Christ is Coming Soon
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:”
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:1,6-8
Paul, in his farewell letter to Timothy, gave his final exhortation as he was facing death (2 Timothy 4:6), Paul knew that both he and Timothy would be judged one day when Jesus Christ appears. It would do us all good to occasionally reflect on the fact that one day we will face God and our works will be judged. For one thing, this realization would encourage us to do our work carefully and faithfully. It would also deliver us from the fear of man; for, after all, our final Judge is God. Finally, the realization that God will one day judge our works encourages us to keep going even when we face difficulties.
In 2 Timothy 4:7, In view of Jesus’ appearing and reality of gaining or losing rewards, Paul gave us three encouragements.
- BE A FIRM FIGHTERÂ – “I have fought a good fight”. We Christians must liken ourselves to a fighter (wrestler or boxer)
The goal of every fighter is to be able to lift their hands at the end of the last round and be declared the winner no matter how bruised or battered they are. Another goal of a fighter is to give more than he receives. Keep fighting the good fight of faith, trusting and depending only in the power and the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. - BE A FRUITFUL FINISHERÂ – “I have finished the race”
Each Christian runs a unique race. God decides how easy or difficult our race will be, He decides where we’ll run and how long we will run. As we run our race, God wants us to bear fruit for his glory. - BE A FAITHFUL FOLLOWER – “I have kept the faith”. We are Christ soldiers. We are given the task of faithfully guarding our post. We are God’s stewards who are tasked to guard our master’s deposit. Have we been faithfully guarding his Word, obeying his instruction, loving and serving in our church, and fulfilling the great commission?
