3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths. Uh oh that time is now.
5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. I love these verses and I hope one day I can say the same. My life does not resemble a life that has been poured out as an offering to God. But just because my past has stains doesn't mean I can't start today. God has new mercy for me every day.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Allen
Michaels: 4 I
solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is
to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach
the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort, with [a]great patience and
instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will
accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and
will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But
you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist,
fulfill your ministry. The word says there is no
one righteous, no not one, but many of the preachers out there today preach
these little 15 minute feel good how to sermons that make the congregation feel
good about themselves because they don’t sin like those people the preacher is
referencing. Little do they know, self-righteousness is one of the sins
that God hates the most. They want to hear how good they are compared to
what the Word says, we are wretched sinners in need of a Savior. Woe to the Pastor who
preaches a gospel that does not save.
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 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. The Lord is
the righteous judge and he is going to judge everyone at the bema seat.
Those of us who are in Christ are co-heirs with Him and will reign with
Him. Paul is calling for us to fight like he did for the gospel of
Christ, overcome the persecution we will face by keeping the faith and we will
receive our crown.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Krista Cook: Probably my favorite part of 2 Timothy.
Gives us things to do (v. 2, 5) but also promises a reward (v.8).
What a way to finish your walk on earth by having the words
of v.7 said about you.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Mike Grimm: 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will
judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I
give you this charge: When the Lord Jesus appears again he will be the
judge. All those who have died will have to stand before him. And so will all
those who are then alive. He will examine all that they have done. Then he will
decide what to do with them. Knowing this should make us all more careful to do
what the Lord wants us to do. When Jesus comes, he will not only be the judge.
He will be the king too. This too should encourage us to work for him now.
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of
season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful
instruction. 3 For the time will come when people 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. While Timothy has the chance, he must
preach the truth. This is because Paul is warning him about a future time. It
appears that the time is already here. At that time, the people will not listen
to the truth. The truth would make them uneasy because of their sin. It would
demand that they repent and change. Many will then oppose the good news of
Jesus Christ. We like to sugar-coat our sins or try and justify them. We like
to think that if it feels right in our heart than the Bible must be wrong. 4 They will turn their
ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you,
keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an
evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. As
for Timothy, he must be aware of what is happening. He needs to be in control
of himself at all times. As he lives for the truth, he may well have to suffer
what other people will do against him. There are some to whom the Lord gives a
special task. That task is to preach the gospel. But all Christians should
spread the good news of Christ. Paul tells Timothy that he should do the work
of one who preaches the good news.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink
offering, and the time for my departure is near. To Paul death would make him free from
this life and be the way to a better life. 7 I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Life is like the race that
those who compete have to run. They have to work hard to run the distance. They
have to reach the end of the race. Paul says that he has finished the race.
That race was the work that the *Lord had given him to do. He has completed
that task.
8 Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing. Paul had worked hard to
achieve all that the Lord asked of him. The crown is a reward for those who are
righteous. But Paul would not claim that he was righteous by himself. The good
news is that Jesus is righteous. He gives that righteousness to all who trust
him for it. There will be a day when the Lord Jesus Christ will come again. He
will be the judge of all that men and women have done. He will then give that
crown as a reward to Paul. He will change Paul to be perfect as he himself is
perfect. This promise is not only for Paul. This same promise is for all who
love Christ. It is for all those who are waiting for him to appear. They too
will receive this crown. They will become like the Lord Jesus and be perfect.
No comments:
Post a Comment