20.
- If you are 40, it is July 6.
- If you are 50, it is August 22.
- If you are 60, it is October 8.
- If you are 70, it is November 24.
- Compare 78-year lifespan to 18-hole golf course…
- If you are 39, you are on the back nine.
- If you are 65, you just finished whole 15. You look up, and you can see the club house in the distance.
- Why am I telling you this?
- I want us to understand, life is short.
- Psalm 90:12 | Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. (CSB)
- There were people who heard this message last year who are no longer with us this year…
- And very likely, some who hear it this year, will not be with us next year…
- Younger people might say, “This doesn’t apply to my life!”
- First, it does…
- Second, you are establishing grooves in your life, habits, priorities, and family that will persist throughout your life, regardless of its length.
-
B. The Brevity of Opportunity
- Looking back at Paul and Timothy, there were two factors in play…
- Paul’s remaining life was brief…
- Timothy’s opportunity was limited…
- Just as it is important for us to embrace the brevity of life, we must also understand that the opportunities we have to do some very important things…
- Those opportunities are limited!
- We see this principle born out in Scripture in many ways, but I like to point people to a parable Jesus shared inMark 4…
- Mark 4:4 | As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. (CSB)
- Mark 4:15 | Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them. (CSB)
- There are doors of opportunities that are sometimes only open a short time…
- Opportunities to…
- To serve the Lord…
- To love our families…
- To choose a more God-honoring path…
- To mend relationships…
- To start something new…
- But we tend to PROCRASTINATE and the opportunities fade…
- As the seasons change and winter approaches, one of the greatest dangers we face is that in the winter, we will say, “Well, I meant to.”
- I meant to do that…
- I meant to learn the Bible…
- I meant to share my faith…
- I meant to lead my family spiritually…
- I meant to be faithful in my finances…
- I meant to call that person…
- I heard a poem about Mr. Meant-To…
- Mr. Meant-to had a comrade, and his name was Didn’t-do.
- Have you ever chance to meet them?
- Did they ever call on you?
- These two fellows lived together in the house of Never-when.
- And I’m told that it is haunted by the ghost of might-have-been.
- This limited opportunity includes the limited opportunity to call upon the Lord.
- The Lord will not tarry with man forever…
- Proverbs 1…
- Do you get the message of Come Before Winter?
- Life is brief…
- Opportunity is limited…
- So, come before winter!
- That is the message, but each year, I want to challenge you to come before winter in a few key areas of life.
- And I’m going to give you a very brief challenge to come before winter in two areas.
- But, first, I want to show you why your commitment to come before winter is often not successful.
- We have been studying 1 Peter since the beginning of September.
- How to be a Christian in an unChristian World…
- I want to show you two verses in 1 Peter 5.
- Last week we studied verses 6 & 7…
- This week, let’s look at 8 & 9…
Scripture
- 1 Peter 5:8 | Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. (CSB)
- Be sober-minded, be alert…
- Devil
- Adversary
- We have an active enemy/adversary who seeks to counterpunch our every move…
- A common phrase in military planning is this:
- Roar
- A lion’s roar can’t hurt you…
- But it can…
- Induce fear…
- Paralyze you in inaction…
- Devour
- The devil is working to destroy the abundant life and the gospel effectiveness of your life…
- 1 Peter 5:9 | Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. (CSB)
- This is a universal struggle!
Come Before Winter
- You have an adversary who seeks to ruin you…
- By lying to you about the brevity of life…
- By paralyzing you with respect to the limits of opportunity…
- Now is not the best time…
- There is no urgency…
I. In recognizing the battle for your family…
- Satan would like nothing more than to destroy your family.
- Do you need to come before winter with respect to your family?
- Is there a relationship you need to mend?
- Romans 12:18 | If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (CSB)
- Is your marriage an expression of your love for the Lord?
- Are you leading your children or grandchildren spiritually?
- Are you consistently crying out to the Lord on behalf of your family?
- Can people see your love for the Lord in the ways you honor your parents?
- Does your extended family see you as a fount of unconditional love?
II. In recognizing the battle for your peace…
- Satan is seeking to destroy your peace in every way possible.
- So…
- 1 Peter 5:9 | Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. (CSB)
- James 4:7 | Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (CSB)
- How do you resist him?
- One way is that you come before winter with respect to persistent sin…
- Sins?
- Confession…
- Psalms 32:3 | When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. (CSB)
- Psalms 32:4 | For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah (CSB)
- Psalms 32:5 | Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah (CSB)
III. In recognizing the battle for your testimony…
IV. In recognizing the battle for our church…
Conclusion
- Why did Paul write to Timothy, “Come before winter?”
- Paul knew that soon the last boat would depart from Ephesus, and sail unto the Mediterranean Sea…
- Do you think Timothy was on that last boat?
- I don’t know…
- I hope so…
- If he wasn’t I imagine he regretted it the rest of his life…
- I often think of another story of regret…
- Deuteronomy 32:48 | On that same day the Lord spoke to Moses, (CSB)
- Deuteronomy 32:49 | “Go up Mount Nebo in the Abarim range in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan I am giving the Israelites as a possession. (CSB)
- Deuteronomy 32:50 | Then you will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. (CSB)
- Deuteronomy 32:51 | For both of you broke faith with me among the Israelites at the Waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat me as holy in their presence. (CSB)
- Deuteronomy 32:52 | Although from a distance you will view the land that I am giving the Israelites, you will not go there.” (CSB)
