View from the Finish Line

2 Timothy 4:6–8 NASB95

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 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.

INTRO: How do you view life? Did you know that the way you view your past, present, and future plays a large role in how you live out your life?

ILL: There is a popular play/ movie- you may have seen it- called “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. You seen that? I personally like the Disney version because I think Goofy makes an excellent Jacob Marley. Anyway, the premise of this movie is that Ebenezer Scrooge would get a new perspective on life by looking at his present, past, and future as it stood. Of course, after receiving such a wake-up call, Scrooge makes some radical changes and determines to finish well.

Today, as we wrap up our study on the Pastoral Epistles, we are going to examine the Apostle Paul’s own views of the present, past, and future and look at ways you and I might adjust our perspective so that we can be confident that we too will finish this life well.

So, if you grabbed a bulletin, you can open it up to the sermon guide portion and follow along as we study Paul’s view from the finish line.

Now, we must not embark upon this out of context, so as we look at Paul’s view from the finish line, we must connect it to our study from last week on living out our calling. Paul does this with the word “for” in v. 6. In fact, you and I will see that it is because of Paul’s view of life (present, past, and future) that allows for him to pass the torch on to Timothy, whom Paul had spent countless hours over the years teaching and training in order to take on this role.

Paul’s view of his life includes this vision for reproducing himself in others. We’ve talked about our role to make disciples. We should be doing this in our homes and in the world. Men, you should be leading younger men in the faith so that you might pass the torch to them. Ladies, you should be leading younger women in the things of God.

When you come to the finish line in your life, who will carry on the Gospel work that you have taken up? I imagine facing death is easier when you know that your most important work will continue on because you have reproduced yourself in others.

But let us consider how Paul viewed his own life in the present. He uses an interesting illustration in v. 6 to describe his:

Sacrificial View of the Present

Paul says “I am (present tense) already being poured out as a drink offering...”

Paul saw his life not as some cruel tragedy or even unfair treatment. He saw his impending death sentence the culmination of a life of sacrifice to God. You see, the drink offering was poured out after the lamb was laid on the altar just before the fire was lit. Paul is describing that he is now at the end of the life that brings together his offering before God as living sacrifice. (Rom. 12:1)

You see, Paul was not serving God so that he would look good or so that people would think highly of him. He was serving God as an act of worship. If people turned on you or walked away from you, as was the case with Paul, or if your earthly reward for being perhaps the most influential person in Christianity after Jesus is a getting your head chopped off, well, it’s ok. You are living your life as an offering, a sacrifice to God.

It means that you aren’t putting so much stock in this earthly life or your own importance because it is being lived for God. When Paul was speaking to the Ephesian elders (recorded in Acts 20:23-24) before heading to Jerusalem, he knew that persecution awaited him. He knew that he would suffer, but he said:

Acts 20:24 NASB95

“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

Paul describes his impending death as “my departure”. Now, you might not think much of this, but you should understand that he viewed death differently than most people. You see, “departure” translates as “release, or untying”. Paul saw death as the releasing of his earthly bonds- he wasn’t thinking “this is the end”, but rather “this is where I depart here and go to be with Christ.”(Phil 1:23). Paul didn’t fear death because he knew that what awaited him was far greater than this world had to offer!

Matthew 16:25 NASB95

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Discuss: What does it mean to live your life as a sacrifice?

Our view of life in the present, if we wish to finish well, must be one of sacrifice. Next we see Paul had a

Peaceful View of the Past

Now, to be certain everything in Paul’s past was not perfect. He shared, as part of his testimony, that he considered himself the biggest sinner to ever walk the earth. But Paul could look back on his life with a clear conscience. We see this in v. 7.

Paul says that he has “Fought the good fight” - this is not just about a struggle, although that is part of it. Surely Paul’s Christian life was not picnic in the park. Paul is referring to the “good” fight- the fight of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

People are fighting all kinds of battles- we fight against things on a daily basis. Some people fight against drugs, abuse, political causes, moral causes. These are all battles that we can see. But there is one fight that is above these fights- we have been called into the fight for the souls of mankind.

Can you say that you are a soldier in this battle? Let me help you: If you are living your life primarily for your own comfort, you are not seeking first the Kingdom of God.

Paul knew that the fight he was in was worth it. It was the good fight.

But he also said, “I have finished the course” - In other words, I didn’t give up. I didn’t quit the race. I played by the rules and made it to the finish line.

It can very tempting for us to throw in the towel; to walk away because there is so much pressure from the world to do so. Paul was stoned, conspired against, opposed by so many.

James and I had the honor of attending the State Convention this week. There, we heard from a man named Sam James, who spent 40 years as a missionary in Vietnam (during the Vietnam War, mind you). He shared a bit about his life- the imprisonments, the challenges, but he, like the apostle Paul, looked back on his life knowing that if he had to do it over again, he would do it the same!

It takes a certainty and dedication in life to be able to have this view of the past. It must be more than a partial commitment.

Reflect: Will you be able to say that you have truly finished the course? What changes do you need to make?

Finally he says “I have kept the faith” - This means that he has not compromised the Gospel message. Though people would challenge him, persecute him, tempt him, Paul remained faithful to the true Gospel. There was no exemptions… Paul never tried to make the gospel sound more appealing to the culture around him. He didn’t buy into the erroneous teachings of the day. He never left out parts that were hard nor did he minimize the holiness of God.

When Paul looked back upon his life, he could say with confidence and peace that he had lived out God’s calling upon his life.

His present view of life was one of sacrifice, his view of the past was peaceful. Now, we look to see Paul’s

Confident View of the Future

Look at v. 8 with me.

Paul is looking to the future- beyond this earth and this life - to the day when he stands before Christ. You know, we’ve talked a lot about standing before Him to give an account for our lives. And when you consider standing before a holy and righteous Judge, it is an overwhelming image.

But Paul isn’t looking upon that day with dread or despair, but with confidence of victory! He’s looking for the crown of righteousness! Why? Because of the power of the Gospel!

Romans 8:1 NASB95

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Paul isn’t confident because he earned this victory, but because Christ did! Jesus had put His own righteousness in Paul’s account and he knew that when he stood before the Savior, that nothing could take that away from him! Listen folks, the reason Paul was so confident in the future, was because he was sure in WHOM he trusted.

Discuss: How confident are you about your future? Are you longing for Christ’s return?

He was looking forward to that heavenly kingdom (18), and you and I can too.

I was reading about a journalist who was in charge of the obituary section of the local newspaper. One day, he had none to put in, so be decided to write out his own. He wrote of his integrity, his love, his devotion. He pretended to quote his loved ones as he arranged a poetic recollection of how he exemplified his faith and lived his life in a most admirable way. After he finished, the man read over his masterpiece and wept for he knew it was not an accurate depiction. But he took this piece and hung it above his desk as a reminder to live up to his own obituary.

Friends, what will your view from the finish line look like?

You cannot change the past, but you can make steps today to adopt Paul’s views on the present, past and future.

Live your life as a sacrifice before God TODAY so that as you can confidently approach the FUTURE with peace about your PAST.