To Be One in Christ: We Have Treasure in the Jars of Clay -- the Series of Explanation and Analysis of Scripture (12) - 4
The Explanation and Analysis of Some of the Verses in Chapter 4 of 2 TIMOTHY
“ 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. ” (2 TIMOTHY 4:1-2)
In the Second Coming of LORD, He will judge His servants and the believers. This should let us live watchfully in front of God and prepare to receive the judgment of LORD on His Second Coming. The kingdom of heaven is not the salvation that LORD give to the believers, but is the reward given to the believers by LORD. We must make every effort to run the race marked out for us under the warning and hope of the kingdom. In the mind of the believers, they should always take Jesus Christ and the appearing of His kingdom as the goal of work and hope. The Second Coming of LORD and the realization of His kingdom should be the most earnest hope in the mind of the believers; this hope urges the believers to take the responsibility to make their best to spread the Gospel widely, and make efforts to preach the Word. They should know it well that Jesus Christ is the LORD to judge the living and the dead. The ministry should know that the Gospel he preaches is related to the eternal life and eternal death of others, he must work hard to preach the Gospel and preach the Gospel to others carefully and seriously.
(1) “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; ”:
A. One of the secret to preach Gospel is that one must preach the Word no matter there is good opportunity or not, and whether it is in season or out of season.
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. ” (Ecc 11:6)
B. We should know that sowing and reaping might not be completed in a short period or by one worker. “Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. ” (Joh 4:37)
C. Some plant and some water, but only God truly make one to be saved and grow. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ” (1Co 3:6-8) We should remember that we are the coworkers with God. With man things might be impossible, but with God all things are possible. As long as we rely on God closely and work hard, there must be the harvest. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. ” (Psa 126:5)
D. When the ministries work on preaching the Word, they should always pay attention to and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit on how they should work.
(2) “be prepared ”: We should be prepared all the time so that to grasp every opportunity to preach the Gospel.
(3) “with great patience ”: We should always use great patience to deal with different people.
(4) “(with) careful instruction”: We should take care of the different needs in the minds of all different people.
(5) “ correct”: The workers of God must be the watchmen, and should not allow others go to the destruction.
(6) “rebuke”: Speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). The teachings of LORD: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. ” (Rev 3:19)
(7) “encourage”: To encourage others is one of the jobs that the ministries do most frequently; their words should have the comforts and encouragements. All the instructions should correct, rebuke and encourage the people according to their different needs. When we apply these instructions, we should have great patience, complete preparation and a pure mind to please God.
“ For the time will come when men 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. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. ” (2 TIMOTHY 4:3-5)
The situation of this world will change, and the domination of darkness will be more and more vile. Many people are dragged away and enticed by their own selfish desires. Men will not put up with sound doctrine. It is because their ears are itching and they only want to hear the words that suit their own desires. They like hearing the praises from others. The truth of God is certainly not in accordance with the principles wanted by men full of the selfish desires. The doctrines and words that the people like to hear, are those that can comfort their conscience and let them sin at wills while do not be rebuked by the conscience. Those false teachers will cater the sinful nature, favors and ideals of men and say some myths. The reason that those philosophers are recommended by the people, is because their theories can defend those who do sins and evils, and they make new theories to let people at ease to do things against God.
The workers of God should fulfill their duty and work on all things carefully. One should recognize the crafts and be careful in everything and do not give the enemy any opportunity for slander. “Keep your head in all situations”; it shows that the devil might attack us in all situations; therefore, we must guard against it, and do not give the devil a foothold (Eph 4:27). The believers should endure the hardship and arm themselves with the attitude of being prepared for the sufferings. The ministry must fulfill his duties. It does not fulfill the duty by only enduring the hardship; during the hardship, we can still try our best to spread the words of God, then we will fulfill our duties.
“ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 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--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8)
As to those Christians who died in LORD, the departure is only to leave the temporary tent on the earth:
“For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ” (2Co 5:4)
“because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ” (2Pe 1:14)
“The time has come” ; that is, the time has come that they will rest from their labor; and the time has come to leave this world and to be with Christ in a higher level.
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."” (Rev 14:13)
“am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ” (Php 1:23)
1.“I have fought the good fight”:
In the whole life of Paul, he himself followed LORD closely, and fought many good fights for the truth of Gospel. The fights were continuous and unceasing. However, by relying on LORD, he was never discouraged and shrank back, and was never afraid to fight for the Gospel. He was faithful, and endured the hardships to fight a good and victorious battle.
2.“I have finished the race”:
“The race” is the journey that the believers in Christ, follow the step of Christ, obey the will and rules of God so that to let the new life of Christ that they received grow up to the fullness.
Paul did not run any course that he should not run; but followed closely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of Christ to “press on toward the goal to win the prize ” (Php 3:14). The road that he run were all in the will of God and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
3.“I have kept the faith”:
Paul in Christ, in order to keep the faith, he was willing to pay any price and was opposed and persecuted by many people. Because he knows whom he has believed : “because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. ” (2Ti 1:12)
In a word, these sentences show that Paul is worthy of the entrustment of God, and he is completely obedient to the guidance of Christ. Since he has obeyed LORD, has fought the good fights, has finished the race, has kept the faith, and has done the work that LORD want him to do, of course, he can have confidence to see LORD.
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness”:
A. Paul believed surely that he will get the crown of righteousness. Paul was so confident to testify and say that: “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.” This is a very natural confidence, for he knew that God is faithful. Since he has fought the good fights, has finished the race, and has kept the faith, of course, God will prepare the glorious crown for him according to His faithfulness.
B. In contrast to the situation in the past, Paul used to press on to pursue with cautiousness and trembling:
“No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. ” (1Co 9:27)
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ” (Php 3:12)
When he reached the end of the road on the earth and knew already that he would sacrifice his life, and looked back to his cautious obedience to the truth of LORD, Paul finally was completely confident to know that he will surely get the crown that Christ Jesus want him to get.
C. However, nowadays, there are many believers, who have not run any race, have not fought any fight, and have not kept any faith, yet they think that have completely and surely obtained the crown of eternal life already. We should learn from the journey of Paul: firstly, we should press on to pursue with cautiousness and trembling; only before we reach the final point, by our obedience to Christ all the way and our observing the words of LORD all the time, we will be confident that we will get the crown.
5.“which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day”:
He was to receive the crown given by LORD; it is not only because of the love of LORD, but also because of the righteous judgment of LORD.
“For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ” (1Pe 4:17)
“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. ” (1Co 4:5)
6. “and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ”:
Paul does not think that he is the only one qualified for the crown of the righteousness; but believes whoever longs for the appearing of LORD will get it the same as he does. May we all be like Paul, be in Christ, think of the Second Coming and the appearing of LORD Jesus Christ, and take hold of such a goal to work.
“ But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ” (2 TIMOTHY 4:17-18)
Being with the Holy Spirit of LORD is the fountain of our strength. The reason that the servants of LORD can endure the sufferings is because they are strengthened by relying on LORD.
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ” (Psa 73:25-26)
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ” (Eph 3:16)
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ” (1Pe 5:10)
“So that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. ” The truths of Gospel proclaimed by Paul were all written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of Christ. “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. ” (Gal 1:11-12) However, there are many people who have no idea of the work of Holy Spirit; they mistakenly think the letters of Paul were from the wisdom and understandings of Paul himself; this wrong idea must be cleared up. All the works of preaching Gospel are carried out under the instructions, guidance and works of the Holy Spirit of LORD Jesus Christ. This fact is apparent in the book of Acts. Nowadays, what we believers need to know is that the Holy Spirit of LORD Jesus Christ work in nowadays the same as in the times of the apostles. In the times of the apostles, the Bible has been revealed completely; the enlightenments of Holy Spirit in nowadays are all within the revelations of the Bible.
In the sufferings of the past, Paul was rescued by LORD all the time and was delivered from the evil attacks and dangers. Now, Paul knew in advance that his time to sacrifice his life was coming, and he also knew for sure that LORD will bring him into the heavenly kingdom. All the thanks, praises and glories be to LORD for ever and ever! Amen!
It is edited and compiled under the guidance of Holy Spirit. All thanks, praises and glories be to God!
(2 TIMOTHY 4:1-8; 17-18)
2 TIMOTHY 4:1 “ 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: ”
(NOTES)
“judge the living and the dead”:
For more than once, it is mentioned in the Bible that Christ is the LORD to judge the living and the dead (Act 10:42; 1Pe 4:5; Rev 1:18). “judge the living and the dead”; it is to emphasize that Christ is the LORD to judge everyone, no matter they are alive or dead.
“and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:”:
The appearing of LORD is the Second Coming of LORD; the kingdom of LORD is the kingdom of Heaven. In the Second Coming of LORD, He will judge His servants and the believers. This should let us live watchfully in front of God and prepare to receive the judgment of LORD on His Second Coming. The kingdom of heaven is not the salvation that LORD give to the believers, but is the reward given to the believers by LORD. We must make every effort to run the race marked out for us under the warning and hope of the kingdom.
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) The workers of the LORD should know well the relationship between the work of preaching the Word and the kingdom of LORD. They should also know that the duty that we received today, is appointed to us from the kingdom of heaven. And they should know that to save one more or one less soul today, is closely related to expand the kingdom of LORD and to accelerate the realization of the kingdom of LORD. Therefore, here, the charge is given to the workers of God to preach the Gospel according to the will of LORD Jesus Christ so that to bring about His kingdom and the precious promise of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In the mind of the believers, they should always take Jesus Christ and the appearing of His kingdom as the goal of work and hope. The Second Coming of LORD and the realization of His kingdom should be the most earnest hope in the mind of the believers; this hope urges the believers to take the responsibility to make their best to spread the Gospel widely, and make efforts to preach the Word.
(2) The workers should know God and LORD Jesus. They should know it well that Jesus Christ is the LORD to judge the living and the dead. If the ministry knows that the Gospel he preaches is related to the eternal life and eternal death of others, he will surely work harder to preach the Gospel and preach the Gospel to others more carefully and seriously. If we think about that we will give an account in front of God in the future (1Co 4:5; Heb 13:17) -- the LORD who will judge the living and the dead, and we must hand over the account what He entrusted to us, we will preach Gospel faithfully without daring to be sluggish.
(3) In a word, the entrustment of preaching Gospel is very serious. The workers of God should understand how significant and important the work is. No matter one himself preaches Gospel or encourages others to preach Gospel, one should not speak carelessly and willfully; but should speak very carefully in front of God and take it importantly and cautiously as if he is in front of the judge, and regard the work of preaching Gospel as the most serious and significant work.
2 TIMOTHY 4:2 “ Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. ”
(NOTES)
(1) “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; ”:
A. One of the secret to preach Gospel is that one must preach the Word no matter there is good opportunity or not, and whether it is in season or out of season. We actually do not know what is the best time. Sometimes, we think it is not a good time; therefore, we don’t open our mouth to preach Gospel to others. However, at that time, it might be the right time that the hearts of others are desiring the Gospel. We do not know the hearts of others completely.
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. ” (Ecc 11:6)
It is not that when others welcome us, we will preach the Word; when others do not welcome us, we won’t preach; if there are many people who listen to us, we will preach; if there are few people, we will not preach; we should preach the Gospel all the time regardless of the situation and with the same careful attitude.
B. We should know that sowing and reaping might not be completed in a short period or by one worker. “Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. ” (Joh 4:37)
C. Some plant and some water, but only God truly make one to be saved and grow. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ” (1Co 3:6-8)
We should remember that we are the coworkers with God. With man things might be impossible, but with God all things are possible. As long as we rely on God closely and work hard, there must be the harvest.
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. ” (Psa 126:5)
D. In the work, we should have the attitude of “keeping on cultivating without caring too much about the harvest ”. However, it does not mean that we do not need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the work. When the apostles worked on preaching the Word, they always paid attention to and followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit on whether they should continue in the work or leave. The ministries should do the same on their road of preaching Gospel; that is, they should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is a different thing from our attitude to “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season”.
(2) “be prepared ”:
It is also translated as “Keep your sense of urgency ” (stand by, be at hand and ready), “be urgent”, “be instant” or “be ready”. We should be prepared all the time so that to grasp every opportunity to preach the Gospel. If we are always ready and prepared, we will act instantly so that no chance will be missing. We should keep our sense of urgency on doing the work of preaching Gospel to make best use of all the chances and time.
(3) “with great patience ”:
Why should we do the preaching work with great patience? It is because the people whom we meet with are different, and their reactions to the preaching are different, for examples, some welcome; some object; some sneer; some are indifferent; some are very proud; some are stubborn; some are perfunctory and do not tell the truth. We should always use great patience to deal with different people. “with great patience ” shows that the work of the preaching the Word might have no effect right away, and it might require a lot of patience before it produces any result.
(4) “(with) careful instruction”:
Here, it refers to all the instructions regarding the Gospel and the truth of the Bible. Different instructions can supply the different spiritual needs; some need comforts; some need encouragements; and some need us to instruct them with the truth. We should not be satisfied with our achievements on one aspect of the truth. We should take care of the different needs in the minds of all different people. We should pray and ask LORD to give us the messages that fit all different people’ s needs.
(5) “ correct”:
It is also translated as “reprove”. The ministry should be watchful on the souls and spirits of men all the time; whenever he sees the dangers of men’s spirits that are in tests, he should reprove them and correct them. The workers of God must be the watchmen, and should not allow others go to the destruction.
(6) “rebuke”:
To “rebuke” is one method to make others know their mistakes and turn away from the wrong ways. The ministry are not supposed to say the words to cater and flatter others; also, they should not only say the words of love, but should speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). Whenever necessary, they should say the words of the rebuke to make others know their faults and errors. Some only need to be instructed; if give them the words and the truth of the Bible, they will rebuke themselves; some need to be admonished, and then they will know their mistakes; but some need to be rebuked and need to give the severe words, and then they will turn back. However, one must in the love rebuke others; it is because of the deep love, that one rebukes others sincerely.
“He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. ” (Pro 13:24)
“The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth! ” (Pro 19:18)
The teachings of LORD: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. ” (Rev 3:19)
(7) “encourage”:
To encourage others is one of the jobs that the ministries do most frequently; their words should have the comforts and encouragements. All the instructions should correct, rebuke and encourage the people according to their different needs. When we apply these instructions, we should have great patience, complete preparation and a pure mind to please God.
2 TIMOTHY 4:3 “ For the time will come when men 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. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1)The situation of this world will change, and the domination of darkness will be more and more vile. Many people are dragged away and enticed by their own selfish desires. Men will not put up with sound doctrine. The devil will work harder in the minds of people, and make people dislike the truth, but love the falsehood. Therefore, we should take the time to try our best to take captive the thought of men and make it obedient to Christ.
(2) Why the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine? It is because their ears are itching and they only want to hear the words that suit their own desires. They like hearing the praises from others. The truth of God is certainly not in accordance with the principles wanted by men full of the selfish desires. The doctrines and words that the people like to hear, are those that can comfort their conscience and let them sin at wills while do not be rebuked by the conscience. Those false teachers will cater the sinful nature, favors and ideals of men and say some myths. The reason that those philosophers are recommended by the people, is because their theories can defend those who do sins and evils, and they make new theories to let people at ease to do things against God.
(3) “turn aside to myths”, “myths” mean that things and theories without evidence, see also (1Ti 1:4; 4:7); refer to what the teachers of the Jews taught, the legend of the genealogies, or the myths of other religions, the principles and theories outside the Bible, the secular principles and words to cater the sinful nature of men that are not in accordance with the Bible and so on.
2 TIMOTHY 4:5 “ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. ”
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) “keep your head in all situations”:
It is also translated as “But you, be sober in all things,”; “But you be clear-minded in all, ”; or “As for you, be calm and cool and steady”. The workers of God should fulfill their duty and work on all things carefully. Since the environment of the believers might be filled with all kinds of treacherous things and the cunning schemes of the devil. Therefore, one must be careful not to be fooled and deceived. One should recognize these crafts and be careful in everything and do not give the enemy any opportunity for slander. “keep your head in all situations”; it shows that the devil might attack us in all situations; therefore, we must guard against it, and do not give the devil a foothold (Eph 4:27).
(2)“endure hardship”:
Besides keeping the head in all situations, we must be prepared to endure the hardship. Since we keep our head in all situations, the enemies could not find chance to destroy the work of God; the devil will then provoke men to persecute or be against the workers of LORD to make them suffer. Therefore, we not only need to keep our head in all the situations, but also need to endure the hardship. Sometimes, it is not that we do not know the cunning schemes of the enemies, but is because of our timidity, no relying on God wholeheartedly, and leaving a foothold for the devil. Therefore, the believers should arm themselves with the attitude of being prepared for the sufferings.
(3) “do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”:
The ministry must fulfill his duties. Not only he should do it carefully, but also he should endure the hardship; but he should not be satisfied with his work of an evangelist only because he had suffered the hardship for LORD. To “endure the hardship” only does not mean the success in our mission, for our purpose is to do the work of an evangelist. Although the soldiers meet with all kinds of dangers and hardships and even get injured, it does not mean that they are successful; only by defeating the enemies, they fulfill their mission that the nation entrusts them. It is also the same for the ministry. It does not fulfill the duty by only enduring the hardship; during the hardship, we can still try our best to spread the words of God, then we will fulfill our duties.
2 TIMOTHY 4:6 “ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.”
(NOTES)
“being poured out like a drink offering”:
During offering the sacrifice in ancient time, the wine was poured out on it to offer it as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, which is called the drink offering. Paul described how he himself was willing to sacrifice his life for the Word of LORD, just as the offering with an aroma. The drink offering in the Old Testament is not another kind of offering; it is only to add the wine on the sacrifice and offer them together. (Num 15:5,7,10).
“departure”:
It is also translated as “the time of my release ”, that is, “the time of my [spirit's] release [from the body]”. Departure is not vanishing, but is to walk on a new road and go to a new environment.
(LIGHT IN WORDS)
(1) This verse tells us about the attitude and mind of a martyr. These several verses are not only a song of triumph of Paul preparing for the sacrifice, but also the encouragements with most driving force to Timothy. Paul knew that he would leave this world soon and would sacrifice his life for LORD soon; he was not afraid of the coming suffering at all, but looked himself as the drink offering.
As to those Christians who died in LORD, the departure is only to leave the temporary tent on the earth:
“For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ” (2Co 5:4)
“because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ” (2Pe 1:14)
“The time has come” ; that is, the time has come that they will rest from their labor; and the time has come to leave this world and to be with Christ in a higher level.
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."” (Rev 14:13)
“am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ” (Php 1:23)
2 TIMOTHY 4:7 “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ”
(NOTES)
1.“I have fought the good fight”:
In the letters, it mentioned about fighting a good fight for the faith more than once (1Ti1:18; 6:12). While in the whole life of Paul, he himself followed LORD closely, and fought many good fights for the truth of Gospel. The fights were continuous and unceasing. However, by relying on LORD, he was never discouraged and shrank back, and was never afraid to fight for the Gospel. He was faithful, and endured the hardships to fight a good and victorious battle.
2.“I have finished the race”:
“the race” is the journey that the believers in Christ, follow the step of Christ, obey the will and rules of God so that to let the new life of Christ that they received grow up to the fullness.
Paul did not run any course that he should not run; but followed closely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of Christ to “press on toward the goal to win the prize ” (Php 3:14). The road that he run were all in the will of God and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He never walked on the road that was easy and comfortable according to his own favor. The road that he has been through were full of persecutions and sufferings. The road that he walked on was not for his own success and honors, but for following LORD Jesus Christ and proclaiming the truth of LORD.
3.“I have kept the faith”:
Paul in Christ, never allowed any heterodoxy and wrong teaching to damage the truth of the faith; and he fulfilled his duty as a watchman. Not only he himself kept the faith, but also he encouraged others to keep the faith. In order to keep the faith, he was willing to pay any price and was opposed and persecuted by many people. Because he knows whom he has believed:
“because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. ” (2Ti 1:12)
In a word, these sentences show that Paul is worthy of the entrustment of God, and he is completely obedient to the guidance of Christ. He did not fight for the faith according to his own will, or run the road of his own. He did not live for himself in his whole life and was not disobedient to the vision from heaven (Act 26:19). Since he has obeyed LORD, has fought the good fights, has finished the race, has kept the faith, and has done the work that LORD want him to do, of course, he can have confidence to see LORD.
2 TIMOTHY 4:8 “ 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. ”
(NOTES)
“the crown of righteousness”:
This crown is received by men to show the righteousness of God. It is not like the salvation received by men to show the grace of God. It is because the salvation from God is to show the grace of God, therefore, whoever believes can receive it. However, this crown is to show the righteousness of God; therefore, only those who are faithful can receive it.
“who have longed for his appearing”:
The hardworking students long for the final exam so that they can get the prize from the exam. The students who are not hardworking are afraid of the coming of the exam. In the like manner, those who love LORD and give up everything for LORD are all longing for the coming of LORD, so that to get the commendation from LORD. Therefore, longing for the appearing of LORD, is the proof that we love LORD today and live for LORD.
Longing for the LORD’s appearing and longing for LORD himself are not separated. If we truly love LORD, we must love His appearing. Our minds should leave the earth and go up first to meet with LORD and be with LORD first. Those who are longing for LORD are all living in front of the coming of LORD; their minds are not bound by any one, thing and matter on the earth.
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness”:
A. Paul believed surely that he will get the crown of righteousness. Paul was so confident to testify and say that: “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.” This is a very natural confidence, for he knew that God is faithful. Since he has fought the good fights, has finished the race, and has kept the faith, of course, God will prepare the glorious crown for him according to His faithfulness.
B. In contrast to the situation in the past, Paul used to press on to pursue with cautiousness and trembling:
“No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. ” (1Co 9:27)
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ” (Php 3:12)
When he reached the end of the road on the earth and knew already that he would sacrifice his life, and looked back to his cautious obedience to the truth of LORD, Paul finally was completely confident to know that he will surely get the crown that Christ Jesus want him to get.
C. However, nowadays, there are many believers, who have not run any race, have not fought any fight, and have not kept any faith, yet they think that have completely and surely obtained the crown of eternal life already. We should learn from the journey of Paul: firstly, we should press on to pursue with cautiousness and trembling; only before we reach the final point, by our obedience to Christ all the way and our observing the words of LORD all the time, we will be confident that we will get the crown.
5.“which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day”:
He was to receive the crown given by LORD; it is not only because of the love of LORD, but also because of the righteous judgment of LORD.
“For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ” (1Pe 4:17)
“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. ” (1Co 4:5)
6. “and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ”:
Paul does not think that he is the only one qualified for the crown of the righteousness; but believes whoever longs for the appearing of LORD will get it the same as he does. When he sang this song of triumph, he did not have any pride or consider himself the only one who can overcome; but with hope and faith, he believes that many more faithful people like him will receive the crown. From another aspect, this sentence shows that , the reason that Paul is so faithful to LORD is because he longs for the appearing of LORD and takes it as the goal of his work and life to wait for the appearing of LORD. In the exhortation of verse 1 in this chapter, Paul said that in view of the appearing and the kingdom of LORD Jesus Christ, he gave Timothy the charge. At the end of the song of triumph, he mentioned again the appearing of LORD. May we all be like Paul, be in Christ, think of the Second Coming and the appearing of LORD Jesus Christ, and take hold of such a goal to work.
2 TIMOTHY 4:17 “ But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. ”
(NOTES)
“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”:
See also (Act 18:9; Act 23:11). Being with the Holy Spirit of LORD is the fountain of our strength. The reason that the servants of LORD can endure the sufferings is because they are strengthened by relying on LORD.
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ” (Psa 73:25-26)
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ” (Eph 3:16)
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ” (1Pe 5:10)
Right before Paul was going to sacrifice his life, although he had many coworkers; some left because of being afraid of being implicated; some left because of being sent out for the sake of work. However, LORD is unchanging forever and ever. When everyone left, he had no one to help him, but LORD stood at his side, and that is his strength. LORD being with us, He will give us the grace and strength.
“so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. ”:
The truths of Gospel proclaimed by Paul were all written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of Christ. “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. ” (Gal 1:11-12) However, there are many people who have no idea of the work of Holy Spirit; they mistakenly think the letters of Paul were from the wisdom and understandings of Paul himself; this wrong idea must be cleared up. All the works of preaching Gospel are carried out under the instructions, guidance and works of the Holy Spirit of LORD Jesus Christ. This fact is apparent in the book of Acts. Nowadays, what we believers need to know is that the Holy Spirit of LORD Jesus Christ work in nowadays the same as in the times of the apostles. In the times of the apostles, the Bible has been revealed completely; the enlightenments of Holy Spirit in nowadays are all within the revelations of the Bible.
“And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. ”:
Our God is the LORD of all things, and is the LORD who rescued Daniel from the lion’s den (Dan 6). Here, it refers to Paul was delivered in the past trials and sufferings: “persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ” (2Ti 3:11); see also (2Co 8-10) and so on.
2 TIMOTHY 4:18 “ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ”
(NOTES)
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. ”:
In the sufferings of the past, Paul was rescued by LORD all the time and was delivered from the evil attacks and dangers. Now, Paul knew in advance that his time to sacrifice his life was coming, and he also knew for sure that LORD will bring him into the heavenly kingdom.
“To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ”:
Let us pray together to praise the LORD: all the thanks, praises and glories be to LORD for ever and ever! Amen!
Reference:
1. Zhongdao Chen: “The Lectures on the Bible Studying of the Letters in New Testament”.
2. P. C. Chong: “The Bible Courses”.
3. Quoted notes from Watchman Nee, Shuguang Niu.
