Winner Takes It All

Introduction

“The clock is ticking.” While Paul may have not been saying that kind of phrase since they didn’t have clocks that ticked back in bible times, I do wonder if a similar phrase may have been in his mind as he waiting for his execution. Imagine sitting in like a prison cell today and just waiting to be killed. I think it would be pretty anxiety inducing. But you see that was exactly what was happening to Paul. He was sitting in a Roman prison waiting for his death to come while writing this letter to Timothy. This was it for Paul. Paul had a decent bit of near death experiences but this was it for him. No getting out of it. But even still, knowing that his life was near its end, his feelings toward it are a little out of the ordinary, different than how most people would feel and act waiting to die. But he sets an example/precedent for the kind of life Christians should lead. So Let’s read 2 Timothy 4:6-8

6 “For I am already being poured out 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 reserved 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.”

I. Vs. 6

a. Paul says in verse 6 that he is already being poured out as a drink offering. why is Paul bringing offerings up? Well, the drink offering is an offering prescribed in the Old Testament. The people were firstly to give a burnt offering, then a grain offering, and finally a drink offering. Paul talking about him being already poured out as a drink offering is him referencing that this is his final offering. In Romans 12 Paul says to “Present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.” Paul dedicated his life to being an offering to the Lord serving him. He considered himself a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. He lived to serve his master. And now this is it. This is his final offering. His life was being poured out and coming to an end. It was time for him to depart from this world and go to be with the Lord. Like I said before, he knew the clock was ticking. But He did not have regret. He wasn’t hopeless or afraid. He knew where he was going. Paul was ready and accepted what was going to happen.

b. Do you feel like you can have that peace that Paul has here? If you found out that you were soon going to be with the Father, would you be able to say the same words Paul said? That your life is already being poured out as a drink offering, or could you not even say that your life was even an offering? If we you are honest with yourself, you’ll be pretty doubtful that you could say those words. We are not promised tomorrow. We might not have the impending death that Paul did here, but we could lose our lives at anytime. So why are you waiting? Why are you waiting to get to the same mindset that Paul had. Let your life be a drink offering. Our clocks are ticking too and just because we don’t know when ours will stop, doesn’t mean that we have time to waste, because we don’t. We don’t have time to waste and we need to be good stewards of the time that we do have on this earth. Offer up all of yourself to God! Don’t wait! Don’t let there be anything left to give.

II. Vs. 7

a. Now verse 7 here is Paul’s thoughts about how he did. How he performed in life. Paul knew he wasn’t perfect. Paul had his own problems just like any of us. He was human. But even so, he put in a lot of effort. We tried really hard to be in God’s will and do what he was supposed to do.

Paul said he had fought the good fight. There are a lot of pointless fights in this world. Fights get started because of gossip and pride and self-righteousness. A lot of people like to fight. They like the drama. Most fights should have never been started at all. But this fight. The fight that Paul is talking about is the fight. This is the battle. This was the fight for Christ. He says that he fought the good fight. He had given it everything he had. at the end of his life he was able to say the he exhausted everything. He gave it all for Christ. Life is a constant battle. You have to wage war spiritually everyday whether to live you life rightly, or to give into temptation and to give into sin.

b. Have you fought the good fight? Have you even been fighting at all? Are you just going with the flow of church? Oh, i’ll go to church on Sundays, I’ll even pray and read my Bible sometimes, and you know what, I might even come on a Wednesday night or maybe do a music special one Sunday. I’ll tell you right now that that is not even close to giving it your all. You aren’t offering your life to Christ let alone is your life being poured out. That is no fight at all. You are giving the most bare minimum effort you can just to check off a list. But this battle of ours. This fight that we have. Paul did everything he could to spread the Gospel, living his life for Christ. But you’re giving the bare minimum. Not even trying. Why aren’t you fighting? We only get one chance.

Paul keeps going saying that He had finished the race. As Tony Evans said, It’s not enough to start the Christian race, it’s not enough to run the race, You gotta finish the race and you gotta finish that race well. This game of life we’re all playing, this race of life that we are participating in, It’s winner takes it all! It’s winner takes it all. Second place isn’t an option. You can’t just give half effort and call it a day. This is the race of a lifetime and you need to treat it as such.

Illustration:

It doesn’t matter if you got shin splints from running so long, or your ankles hurt, you’re exhausted, heart beating out of your chest screaming at you to stop, even if you are out of breath you are to finish the race. You gotta exhaust everything. Leave nothing left in the tank guys. It doesn’t matter how many times you trip and fall. It doesn’t matter if the people around you are calling it a day and saying there don’t care if they finish the race well. That doesn’t matter. You’re focus should be on running as fast as you can straight toward Christ. Keeping those eyes on Jesus.

It will feel exhausting. It turns out that giving everything you got isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. But at the end of your life, when you realize it’s about to be over, how can you not want to say that you finished well. That should be our life’s goal. To know that we gave it everything we got. That we kept running to Christ no matter how many times we may have fallen. I know that I want to be able to say that. I want to hear well done my good and faithful servant.

c. Paul said that he had kept the faith. He had stuck with it and no matter how hard it got he kept the faith. He was faithful. Don’t you understand what you guys have? What we are able to have faith in is unlike anything else this world has to offer. The world can’t offer something like this. We can have hope in Jesus Christ. Nothing else can give that hope. And yet so many people stray away from the faith. So many people fall away and don’t keep it. Why? A big contender, is what faith requires of us. Being a believer, having faith in Jesus Christ means that there are going to be sacrifices. And that’s where it gets some people. You mean I don’t just get a get out of hell free card? I actually have to live my faith out? Being a child of God means that God might and will ask you to do things that you don’t want to do. As a child of God we have a responsibility to do His will. But then we have the audacity, the gaul to get upset with God even after we’ve been giving the gift of eternal life.

“God I didn’t ask for this calling. I didn’t pray for let alone want to be a preacher. I don’t want to run slides for the church on Sundays. I don’t want to volunteer for children’s Chapel. I never asked to have people that rely on me. I didn’t want any of those things or responsibilities. Let them be someone else’s problem God. Because that life ain’t for me and I don’t want any part of it. Life would be a lot easier that way right? Just sail through not having to give anything up. Rather be comfortable than follow God’s will, God’s calling for you. It’s just bad luck for them they can find someone else to help them instead. God can find someone else to call to be a pastor. God can call someone else to lead music.” That’s what a lot of people think and that might even be what you think. But no. Living that way isn’t right. It’s not the better way to live. You have a responsibility to answer that calling that God has for you in your life.

Everyone wants to say they did a good job. that they lead a good life right? But are you going to fight the good fight, are you going to finish the race giving everything you got and keeping the faith. God required a lot of Paul throughout his life and his ministry isn’t easy. But don’t run away from that. Don’t throw in the towel out of fear or maybe even just pure laziness. Give it everything you got. Every ounce of energy. Pour it out! the fact that we are breathing today, that life that we have right now, not everyone was afforded that gift.

III. Vs. 8

a. Now in verse 8, Paul talks about how he knows that he has a crown of righteousness waiting for him. Throughout Paul’s ministry he faced a lot. Paul had been beaten, had received lashes, had been stoned, shipwrecked three times, and the list kinda just keeps going. it was not easy on Paul but he was okay with that. He wasn’t afraid of death and he looked forward to being with the Lord. He looked forward to getting that crown.

b. We all are able to be rewarded with that crown. All who love his appearing will get one. Maybe you haven’t been fighting the good fight like you should be. Or not giving it your all to finish the race well, and it may honestly feel like you have not kept the faith. But that crown can still be available to you. You might have messed up a ton. You haven’t offered up you life as an offering. But whatever mistakes you have made God’s grace is greater. When you are running a race. It doesn’t matter who is next to you or who is behind you or in front of you. What’s important is that you keep your eyes on the finish line. That finish line is Christ. So keep running towards Christ and don’t obsess over how you’ve failed or how you aren’t been doing well. You can get back on the track now. Don’t waste the opportunity you have right now to get back on track and start running as fast as you can to finish well.

Conclusion

While Paul might be near the end of his life, while his ministry may have been concluding there is still work for us to do. We aren’t promised tomorrow that’s true, but if we are still alive, if we are still breathing today God is not done with us. At the end of your life, be able to say what Paul said about his life. Don’t just go with the flow. Don’t just let your life fly by. Give Jesus effort. Give your life to him. Fight the good fight, Finish the race, and keep the faith. Because this race that we are in right now, like I said before, it’s winner takes it all. You have the choice, are you going to try to win, or are you going to let the opportunity of having a fulfilling life in God’s will slip by? Let’s pray.