Finish the Race (2 Timothy 4.1-22)

Introduction

We’ve reached the final week of this series on 2 Timothy and, before we get into chapter 4, I want to do a lightning quick review and pick out a few highlights of the letter so far.

Quick Review

As we know, this was a letter written by Paul, on death row, to a young apprentice, his spiritual son, Timothy. It’s a last will and testament, a final farewell, famous last words. And he’s passing on a baton, trusting that Timothy will take hold of it, grip it tight, and run with all his might round the next lap of the track. Paul’s race is run.

In 1.5 Paul picks out one of Timothy’s great strengths; although he’s young, inexperienced, frequently ill, and a little timid, Paul says “I remember your sincere faith.” That word “sincere” literally means “without hypocrisy”. The word comes from the Greek theatres where actors wore masks with exaggerated expressions so that people right at the back could see them.

With Timothy there was no masks, no acting, no posturing, no pretence. What you saw of him in public was exactly what he was when no one was looking. That’s why, despite all Timothy’s flaws and frailties, Paul trusted him. He said in Philippians 2 “I have no one like him.”

God loves that kind of transparency and truthfulness of character. He loves it in his anointed Son, the Lord Jesus, and he is looking for it in those who follow him. God doesn’t like flashy and superficial. He looks for depth, consistency, no masks.

Than later in the chapter 1 (v6), do you remember?, Paul says “fan into flame the gift of God that is in you.” Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift. Most have several. 1 Corinthians 12.7 says “To each one (read that again; each one), the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

You have spiritual gifts. Yes, you do! God doesn’t say “Well, I’m not giving him or her a spiritual gift, there won’t be enough to go round if I give everyone gifts!” No, God gives gifts to all. There are no exceptions and no excuses! It’s your job, nobody else’s, it’s your responsibility, to find out what your gifts are and use them. Fan them into flame. Let’s get this place white hot with spiritual gift flame fanning!

Then in chapter 2 we saw how important it is stick to the script and not adlib the message. There’s one gospel and we are custodians of it. What we have to say to the world is good news. 

Paul says in v16 “avoid godless chatter.” That was written two thousand years ago but it could have been a direct reference to social media trolling. You know what I mean? Negative, offensive, proud comments because I must be right and show someone else up as wrong, and all from the safety of anonymity. It’s the kind of thing Paul says just spreads like gangrene. Walk away. “Avoid it” the Bible says. Let your words bring blessing and life, not anger and conflict.

Then last week we saw how priceless God’s word is, how it makes us – not clever, not well-read, not learned – but wise. Don’t read the Bible just for historical study; there are other history books with greater span and detail. Don’t read the Bible just out of linguistic or literary curiosity; there are better literary works. The Bible was written to “make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus.”

The Personal Remarks

And so we get to the final chapter, chapter 4.

Paul had been betrayed in Troas (which is the place that used to be called Troy) by a coppersmith called Alexander, and it seems he was arrested and led away in such haste that he didn’t even have time to gather a few personal belongings. It’s nearly winter now, so Paul asks Timothy (v13) to fetch him his heavy coat and his books as he awaits a date for sentencing.

But it’s the end of his trial; it looks like (v17) he’s been spared the usual fate for Christians which was being torn apart by wild beasts in the Coliseum. He’ll be beheaded with one blow of a Roman sword which at least is instant and relatively painless.

There are 8 different places and 17 different people mentioned by name in chapter 4, some who’ve let Paul down and have deserted him, but many are on the move, building up the church. If the Christian life is a race – well, these are the running mates.

Only Luke the medic is by his side – which, as we saw last week, can come in pretty handy. (Thanks to Lawrence and David and those who attended to that medical incident last Sunday morning. This must be the best church on earth in which to be taken ill)!

In v11, it says “Get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me.” A very early source claims that Mark did indeed go to Rome, he met Peter there and scribbled down the eye-witness stories Peter told about Jesus – and that’s how we got Mark’s Gospel. It’s based on Peter’s preaching and, tellingly, it’s the one that is least flattering about Peter. It tells of how Jesus rebuked him. It is the most vivid account of his threefold denial.

There are a few interesting little footnotes in the last few verses too. Linus (v21) became the Bishop of Rome. According to tradition, Pudens (v21) gave Peter board and lodging when he came to Rome. Ancient documents record that he was married to Claudia who was probably highborn and, if it’s the same Claudia as many scholars think it is, she would be the only person of British descent in the Bible.

Ready for Anything

The two main points of chapter 4 though come in the first 8 verses and here they are: be prepared and finish well.

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: preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.

In the 2006 Football World Cup, Germany played Argentina in the quarter finals. It was a 1-1 draw. Extra time couldn’t separate the teams either so it went to a penalty shoot-out.

When the Argentines stepped up one by one to take their penalties, the German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann took a folded piece of paper from his sock, looked the penalty taker in the eye and read the note. It wasn’t a bluff. He had studied the Argentine penalty talkers and worked out their favoured technique. The note was eventually sold for 1.3 million euros in a charity auction.

It read: “1. Riquelme left high. 2. Crespo long run/right, short run/left. 3. Heinze left low. 4. Ayala long wait, long run, right. 5. Messi left. 6. Aimar long wait, left. 7. Rodriguez left.” Needless to say the Germans won on penalties.  If you're well prepared, you win before you even start.

Daley Thompson, the former Olympic decathlon champion was once asked what his favourite day was. He said “Christmas Day.” The interviewer said, “Ah, one day in the year you can allow yourself to eat and drink a bit more!” He said, “No. All my competitors and rivals are taking a day off. That’s why I’m out training like every other day and that gives me an advantage. That’s why it’s my favourite day.”

Verse 2 says “be prepared in season and out of season.” You might think of sports when you hear “in season and out of season.” Or gardening perhaps. But it means “when it’s convenient and when it’s not, when the wind is behind you and when it’s against you, in promising situations and unpromising ones, under favourable conditions and unfavourable.”

On morning, in a Chicago coffee shop, Willow Creek pastor Bill Hybels was sitting down reading his Bible. This is how he tells the story.

A young woman looks over and asks “why are you reading that?”

Bill looks at her and says (and this is an exact quote): “Because I don’t feel like going to hell when I die.” (He struggles to express himself assertively sometimes…)

She says, “There’s no such thing as heaven or hell.”

He says, “Oh, that’s interesting, why do you say that?”

She says, “Everybody knows that when you die, you die. Your candle goes out – and that’s it.”

He says, “You mean to tell me there’s no afterlife?”

“No” she says.

“So that means everyone can just live as they please?”

“That’s right.”

“You mean, there’s no judgement day or anything? Well, that’s fascinating to me, where did you hear that?”

She says, “I read it somewhere.”

“Wow,” he says, “can you give me the name of the book?”

“I can’t remember.”

“OK. Can you give me the name of the author of the book?”

“I forgot his name.”

“OK. Did the author write any other books?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it possible that your author changed his mind two years after he wrote this particular book, and then wrote another one that said there is a heaven and a hell? Is that possible?”

“It’s possible,” she says, “but not likely.”

“All right, let me get this straight. You’re rolling the dice on your eternity predicated on what someone you don’t know said in a book you can’t recall the title of. Have I got that straight?”

She looks back. “That’s right.”

So Bill Hybels summarises. “You know what I think, my friend? I think you’ve created a belief that guarantees the continuation of your lifestyle. I think you made it up because it is very uncomfortable to think of heaven. It is very uncomfortable to think of hell. It is very unnerving to think of a holy God in the day of reckoning. I think you made it all up.”

Now that’s brilliant isn’t it? That’s what can happen when Christians are ready to go, in season and out of season.

And it gives a reason why Christians should be prepared in season and out of season, and to do the work of an evangelist.  It says (v3-4) that a time is coming when preaching will be unpopular. People will shut their ears to sound doctrine. They will call for a message that exactly mirrors the changing values of liberal society.

Bishop Rod Thomas said recently “A Christianity that merely recycles the norms and values of the prevailing culture renders itself irrelevant and subservient.”

Jesus was once approached by his disciples who said to him, “Do you know that people were offended by what you just said?” Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.” In other words, anything not in line with the Word of God will come to nothing, forget it.”

In my own time as a preacher I have felt under pressure at times to promote preaching that is superficial rather than substantial, novel rather than biblical, frivolous rather than weighty, flattering rather than frank, cosseting rather than challenging, playing to the gallery rather than pleasing God, academic rather than understandable, fictitious rather than factual and so brief it’s of no real consequence. 

There’s a story about a very verbose, repetitive vicar from Yorkshire who would speak for an hour and say very little. He was shaking hands at the door one day and a grumpy old chap said “Your sermon was much too long – as usual.” The vicar just smiled and said, “Well, my child, we are exhorted to proclaim the milk of the word are we not?” To which the grumpy old chap replied, “Well, make it condensed milk next time!”

Racing to the End

Final point; finish the race. Verse 6:

The time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…”

That’s your challenge and mine. Fight the fight till it’s over, run the race till it’s finished and keep the faith.

When I was at school, I was pretty average academically and usually bottom of the class at maths, but I was a pretty good cross-country runner. In fact I used to run for my school in county races and I did OK. I loved middle-distance running and my greatest ever race was a 1,500 metres, the whole class of 30 boys – 4 times round the stadium size running track.

The race started well and I was tucked in to a group of about six or seven, setting a decent pace. Then after about a lap, out of nowhere a skinny kid called John Gattrell kicked hard and opened up a sizeable lead. He accelerated away from the pack and as we took the bell, which signals the start of the last lap, he was already half way round the track and closing in on victory.

But pace setters usually burn out. And I said to myself, If you make a move now, believe you can do it and give it everything you’ve got, you’ll catch him.” He was struggling, his legs were full of lactic acid, you could see from 200m back he was spent. I started to kick into a good stride. The gap closed. I could see it was going to be close. He was so far ahead but I was travelling much faster. As I turned into the last bend I began to sprint. Gattrell was virtually at walking pace and gasping for breath. And I pipped him on the line, winning by a fraction of a second. I’ll never forget it.

The thing is, the Christian life is compared to a long-distance race. Like an Olympic 10,000m, it doesn’t really matter how well you start. But unlike an Olympic 10,000m, it doesn’t matter who crosses the line first. God not interested in winning. It only matters that you complete the course, you run to the end and cross the line. Are you still in the race? Are you going to finish well?

I remember Billy Graham was interviewed on BBC Radio once and the presenter said, “Billy Graham, you’ve travelled the globe, you’ve preached to millions, you’ve seen countless conversions to Christ, you’ve appeared on Gallup’s  "Ten Most Admired People in the World" for thirty-two consecutive years, more than any other individual in the world, you’ve spoken personally with world statesmen, you’ve led prayers at the inauguration of several American Presidents… when you finally get to those pearly gates, what do you think will be your finest achievement?” And without a moment of hesitation, Graham said, “Just to have got there, just to have made it.”

Billy is 98 now and still running the race. His wife Ruth finished hers and is now with the Lord. The epitaph on her grave says “Ruth Bell Graham 1920-2007. End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”

Ending

How did it finish for Timothy? The Bible doesn’t say but we can reconstruct from documents outside the Bible and ancient traditions. Piecing it all together it seems he did go to see Paul before he died. He stayed with him till the end, saw Paul's execution, got into trouble for being associated with him and was himself imprisoned.

But Hebrews 13 says “our brother Timothy has been released” so unlike Paul he was reprieved. He was made bishop of Ephesus. When he was 80 timid Timothy was still fanning into flame the gift and doing the work of an evangelist. He bravely preached the gospel in the streets during a pagan festival. The crowd became angry, beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death. He was true to the end.

I love to picture the scene at heaven’s gate. Timothy arrives and asks if he can see Paul to let him know he finished the race, just like Paul charged him to do. And just as Paul’s about to arrive, pushing through the crowds, Jesus appears in all his triumphant glory. “Timothy!” he says. “You made it! You fought the good fight. You finished the race. You kept the faith. Here's your crown!” 

It’s what he’s going to say to you one day, if you keep fighting, keep running and complete the course. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith. 

Let’s stand to pray…

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 22 January 2017