2 Timothy 4:9-22

So grateful for tonight in this time. The Lord has given to us to worship his holy name. A warm welcome to all of you to encounter. Thank you for joining us tonight. Pray for God’s blessings upon each one of you. Pray that in the minutes ahead, God will speak to our hearts.

As we come to the final sermon in this series, Legacy of Faith. As we wind up 2 Timothy. So grateful for everyone who has spoken over the course of the last several months. As some weeks we had to take breaks. As we went through the entire book of 2 Timothy.

Charles Eerdman in writing on 2 Timothy writes this. Possibly no other of the New Testament letters makes so tender and so pathetic an appeal. Every paragraph is suffused with emotion. Every sentence throbs with the pulse beats of a human heart. Paul, the dauntless missionary hero, the founder of the church in Asia Minor and Europe is now an aged prisoner in Rome. Suffering, deserted, despised, condemned and soon to be led forth to a cruel death.

As we talked about at the beginning of the sermon series, Legacy of Faith. Every word in this book is probably more meaningful than other letters, even though all of it is God’s word. These are the words of a man who is about to leave this earth and he’s writing with a lot of urgency in his life. As he’s coming towards the final probably hours or days of his life on earth. He knows that his time on earth is coming to an end. He knows that there will not be another voyage probably across the Mediterranean. As we heard last time about he himself acknowledging that he’s about to be poured out as a drink offering. There will not be another visit to a church or planning of a church. There will not be another opportunity to maybe even share the gospel with someone who has never heard the gospel before. So with that sense of urgency, he has given to us this letter and certain final reminders.

We saw through this book as we went through it that Paul emphasizing to Timothy that he needs to suffer for the gospel. That persecution and hardship are going to be part of life of the believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether in ministry or not. And that we need to be mentally and spiritually prepared for that. He’s calling Timothy for a faithful endurance in his race running for the Lord. To share in the suffering and to endure by the strength that God alone is able to give. But most importantly the message of 2 Timothy is that you need to guard the truth. That there is a deposit that is given to us and it is up to us to protect it at all cost. Especially against false teachers and myths that run fervently not only in that day but also in our days as well. Timothy is reminded of the power of scripture is sufficient. It is powerful. It is able to teach correct rebuke and it is able to equip the believer for every good work. Only scripture is able to do that. This letter encourages Timothy to persevere, to have loyalty towards the Lord. And in contrast to other believers who are falling away or failed in the Christian walk. And it also charges Timothy for ministry, for reparation, to preach the word faithfully. To be ready in season and out of season and correctly instruct others on the unchanging truths of God’s word. Those are the main themes that we have covered so far.

And today we come to 2 Timothy 4:9-22. Which are the final concluding remarks that he makes in this book. As we’ve been talking about, he is about to die. Probably knows that this is the last time he’ll be able to pen these words. And even then after giving us that beautiful verses about the fact that he’s ran the race. And there’s a crown of righteousness that is waiting for him. In verse 9 he writes to Timothy and says, do your best to come to me quickly.

Here’s an urgent plea from the heart of a man who loves Timothy so much. Kindred spirits who had shared so much of ministry over the past almost 15 years of ministry together. And now he wants to see him one more time. And it shows the human side of the Apostle Paul. As much eager as he is to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. He still is longing to see Timothy one more time. In that cold dungeon in Rome, he still wants to be acquainted with Timothy one more time. Kind of reminds me of our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane. When he longed for Peter, James and John to be awakened and to sit and pray with him. It shows the human side of Paul that is longing for companionship. Even though he is spiritually so strong and ready to go and meet the Lord. And receive the crown of righteousness that is waiting for him. It shows the tenderness of him as a human being that is longing for companionship. And Paul in the midst of this loneliness in the prison is longing to see Timothy.

It also shows the tremendous love that he had for his young prodigy and that child that he had almost raised spiritually. And brought him to be the man that he is today. And the reason why Paul is longing for Timothy is because of verses like verse 10. There are a lot of people who are with Paul although are no longer with Paul. Look at verse 10. For Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia.

Now Crescens and Titus are not present in negative light but Demas is. And the Bible says to us, he left Paul not because of some urgent work that he had to do for the Lord. But only because he fell in love with the world. And in the midst of the most dire circumstance of the apostle Paul, Demas left him. Nero was a very, very cruel emperor. And anyone who dared to even side with a prisoner at that time were often singled out and killed by Nero’s soldiers without even a trial. So when Paul is standing in trial, it is almost a death sentence to stand alongside him. And that’s probably why Demas, probably facing persecution and not wanting to face it, left Paul.

But Paul also says it is not only because of fear that Demas left Paul. It is also because he had loved the world and the things of the world. The word world over here and throughout the New Testament represents the world out there that is under the control of Satan. Everything that is now under the control and dominion that God has sovereignly given over to Satan. The things of the world, the things that control the systems of the world, the corrupt mind of the world. All can be described by this one word, world.

And we see this man, Demas, was always not like this. For example, when you go through God’s Word, we can see three places in which Demas is mentioned in God’s Word. When you come to Philemon 1:24, which is written during the first imprisonment in Rome. Paul wrote this in his final greetings. He says, Mark sends his greetings along with Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. So in Philemon 1:24, Demas is seen in a positive light as a fellow worker along with the Apostle Paul.

You come to Colossians 4:14, which is also written during the first imprisonment in Rome. Again, a present episode, he writes towards the end of that episode, our dear friend Luke, the doctor and Demas send greetings. So here’s a man who was with Paul at the end of writing of Philemon. He was with Paul at the end of the writing of Colossians, both during his first imprisonment, who has now left him during his second imprisonment.

And Paul is rigorously writing this man who started so well, who was known as a fellow worker of the Apostle Paul towards the end of his life, has now deserted him and gone back to the more comfortable confines of the church at Thessalonica. That’s why first John 2:15, the Apostle John reminds us that we as Christians have a choice to make in our life here on earth. Whether to love the Lord with all of our heart or to love the world, but you cannot do both. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father is not in them. This is not one in which the love for the world and the love for the Father can coexist. When you do one, you replace the other.

Those who love the Father dearly will in a way hate the world and the things of the world and they will gain the love and the end and the fellowship with the Father. But those who love the world lose something so dearly. That is what? The love of the Father and you cannot. And that’s why Jesus himself said, you cannot have two masters in your own life. You cannot have the love of the Father and love the world in your life.

Demas unfortunately towards the end of his life chose the world and as such he was not able to be faithful unto the Lord or to the Apostle Paul all the way to the end. This is not a statement on the eternal security of the salvation of Demas or anything of that sort. We know that he was no longer faithful to the calling that God had given to him. Even though he was a faithful servant of God for many years towards the end of his life, he did not finish strong. For he loved the world and he deserted the Apostle Paul.

Continuing in verse 11, only Luke is with me. Wonderful statement, isn’t it? We see Luke at the end of Philemon. We see Luke at the end of Colossians. We see Luke at the end of 2nd Timothy as well. The same Luke who penned the Acts of the Apostles is with the Apostle Paul all throughout his life. And what a great compliment to be given to Luke that in the thick and thin of life, in every circumstance of life, Luke is there with him.

On the third missionary journey, Luke is there. Second missionary journey, Luke is there. During Paul’s troubles in Jerusalem, Luke is there. When his first ship voyage across the Mediterranean to Rome, Luke is with him. In his first imprisonment, Luke is with him. In his second imprisonment, Luke is with him. Isn’t it wonderful to have people like this who stick by you when things are going well and also when things are not going well in our lives as well.

Many people in ministry have faced circumstances just like this. Where you have people who are very faithful unto the Lord who stand by your side only to see them desert you in moments of dire need in your life. And then there are others like Luke who are always can be counted on to be there for you. Not only because they are faithful unto the Lord, because they are faithful unto you as well. Such people truly bless people who are in ministry and people who do the work of the Lord.

But then there is this beautiful verse. Get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry. So Luke is with me and then Paul has one more instruction for Timothy. When you come, I want you to bring John Mark with you as well for he is helpful to me in my ministry.

If you know anything about the history of John Mark, this is a tremendous statement by the Apostle Paul. You know that the entire conflict in the book of Acts between Barnabas and Paul happened because of this one man, John Mark. John Mark, the same one who thought to be written Mark the Gospel, was a very young man when he went on his first missionary journey with the Apostle Paul. As they were about to go into Bithynia, well the Bible says John Mark got tired of the journey and left them. And so in the second missionary journey came about, Barnabas, the ever encourager, the ever person willing to forgive, wanted to take John Mark with him. Paul said, no, he left us during the first missionary journey. We’re not going to take him with us.

And there was a conflict between Barnabas and Paul causing them to go in two different directions in ministry as we saw in the book of Acts. But what we see tremendously beautifully in God’s word is that a few years go by and Paul’s attitude toward John Mark is rapidly changing. He is willing to forgive him. And not only that, towards the end of his life, we see that they have reconciled fully that Paul is able to make the statement, bring him. He is helpful in the ministry and in my ministry.

So we can see that at the end of the day, Barnabas was right about John Mark and Paul was wrong about John Mark. John Mark turned out to be useful in the ministry and obviously God will use him to write one of the Gospels that we find in God’s word as well. It’s a reminder to us that not to give up on people so quickly. They make big mistakes, but give them second chances. Give them third chances. Be patient with them because our Lord is patient with us. We have to be able to extend that same forgiveness and patience towards others as well.

Paul was able to do that and is able to say towards the end, John Mark is useful to me in my ministry. When talking about John Mark, I think about people that like, for example, David Livingston, who the first time he was asked to speak in public, it is said that he left the pulpit in utter shame and discouragement because he went blank and he told the audience, I have forgotten all I had to say today. So standing in front of a pulpit, first time speaking, David Livingston could not say a single word and he said, I forgot everything I had to say and walk away completely ashamed and discouraged.

But there was a man there in the audience who was an aged missionary from Africa, one who had always encouraged David Livingston by the Robert Moffat. He came to him and he told him not to give up, to keep on trying that God will encourage him, that God will strengthen him. God always provides second chance and because of that, David Livingston didn’t give up either.

And I love the passage in Jonah 3:1-2, where we see the prophet running away from the Lord. But look at what Jonah 3:1 and 2 says, the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time saying, arise, go and preach. The word of God came to him the first time in Jonah chapter 1. Arise, go and preach in a way, but he disobeyed the word of God. But look at the grace of God. After teaching Jonah the lesson he needed to learn, in chapter 3, God repeats the same words to him and says, arise, go and preach.

Our God is always a God of second chances. It is important that you don’t give up on yourself. It is important that you don’t give up on your friends. It is important that you don’t judge people based upon preliminary performances. Always give people chance after chance. You have no idea how God can use people who are completely surrendered to him. So we should be willing just like Paul was to give people like John Mark second and third chances.

Writing on in verse 12, the apostle Paul writes, I send Tychicus to Ephesus. Here he is in this prison in his final moments and you know what he’s worried about? The church at Ephesus. And we don’t really know why Tychicus is sent to Ephesus. Possibly as a replacement for Timothy because Timothy is pastoring in Ephesus. So Tychicus is probably being sent so that Timothy can make the long trip to Rome to be with Paul. But there is a beautiful verse we find at the end of the book of Ephesians about Tychicus and what kind of a person he is.

So even if he is not a replacement for Timothy, Tychicus is sent to Ephesus because he is the person who is able to come and strengthen the church at Ephesus. But he also shows the heart of the pastor, the heart of the apostle who is ever concerned about the believers at Ephesus even in the final moments of his life on earth.

Look at Ephesians 6:21-22, Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord will tell you everything. That you may also know how I am and what I’m doing. This was written many years before. I am sending him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage you.

So Tychicus has this unique quality of being able to encourage others, to bring people along, to strengthen the church. And so here he’s probably being sent for dual purposes. One, maybe as a replacement for Timothy. But probably most importantly because Paul sensed that the church at Ephesus needed Tychicus more than he needs Tychicus in the prison in Rome. It shows the heart of the man of God who’s ever concerned about the people of God and the encouragement that they need in their life.

Then it comes to verse 13. When you come Timothy, bring the clock that I left with carpets at Troas and my scrolls, especially the parchments. Quite remarkable, isn’t it? These are not things for the last two that you would ask for if you think that your life on earth is about to come to an end.

The first thing you ask for is something that is very, very practical, a clock. A clock is something that is a heavy woolen blanket, especially in the cold weather of Rome. It is something that is so desperately needed. And Paul is about to go from spring to winter in the prison. There is no air conditioning, there’s no heating system and the prison can get very, very cold. And he’s asking for a clock to be sent so that he can provide some kind of covering and warmth and is something very, very practical.

But then he also asked for something else, books, biblion. This could be in the form of a scroll, like made from like a papyrus tree or it could be like a parchment made from animal skin. But books here is probably talking about some letters he’s written or something that has to do with God’s word. Some writings of his or some writings of others that he wants to read. And it’s interesting that this person that is mentioned over here, we don’t find his name anywhere else in God’s word. So he’s thought to be a faithful believer who lived in Troas that Paul left this very precious documents in his home before he went over to Europe.

If you remember from his study with the book of Acts, it was Troas from which he got the call from the Macedonian call. A man from Macedonia came to him in Troas in a vision and asked him to come to Macedonia and help us. That is what prompted Paul for the first time to go to Europe. And you know the rest of the story, how Lydia came to faith and the church was planted in Philippi. So that home where he stayed in Troas is where these precious documents are being kept.

But even in the final moments of his life on earth, what is he concerned about? Study of God’s word, more reading and more learning. He could have easily said, I have done all the learning I need to do. I maybe only have a few hours or days left on the face of the earth. What are these books going to do for me? But no, he’s ever learning and ever wanting to grow in the knowledge of his God.

And then he also asked for something else. Parchments, these are more precious documents, usually definitely made from animal skin. The animal hide was usually soaked in lime to remove the hair. Then shaved, dried and smoothed out with stones. And they are usually very, very expensive. And usually parchments at that time often contained Old Testament scriptures. So Paul is asking for maybe some portions of the New Testament, some portions of the Old Testament along with a blanket to comfort him and to provide a covering for him in the cold winter of Rome.

But here again, we see something that we need to emulate in our life as well. A man of God will always be a man of God’s word. Always eager and hungry for the things of God’s word. We have to be people, no matter how old you are, who are eager to learn God’s word.

I love what Moody says about the Bible. All the men who have been very much used of God have been well-versed in the scriptures. Moses rehearsed God’s dealings with the children of Israel. Peter told it out on the day of Pentecost. Stephen did the same. If you look at the sermons of Peter and Stephen in the book of Acts, they were completely filled with quotations and stories from the Old Testament. How do they know that? Because they were well-versed in the scriptures. Christ conquered Satan by the sword of the word. How are we able to know the word of God? By studying it with the help of the Holy Spirit.

As an American Bishop once said, not with the blue light of Presbyterianism, nor the red light of Methodism, nor the violet light of Episcopacy, but with the clear light of Calvary. We must study it on our knees in a teachable spirit. If we know our Bible, Satan will not have much power over us. Let me repeat that again. If we know our Bible, Satan will not have much power over us. And we will have the world under our feet.

The problem with all of us, especially this generation, is that we have gone away from a diligent study of God’s word. Spurgeon said, a great many fail in their work for God because they neglect their Bibles. You must get something into a man before you can get anything out of him. Remember that you must get something into a man before you can get something out of him. You may put the pump into the well and pump as long as you like. But if there’s no water, it is no use pumping. Search the scriptures and when you get something good, pass it around.

When John Wesley was leading ministry among many, leading many preachers, here’s what he told them. He told them, you better get to reading or you get out of ministry. The great men of God have notoriously been great prayer warriors and great readers.

I’m not trying to convict any one of you. We just went through hopefully the entire Bible in 2025. If you did not get a chance to do that, or if you failed miserably, the church does not have to be doing it in 2025 for you to be reading that in 2026. You need, I need to study God’s word diligently at all times. No pastor, no theologian can ever come to a point in his life and says, I know enough. I have learned enough. I’ve been preaching for many years. I don’t need to read. That’s not true.

Read books. Read the God’s word. Read books about the Bible. Read stories of great men and women of God who have gone before you. Learn from their experiences. Read biographies. Read autobiographies. Infuse your life with the truth of God’s word and the stories of great men and women gone before. That will become a light unto your feet and it will guide you in the truth that you need to live in this dark and dreary world. There’s no way around it. You need to have God’s word in your heart.

The apostle Paul is a great example for us that even in the dying moments, he found the importance of God’s word and the things of learning.

Verse 14, Alexander the metal worker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. We don’t know exactly who this Alexander is. There are three Alexanders mentioned in the New Testament. We don’t know if one of them is this. I think it’s the one mentioned in 1st Timothy 1:20.

Here Paul mentions a man by the name of Alexander. He says among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. So here’s a man who is blaspheming God’s word. And in his reference to him in verse 14 of chapter 4, he says he’s done me a lot of harm by opposing the truth of the gospel. He’s not talking about physical attack here. He’s not talking about personal attack here. Here’s a man who is blaspheming God’s word or preaching a gospel that is opposite to what Paul is preaching.

So here’s what he tells Timothy in verse 15. You too should be on guard against him because he strongly opposed our message. When he is opposing the message of the Paul, he is opposing the message of God because Paul is preaching the truth of God’s word and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So here’s a man who is working with a different spirit, the spirit of the Antichrist, not the Holy Spirit opposing the truth of God’s word as taught by the Apostle Paul. But I love what Paul says about him. We should oppose him but also commit whatever is going to happen to him into the hands of the Lord. Revenge is not up to Paul or Timothy to do. Revenge should be left into the hands of the Lord, which is the principle that we find throughout God’s word as well.

Verse 16, at my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me, made not be held against them. During the trial in Rome, it was a custom often during every trial to have a preliminary hearing. It’s almost like a fact finding trial. And this is what he’s referring to and this is at my first trial. And remember what I said in the beginning, standing with someone who was accused of treason at that time was almost like you’re writing your own death sentence.

So it’s not surprised that he writes verse 16. Paul is all alone. No one is there to stand by him. In fact, the word that is used over there, everyone deserted me is a very strong word. It literally says everybody just ran in the opposite direction at the most important time when I needed them the most.

And here, Paul is lonely, alone, standing in trial in Nero’s court. No one to defend him, no one to help him, no one to come by his side and offer any kind of a positive witness. And he’s all alone. But even in his heart, he says, may it not be held against them. He’s understanding. He’s saying they deserted me probably for various reasons, but he does not want God to hold that against any one of them.

But here’s the good news. In the midst of everyone deserting the Apostle Paul, look at verse 17. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength. Oh, what a beautiful verse, isn’t it? And this is something that you and I can also put our faith and trust in as well. In your most dire moments, you can never count on man to be by your side, but you can always count on the truth of verse 17. The Lord will always be by your side and provide you with the strength that you need. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. That is the truth of God’s word.

That through me, the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. He says the Lord was by my side. The same Lord who called me on the way to Damascus. The same Lord who has been with me for now many, many years of ministry. Even in this final trial, I can count on my Lord to be with me to give me the strength that I need.

Why did the Lord do that? The Lord did that because he’s faithful in his promises, but because the Lord did that and strengthened him. Guess what? All the Gentiles who were gathered there during the trial of Paul all heard the gospel message again. I’m sure he did exactly that as he had often done in the book of Acts as well as he should in trial. He would often recount his own conversion about the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the message of the gospel. He was always faithful to communicate it and there is no reason to doubt that he would do the same thing at his final trial as well.

He said even in the final moment, God gave me an opportunity to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles who were gathered there on that day and I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The lion that is mentioned in verse 17, we have no idea what that is. Is it Emperor Nero? Is it Satan? We do not know. But Paul says, God delivered me during the first trial, gave me boldness, gave me courage, gave me strength, ability to speak God’s word faithfully.

Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us about the faithfulness of our God. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be contented with what you have. How can we not be greedy in our life and practice contentment in our life? It is by always reminding ourselves of the truth of the sufficiency of God by our side because God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

Here the writer of the book of Hebrews is combining two passages, one from the book of Deuteronomy, one from Psalm 118. Combines them together to give us the glorious principle that says, in your life, you can be self-sufficient. You can be contented. You can be satisfied knowing that all the help that you need in your life can be given by the Lord who will always stand by you and he will never leave you nor forsake you because he is by your side.

You can say with confidence, if God is for me, what can mere mortals do unto me? We spend so much time in our lives fearing man, but God’s word tells us, as long as the Lord is by our side, there is no man we need to fear. God is more than enough for every circumstance that we face in our life.

Verse 18, The Lord, look at the confidence of the man of God, will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. The Lord will rescue me and even when I die, guess what? I get the ultimate rescue. What is that? He will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.

This is the confidence of the people of God. Even in death, we are being rescued and we are being transported from this earth to the heavenly kingdom that we’re already a part of. And there is such great confidence in this statement that God is always going to rescue me and my final destiny is the kingdom that I already belong to, the heavenly kingdom that I’m part of. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Even in these final moments, he’s finding reasons to give glory to God and to praise him with every breath that he has.

Verse 19, greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. These are people that were very near and dear to the heart of the apostle Paul, helpful in his ministry, people who have always been there for him. And he wants to remind Timothy to greet them in the final words as he’s writing.

Verse 20, Erastus stayed in Corinth and had left Trophimus sick in Miletus. We do not know much about Erastus. That name is mentioned a couple of times in the New Testament. Once at the end of the book of Romans as one of the treasurers of the church in Rome, possibly. It’s also mentioned in the book of Acts as well.

Trophimus is mentioned in Acts chapter 19 and also in chapter 20 as well. He was one of the Gentiles who was with Paul in Ephesus and also the one who the Jews accused of Paul bringing to the temple in Jerusalem that caused him to get in trouble in the first place.

And this verse is so important here in verse 20. Paul says, I had to leave this faithful servant of mine who accommodated me all the way to Jerusalem in Miletus as he traveled towards Rome during the first journey to Rome. When he was sick, I had to leave him in his sickness and he’s reminding Timothy to care for them.

And it’s so interesting that this man who has healed so many could not heal Trophimus. This also reminds us of a principle in God’s word. Not every person is healed. Not every person is healed of their sickness or their illness. A lot of people that teach that every sickness is healed. Every illness is attacked from the devil. No, the Bible never teaches that. Every person does not get healed. We pray as if every person is going to get healed. But even when they do not get healed, we trust in the plan and the will and the sovereign will of our God.

Here is a man whose shadow falling on people caused people to be healed. But yet he could not heal his own friend Trophimus because it was not the will of God that Trophimus should be healed. So there’s no principle in God’s word that says healing is for everyone. There’s no principle in God’s word that says everyone will be healed. Even when we pray for healing, we also pray for God’s will to be done in the life of those who are sick or gravely ill.

Verse 21. Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you. And so do Pudence, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. There are four people he mentions that are with him, left alone by Luke. We have no idea who these four people are. Their names are just mentioned. God’s word is not mentioned anywhere else as well.

But then I want to focus on that first section of verse 21. Do your best to get here before winter. And the reason for that is because once winter comes, Timothy would find it very difficult to travel across the Mediterranean as we have seen. Ships find it very difficult to travel during the winter season. So there are certain things that Paul wants to be done before winter gets there. Winter is from the months of like October all the way to March, April.

And he wants Timothy to get there because he knows there’s a window opportunity for Timothy to get there. And if it doesn’t happen, then once winter hits, Paul knows that time might be too late because he has already said, the time for my departure is coming. And Paul knows that time is of the essence.

The Bible does not mention to us whether Timothy ever made it to Paul before winter or before the execution of Paul. The Bible is silent on it. History doesn’t teach us either. But this term before winter is something that communicates to us to do the things we are supposed to be doing in season and on time and not wait until it’s too late.

A lot of us are really good at procrastinating. And this is a reminder to us that things that need to be done need to be done on time when God wants us to do it or we might miss the opportunity to do the work that God wants us to do.

There’s a medical doctor by the name of Arnold Walker who was a student at Jefferson Medical College. He heard a pastor by the name of Clarence McCartney preach a sermon on this text. He entitled it, Do Thy Diligence to Come Before Winter. The text continued to linger in his thoughts as he sat in his room. He decided, I better write a letter now to my mother. Perhaps the winter of death is near for her.

He wrote to her and expressed gratitude for her exemplary Christian life. Two days later, while he sat in a class, a telegram was given to him. It read, come at once, your mother is critically ill. Hurriedly he went to the country home. His mother was still living. A smile of recognition and satisfaction was on her face. Under her pillow lay a treasured possession. The loving letter her son had written her after the Sunday service. It had cheered and comforted her as she entered the valley of the shadow of death.

Hearing the sermon, do the things that you need to do before winter comes. This man wrote that letter to his mom, telling mom how much she meant to him in his Christian walk. If you are procrastinating, doing certain things, don’t wait for tomorrow, do it today. Because tomorrow might be too late. Before winter comes, do what needs to be done. Winter may bring difficult moments. Winter may take away the opportunity that you have laying ahead of you.

So if you want to tell your parents certain things, do it today. If you want to tell your friends certain things, how much they mean to you, do it today. Do it before winter comes. Time doesn’t wait for anyone. We do not know what tomorrow holds for us. What needs to be done, needs to be done today. And that’s a reminder for all of us in our life as well.

He ends this beautiful episode with this verse, just as he had started, verse 22. The Lord be with your spirit, Timothy. Grace be with you all. He started this episode by telling us about the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. He ends the episode also by writing about the grace of the Lord being with the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beginning to the end, it’s all about grace, isn’t it? The unmerited favor of our God that strengthens and sustains and provides us with everything that we need in life.

I want to end today by reading to you what Chuck Swindoll wrote in his book on the Apostle Paul about the final moments of the Paul’s life here on earth. He wrote, his earthly end came swiftly, abruptly, alone and without fear. Paul stared directly into the eyes of the execution squad. Several held rods with which they would beat him. One held a sharp ax with which he would sever the apostle’s head from his shoulders. Few words were spoken.

They marched him through the heavy gate, beyond the stone wall that surrounded Rome, past the Pyramid of Cestius, which still stands today, and on the Austrian way toward the sea. Crowds, joining to Rome on that day, knew by the rods and the ax that the execution would soon transpire. They had seen such sights before. They passed it off as a shrug. It happened yesterday, would happen tomorrow as well.

But this prisoner was different. As he comes out of the dungeon, he is not ashamed or degraded. The squad of grim-faced soldiers probably never noticed as they frowned and stared ahead. But there was a feigned smile on this prisoner’s face. He was in route to a triumph, the crowning day of his reward. For to him, to live was Christ, to die again.

No ax across the back of his neck would rob him of his triumphant destiny. It would in fact initiate it. They would march Paul to the third milestone on the Austrian way, to a little pine wood in a glade, a glade of the tombs known today as the Trefontaine. At that place today, there stands an abbey in Paul’s honor. He is believed to have been put overnight in a tiny cell near the place of his execution. And the next day, they would execute him in that place.

The head of Paul would roll down into the dust. In that brutal moment, silently, invisibly, the soul of the great apostle, the man of grace and grit was immediately set free. His spirit soared into the heavens. Absent from the body, he was at last at home with the Lord.

See for the Christian, death is not defeat. Death is not the end. Death is just a doorway to the most triumphant entry he has been waiting all along. Absent from the body, present with the Lord. Absent from the body, present with the Lord. And everything he had ever preached about, everything he had ever talked about, all of that would become a reality in front of his eyes as he enters into the presence of God.

This sermon series, Legacy of Faith, we talked about how to leave a godly legacy behind for generations to come. And the poignant reminders we need to have from books like these, things that are so important. And it begs the question to all of us, what will our legacy of faith be? What will be our final words be? What will be the things that the world is reminded of us when they think of us as we leave this world behind?

It all depends upon how you live your life faithfully unto the Lord. Paul is able to have this kind of confidence because love ran red. Because there was a place where mercy was given and forgiveness was made ours. It is only because of Calvary’s cross that we can be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

It is only because of Calvary’s cross that we can say, I have fought a good fight and now there’s a crown of righteousness that is waiting for me. Because the crown of righteousness that’s waiting for him is not our crown of righteousness. It is one he earned for us with his death on the cross. That’s what we sing about as we end it today. Let’s stand in the presence of the Lord, sing unto the Lord and worship him.