WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.780 Timothy chapter 4. We can read again verse 6, 2nd Timothy chapter 4, reading at verse 6. 00:00:08.620 --> 00:00:14.140 But I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:21.300 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:27.480 laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:34.439 on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. 00:00:36.740 --> 00:00:42.880 You may be familiar where Paul was writing this letter from, but if you're not, it just helps us 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:50.620 to understand the emotion behind his words here, and just how powerful a letter it is as he writes to 00:00:50.620 --> 00:00:57.340 his one who was taking over from him, Timothy. He was really handing over the reins to him, hearing and 00:00:57.340 --> 00:01:06.079 encouraging him to keep the faith, to keep a firm hold of the word of God. But where was Paul 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:15.300 when he was writing? He was in a prison cell, and he was just maybe perhaps days before the time 00:01:15.300 --> 00:01:20.780 of his departure, as he puts it here, when he was going to be executed and put to death. 00:01:20.780 --> 00:01:32.159 So how would Timothy have felt hearing these words as Paul wrote to him, writing to him of his 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:40.020 impending departure? I'm sure there would have been a mixed set of emotions for him. There would have 00:01:40.020 --> 00:01:48.120 been a fullness of sadness as he was hearing what was about to happen to Paul, but also a sense of 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:55.700 thankfulness. Thankfulness for all that was being given over to him to be shared going forward with 00:01:55.700 --> 00:02:04.820 others. The gospel and all its truth and all its power in all its glory. And this setting of 00:02:04.820 --> 00:02:12.560 Paul's departure and the gospel going on is kind of a setting that we maybe feel that we're in just now 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:20.420 as well. The last week has been a time of emotions that we've experienced, similar to maybe what 00:02:20.420 --> 00:02:25.640 Timothy has been feeling here. With the departure of Paul, there would have been a sense of a void, 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:32.560 a great void being left. And for ourselves, in this last week, as we think of those who have been 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:40.379 taken into glory, we know Professor McLeod was taken into glory on Sunday evening. Before that, on Friday, 00:02:40.379 --> 00:02:47.680 Timothy Keller, an American preacher, evangelist, was taken into glory. And just, I think it was the day 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:54.519 before that, another American, maybe less well-known, the name of Harry Reader, who was another faithful 00:02:54.519 --> 00:03:03.699 servant of the Lord, was taken into glory. He wrote a book called From Embers to a Flame, a book that 00:03:03.699 --> 00:03:13.780 encouraged the church to revitalize and to put its trust in the word and power of God. Three well-known 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:21.799 men taken into glory. But others, maybe not as famous, even in these last few weeks, have been taken into 00:03:21.799 --> 00:03:28.719 glory as well. People who maybe we knew personally and meant much to us as individuals, men and women who 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:36.240 encouraged us, who built us up in the faith, who prayed for us, who gave us wise teaching and counsel 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:45.800 along the way. Anytime these people are taken from us, we feel a sense of a void in our midst. 00:03:46.819 --> 00:03:54.639 But we also should feel a sense of responsibility and a sense of thankfulness as well for all that they 00:03:54.639 --> 00:04:00.399 have left for us, for all they have given to us over many years of life, for the many ways that they've 00:04:00.399 --> 00:04:08.579 served their King and their Lord. And what do we think then of our own responsibility going forward? 00:04:09.059 --> 00:04:17.300 Well, as Paul is writing to Timothy here, he's encouraging him to hold fast to the truth, 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:25.680 to the word of God, to keep going in the strength of the Lord, fixing his eyes on the Lord Jesus. 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:32.920 And those who have departed from our midst in these recent times would be encouraging us in the same 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:40.519 way, not to mourn as those who feel a sense of grief in it all, yes, but not to mourn without hope, 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:49.959 and to look and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul here is coming to the end of his life, but he's looking 00:04:49.959 --> 00:05:00.259 back over it here and he's encouraging Timothy, encouraging him with wonderful words of encouragement, 00:05:00.259 --> 00:05:09.199 even as he speaks here of the time of his departure. You notice he doesn't say the time of his death, he says 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:16.879 the time of his departure. And even in that, there is a sense of encouragement. There's encouragement 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:23.699 for us, Timothy as a Christian then, and for ourselves as Christians today, that the Christian hope 00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:32.639 is firm even in death, that we are secure in Christ Jesus. Because even behind that word 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:42.319 departure, there's so much meaning, it just paints such a vivid picture for us of what it is for the 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:50.120 Christian to depart from this world. The word departure, the word in the Greek behind its meaning 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:58.139 is really four different pictures that you can look at in the sense of what it means. It means a 00:05:58.139 --> 00:06:06.139 loosening, the loosening, the loosening of a weight or a burden in many instances. For example, when a plough or a 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:15.279 cart was taken off an animal, that was described as the loosening of it. So that's the word departure here. 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:25.179 And we think of the Christian. It's a loosening in terms of the labors and the toils of this life. 00:06:25.919 --> 00:06:33.519 The work being complete. The time of departure is the time of that loosening. 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:42.219 It's also used in the sense of a prisoner being released, the loosening of the chains or the bonds that a 00:06:42.220 --> 00:06:48.700 prisoner has on. And again, you think of it in light of the Christian in this life, the time of their 00:06:48.700 --> 00:06:55.980 departure is the time of the loosening of the bonds of sin in this world and a corruptible body. 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:05.080 It was also a word that was used in the loosening of a soldier's tent, the ropes in a soldier's tent. 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:12.539 The soldiers in those days would set up camp as they were going to battle. They could spend months 00:07:12.539 --> 00:07:19.439 and even years in these camps as the battles were going on. But when the time of their departure, 00:07:19.539 --> 00:07:26.839 when the time of their loosening would come, the battle was over. The victory was won. They were 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:32.939 heading home. And again, it's such a vivid picture for the Christian there, the time of 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:39.500 our departure, the time of my departure. As Paul is speaking about here, as the battle is over, 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:47.279 the victory's won. It's time to go home. There's also another use it was used for was 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:55.600 the mooring ropes of a ship. When they were loosened, when they were let go, it was time to cast off and 00:07:55.600 --> 00:08:02.459 to set sail. And again, you think of the Christian's experience in this world. And Psalm 107, 00:08:02.459 --> 00:08:09.680 maybe comes to mind in that when they get to the desired haven, when the storm is changed 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:17.959 into a calm, even as Paul is speaking here of his departure, it's in this way, this loosening, 00:08:18.099 --> 00:08:23.959 this blessing that there is, that what faith in Christ means, it's not just the end, 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:32.100 it's just the beginning. Departure to a better place, to glory, to be with the Lord. 00:08:33.319 --> 00:08:39.139 And so as Paul is writing this letter to Timothy, yes, there's much emotion in it, 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:47.319 much sadness and sorrow, but also much encouragement. And he's reminding Timothy here, 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:55.860 as he's done himself in his life, the faith, the battle of faith is one that is always ongoing. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:04.820 The Christian's life is always one of being a servant, right to the very end, to the very time 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:10.840 of departure. And he says there, after the time of departure has come, he says, 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:19.399 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, right up until that 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:26.500 point. You see, for the Christian, there isn't an option of retirement. And taking it easy for a 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:33.139 number of years before we depart, it's about this battle, this life that is always ongoing. 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:41.120 We are always to keep going, without until our last breath, looking to Jesus, because we all have 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:47.759 something to offer. While we have breath, we have something to offer the Lord. We've heard that in the 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:56.100 prayers already this evening. We think of people who we see as powerfully serving the church in great 00:09:56.100 --> 00:10:03.580 ways. But every Christian serves, in every ordinary way, in all that we do, through our prayers, through 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:10.100 our service, through our hospitality, through our visits, through our calls, so many different ways, 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:19.399 we all have a part to play. We are all encouraged to take on the reins as they're passed on to us from 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:29.759 others, to keep the faith, to uphold the word of God and to pass it on ourselves to others. And so just 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:38.139 for a few moments, I want to think of how Paul says here, I have kept the faith. One of the things he 00:10:38.139 --> 00:10:44.939 says there in verse 7, he speaks about fighting the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept 00:10:44.940 --> 00:10:55.520 the faith. Just to think of what that word means here for Paul at the time of his departure. I have kept 00:10:55.520 --> 00:11:04.980 the faith. Well, we could say first of all, he means here that he has preserved the message. You see, as you 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:12.820 read through these verses from verse 10 in chapter 3, down to this, the end of this section in chapter 4, 00:11:12.820 --> 00:11:20.300 the word of God is at the heart of all that he is speaking about. In verse 16 of chapter 3, it says, 00:11:20.780 --> 00:11:29.700 all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, and so on, that they may be equipped 00:11:29.700 --> 00:11:36.820 for every good work. It's about keeping the word. And Paul is saying here, when he says, I have kept 00:11:36.820 --> 00:11:49.900 the faith, I have preserved the message, I have kept it for what it is, the word of God. He maintained it 00:11:49.900 --> 00:12:00.160 in its purity and in all its truth, and he was passing it on in that way. And we think of those 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:08.240 who have gone on since then, who have kept the faith, who have guarded the word of God, who have 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:15.879 kept it pure in its entirety, who have shared it in that way, who have not been afraid of the truth 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:23.679 of God in the midst of an ever-changing world, but who have, in the midst of even pressures of false 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:29.879 teachers, as Paul was under here, nothing new under the sun. We still see it in the church to this day, 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:40.199 but to keep the faith, to guard the word of God, and to pass it on in that way. He speaks about it in 00:12:40.199 --> 00:12:48.539 chapter 2 of this letter earlier on in verse 2. He says, what you have heard from me, and in the presence 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:58.699 of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also, share in suffering as a 00:12:58.699 --> 00:13:08.679 good soldier of Christ Jesus. This is what is being passed on. This is what it is to keep the faith, 00:13:08.679 --> 00:13:20.239 to preserve the word of God, that the church has many roles in this world, so many important roles 00:13:20.239 --> 00:13:30.819 in this world, but one of its primary concerns is to guard the word of God, to keep the truth. 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:38.299 Fort Knox in the United States of America is a place that's well known for containing and 00:13:38.299 --> 00:13:46.959 protecting much of the gold reserves of the United States. It's a place that's heavily guarded because 00:13:46.959 --> 00:13:57.519 it's so important, and that is the church's role when it comes to the word of God, to guard the truth 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:08.919 because it's so precious. Refusing to alter it one little bit, but to stick to the word of God, 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:17.240 which is more precious than gold, which is worth far more than any gold or silver in this world, 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:26.480 while at the same time passing it on to those who come after us. To keep the faith then 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:37.180 is to preserve the word, to keep it in all its purity. And we are so thankful to those who have taught and 00:14:37.180 --> 00:14:47.139 preached the word of God faith, who have shared it with so many around this world, who have kept the faith 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:57.980 in this way. So that's what Paul is saying when he says, I have kept the faith. I have guarded the word of God. 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:05.740 The second thing he's saying here, when he's saying, I have kept the faith, is the sense of proclaiming 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:16.320 the master. Preserving the word and yet proclaiming the master. It's the idea of kept the faith, not in 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:24.180 keeping it to himself, but in sharing it with others. Throughout Paul's life, you see that, even as he's 00:15:24.180 --> 00:15:32.720 passing it on to Timothy here, it's so that the word of God will be proclaimed. For the word of God is, 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:40.420 it is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching and for equipping for every good work. 00:15:41.160 --> 00:15:47.019 It's not going to achieve that if it's kept to ourselves. It's got to go out. It's got to be 00:15:47.019 --> 00:15:53.700 shared with others. And so many people down through the generations have been blessed with gifts 00:15:53.700 --> 00:16:03.400 to proclaim the word of God, to teach generations of people. We think of the legacy of those we've 00:16:03.400 --> 00:16:10.140 mentioned already tonight, of the number of teachers and pastors around the world, of the number of 00:16:10.140 --> 00:16:16.920 Christians all over the world who have benefited from their teaching, from their guidance, down through 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:26.639 the generations. And the word of God through that has spread, spread to all ends of the earth. Far and wide, 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:37.539 the master is being proclaimed. And we thank God for that. One of the most precious jewels in the world is the 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:50.159 hope diamond. It's said to be worth around 250 million dollars. And it's kept in a museum in Washington. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:17:02.339 The hope diamond is kept behind glass that's several feet thick. You can go in and see it, 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:11.940 but you'll never be able to touch it. You'll never be able to handle it. It's to be seen and not touched. 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:21.880 But the gospel is so different. It's worth so much as we've already said, but it's not something that's 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:29.500 to be kept in a museum. It's not something that's to be kept in a place where it's going to gather dust 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:39.559 and where we can just look on it. It's to be given away. Unlike so many treasures, it's worth more, 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:47.039 the more it's given away. And that's what Paul realized. And what every Christian and every servant 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:56.579 of Christ should realize is this gospel is worth giving away. Paul's testimony of ministry can be 00:17:56.579 --> 00:18:05.079 found in 2 Corinthians 4 verse 5, where he says, but we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:18.599 the Lord. And that's a wonderful testimony of any Christian. We preach not ourselves, 00:18:19.159 --> 00:18:28.199 but Christ Jesus, the Lord. And in the midst of all that was being taught and shared by many through 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:33.939 generations and more recently as well, it was never about themselves. 00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:43.779 But about Christ Jesus, the Lord and him being known and shared. So that all that we've received, 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:53.339 we are to share with others. And I encourage you as you receive to give away. To give away what you hear, 00:18:53.439 --> 00:19:01.199 what you receive from Christ and share it with others. Because it is something that is worth sharing. 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:09.519 If all we ever do is keep it under lock and key, gathering dust, then it's worthless. 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:18.539 We're just a dry museum where the truth is stored to look at and not touch. That's not what we are about. 00:19:18.539 --> 00:19:29.319 We are about the business of proclaiming the master, making Jesus known. When you think of the time of the 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:37.700 Reformation, that's what it was all about. When the word was just for a select few and who you had to be taught 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:48.759 to understand it. But the Reformation set the gospel free, set the word of God free so that all people could hear it 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:57.299 and understand it. And that's the legacy that's been passed on to us and that we would pass on to others. 00:19:57.299 --> 00:20:08.619 The legacy of Christ Jesus as Lord, the one who is able to save. So we are to proclaim our master, 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:19.819 to make him known. I have kept the faith in that way, that Jesus is known. The third thing we see here 00:20:19.819 --> 00:20:28.500 in these words, I have kept the faith, is the assurance that Paul has in this. The assurance 00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:39.859 that the Lord is with him. Here is Paul in a prison cell. And many of his friends had deserted him at 00:20:39.859 --> 00:20:45.399 this time. They were afraid to go and see him for the fear of persecution themselves. 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:56.280 But Paul, he says, I have kept the faith. He knows who is with him. He is a man who has reached 00:20:56.280 --> 00:21:04.640 the end of his journey. His time of departure has come, but he has kept the faith. 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:13.740 He has held on to the word of God and all its promises. It's not just something that he is holding 00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:22.079 in his hands. It's something that he is holding dear in his heart. But the Lord is with him. 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:29.839 And you look at Paul's life and testimony, and like many Christians since then and before then as well, 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:36.460 it's the experience of all the ups and downs, the battles that have gone on, the struggles that he's had, 00:21:36.819 --> 00:21:42.120 the lonely valleys that he's gone through. When you read of Paul's testimony in different parts of 00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:48.319 scripture, he tells us that there's various struggles he's been through. How many times he's been in 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:56.239 prison? How many times he was shipwrecked? How many times he was beaten for his faith? Yet despite 00:21:56.239 --> 00:22:03.039 all these times, and despite the very fact that here he is facing up to the time of his departure, 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:11.019 what has held him and what is keeping him, it is relationship with the Lord. That the Lord 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:22.500 is with him. He knows he is there. There may be nobody else around him, but the Lord is with him. 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:29.220 And as the Christian goes through life, as we go through life, we're going to face difficulties. 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:37.299 We're going to face times of hurt. We face times when we'll be misunderstood, misrepresented. 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:45.880 There'll be days when we feel like we're walking alone. But we have that promise that the Lord is 00:22:45.880 --> 00:22:55.740 with us, that we are never alone because he is with us. How would you assess the ministry of Paul? 00:22:55.740 --> 00:23:02.859 You know, if we were to look at the way we apply criteria today of success, you'd almost say that 00:23:02.859 --> 00:23:09.160 Paul's ministry was a failure. When you look at the churches that he'd started in Corinth, 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:15.740 there was a church there squabbling and falling out with one another. When you look at Colossae, 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:23.240 there was a church drifting back into the way of error. When you look at the church at Philippi, 00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:30.420 there you have ones who have contributed well. So there's a whole host of variety in the church 00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:37.059 that he's been involved in, from being successful in some eyes to falling away in others. 00:23:38.259 --> 00:23:46.859 But success isn't about us. Success is about what God is doing. And even despite the fact that there 00:23:46.859 --> 00:23:53.679 may be many who are falling away from the truth, there is still this hope that the Lord is building 00:23:53.679 --> 00:24:02.259 his church. Paul has been faithful. That's what he says here. I have fought the good fight. 00:24:02.679 --> 00:24:10.500 I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. And so as Christians today as well, 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:20.160 our success or failure is not what counts, but that we live for Christ. That's Paul's motto, 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:26.660 as you see in Philippians, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 00:24:26.660 --> 00:24:35.019 So in spite of all the challenges that he faced in life, despite all that he faces here at the time of 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:42.740 his departure, his sense of loneliness and nobody around him, he has kept the faith. And in that, 00:24:42.820 --> 00:24:53.660 he knows the Lord is with him. The fourth and final thing we see here, though, is the mention of reward. 00:24:53.660 --> 00:25:03.460 reward. Henceforth, it says there in verse eight, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 00:25:03.460 --> 00:25:10.779 which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day. And not only to me, but also to all 00:25:10.779 --> 00:25:22.600 who have loved his appearing. He has kept the faith. And what that means is that there is the crown 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:30.919 of righteousness awaiting him. And as a great reminder for us as well, that this is for all 00:25:30.919 --> 00:25:40.259 Christians. Not only to me, he says, but to all who have loved his appearing, to all who love the Lord. 00:25:41.219 --> 00:25:48.139 The idea here so often in Paul's writing is athletes running the race. 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:56.180 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, he says. Now, the athletes will be running for 00:25:56.180 --> 00:26:03.200 the crown. Crowns that will be made up of leaves that will be placed on the heads of those who won the race. 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:10.400 But Paul here is saying there's a different kind of crown. A crown that awaits the Christians. 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:18.980 The crown of righteousness, the crown which the Lord will give to his own, to those who keep on, 00:26:19.660 --> 00:26:25.960 to those who fight the good fight, who finish the race, who keep the faith. 00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:34.200 And as you think of the situation here, when those looking on him in prison, those Roman soldiers and those 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:38.319 who have put him into prison, they'll be looking on him and thinking, this is the end for him. 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:43.080 This is the end. We'll execute him and that's it. 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:50.840 But Paul knows differently. And that's what gives him this great hope. The time of his departure, 00:26:50.940 --> 00:26:56.440 the time of his loosening from this world, knowing he has kept the faith, 00:26:56.440 --> 00:27:05.279 he has this promise of a crown. And that's what we have learned from so many down through the 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:10.120 generations. And we think of the teachings and the preachings we've been under, even in our own 00:27:10.120 --> 00:27:18.360 lifetime, from those who have now gone from us. The beauty of Christ, the wonder of the cross, 00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:30.599 what faith is all about, what death means, and what eternity has in store. The wonders of Christ that 00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:37.979 we've heard about down through the years, we would never lose our sense of awe of Christ. 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:47.919 Christ on the crown that he has prepared for those who love him. His reward has come. 00:27:48.359 --> 00:27:56.500 He's saying here, the reward of those who have gone now is for them the crown of righteousness. 00:27:56.500 --> 00:28:06.740 And what keeps us going is to fix our eyes on Jesus, that we too may receive the crown of righteousness. 00:28:08.179 --> 00:28:16.079 C.S. Lewis, in his book, The Weight of Glory, he says this, he's encouraging believers in how we often 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:26.159 underestimate the full riches of God for his people. He says, if we consider the staggering nature of the 00:28:26.159 --> 00:28:34.039 rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:41.559 weak. We are half-hearted creatures, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum, 00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:49.399 because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are too easily pleased. 00:28:50.659 --> 00:28:56.500 Those who have now gone from us have reminded us so often that we're too easily pleased, 00:28:57.619 --> 00:29:03.720 but that there's a greater glory that we should strive for, the riches of Christ. 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:12.559 We have lost some whose greatest desire was to show and tell others of the glory of God in the person 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:23.000 of Jesus Christ. And the wonder of the cross, but how thankful we should be for what they've taught us 00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:33.000 and what they've left us to pass on to others. Much is written in these days about those who have gone to glory. 00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:40.360 But that's not the words that they would rejoice in. The words that they would want to hear is, 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:49.779 well done, good and faithful servant. The words of the Lord to those he receives into glory. 00:29:50.779 --> 00:29:59.460 What do we want said of ourselves? What do we want to hear? Not what others have to say about us, 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:08.140 but that we would be able to say as Paul, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:20.000 I have kept the faith. That's what the word of God does for us. Encourages us to keep on looking to Jesus. 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:29.579 And what matters even more is that as we put our trust in him, the day will come when we will hear those words to, 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:38.940 well done, good and faithful servant. We are encouraged to serve the Lord in whatever way we can. 00:30:38.940 --> 00:30:48.279 In the little things and in the great things, it doesn't matter. The Lord has given us a responsibility 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:57.920 and a duty to uphold the truth, to guard the truth and to share the truth. And we all have a part 00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:05.880 to play in that. So may we be a people who keep the faith. Let us pray. 00:31:09.019 --> 00:31:16.840 Our Father in heaven, we do rejoice in your gospel, for it is a gospel of hope and a gospel that's secure 00:31:16.840 --> 00:31:25.220 in Christ Jesus, our Lord. It reminds us that in this world we have but a time, a time that passes 00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:32.839 so quickly. It describes us like the mist that comes and goes or the flower that grows and then is gone. 00:31:33.680 --> 00:31:40.160 But we thank you for the word of the Lord that stands forever. And help us, O Lord, to guard it 00:31:40.160 --> 00:31:48.259 and to have that hope in it, that hope that keeps us secure through Christ Jesus, our Lord. 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:55.980 Help us that we would fight the good fight, that we would run the race, and above all that we would keep 00:31:55.980 --> 00:32:03.119 the faith. That we would be a people who are strengthened by you and encouraged through you and built up by you 00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:11.240 in the faith to keep us on. So Lord, be with us, continue to bless us and to comfort, to uphold us and to be 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:19.000 near in all our days as we commit ourselves into your hands, asking all things for the forgiveness of our sins. 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.539 In Jesus' name, Amen.