04.21.24. Evening service

The speaker is reflecting on their current studies and teaching of the pastoral epistles in both a seminary and a prison. They mention the impact it's had on the students and the importance of not following false teachings and fables. They discuss the temptation to try and predict the end of the world and the need for repentance and turning back to God. They emphasize the importance of preaching the word of God and staying true to the truth. The speaker encourages endurance in the face of afflictions and the work of an evangelist. They share Paul's last words before his death, highlighting the importance of fighting the good fight, finishing the course, and keeping the faith. They mention the reward that awaits those who love Jesus' appearing. They also mention someone who has forsaken them for the world. Going through Philippians and studying ahead and looking at and knowing the end of Paul's life and seminary right now, I'm teaching pastoral epistles at Calvary. I'm also teaching pastoral epistles at prison, and this week is our last week before finals, and we're kind of wrapping things up. And praise God, we're going to be off for about three months, but the line just about burned out this year. But it's going great. It's going wonderful. And the prison is really amazing, and the guys and what they're doing and the commitment that they're making. And this year I've actually, hopefully it will turn out, we're actually going to be allowed to allow some of our students to give personal testimonies of the quarrel and stuff. And so hopefully I'll show some videos and stuff of that down in the future, but the impact that it's making in their lives. But God has given us a really special group of men this year, and it's been going really good. But if you keep up with the news, which I don't, I get clipped here and there and everything, but there's a lot going on in our world right now. A lot of things are happening, and a lot of people are talking all over Facebook and everything else. This is the end of the world, and now they're actually fixing to happen. And they were saying that with the eclipse and just all kinds of different things. One of the things that's amazing, in 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy, a total of four times he uses the word that we should not follow fables. And things that don't, and in 2 Timothy chapter 3, he calls it not fables, but he says the foolish and unlearned questions avoid. And it seems like our world is just pushing that way today. And part of the problems that we have when it comes to the gospel and return of Jesus Christ is because every single event in man continues to try to set a time and a date on the return of Jesus Christ. Because there's somewhat of a pride deal there, right? It makes me think that I know more than what somebody else knows. But the problem with that is, as Peter says, in the last days, there's also going to be stoppers. People that are saying, well, Jesus Christ has said for 2,000 years. And I think we're seeing the fruit of that these days is because when people's lives need to repent, when people need to turn back to God, they think in today we've got plenty of time. You know, this has all happened. Israel's been in war before. All these things have happened, right? And so it's like we can kind of wait. But Paul, when he wrote this, was right before his death, right before around 68 B.C., was right before Rome came in and destroyed Jerusalem. He seeks to be healed because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And chapter 4 is his very last statement that he has written down. And he sends it to a young Timothy that he has left at Ephesus in order to help set them straight. And Ephesus was such a great church. We just got through studying the book of Ephesians and how wonderful they did. But we also have the book of John. John wrote the last book of the Bible, which is Revelation, which comes after 2 Timothy. And he told the church at Ephesus, he says, man, you're working hard. There's a lot of good things about you, but you have left your first love. And Paul, writing his last words here in chapter 4, this is what's on his heart. This is what's on his mind. He says, I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. The first thing he does is he reminds Timothy that Jesus Christ is coming back. He's coming back. It's going to happen. The quick are those that are living. Whether you're alive or whether you're dead, guess what? We're going to meet Jesus Christ. A lot of the old preachers say you're either going to go by cloud or you're going to go by cloud, right? Death or sky. One or the other. And so he reminds Timothy, he says, listen, Christ is coming back. And so what did he tell him to do in verse 2? You know, I think of all the things that we need to get done and all the things that need to happen, especially with the busyness of summer. And he doesn't focus on any of these things as Ephesus or anything else. Preach the word. The same thing in Philippians that he told them was what? We need to be talking about Jesus Christ. We need to be witnessing during this time. So he said, preach the word. Be instant in season, out of season. It doesn't matter if it's summer, winter, if it's a good time, if it's a bad time, if you're free, if you're in prison and your work, whatever. He says, preach the word. Just talk about Jesus Christ. And then he says, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. And he tells them why this is so very important. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers as engineers. And we're seeing so much of that today. We don't want to talk about the word of God. We want to talk about everything else outside of the word, right? We want to do all the speculations and everything that is going on with that. And what do they do? People are drawing to people that want to talk about what is and what could happen and what might happen. And he says in verse 4, they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. As I mentioned in 1 Timothy, Titus, also in 1 Peter. They tell us to avoid fables, stories, things that are not confirmed in the word of God. Things that are not true. Jesus Christ is true. His word is true. And so all these other things. He says, they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. But then he gives that three letter word, but. But, don't get caught up in the fables and the story tales. Don't get caught up in the speculation and the theories and the ideas. But notice what he says. But watch thou in all things. And then he tells them to do what? Endure afflictions. Endure heartache. Endure the trouble that is there. And do the work of an evangelist. What is an evangelist? An evangelist is one that simply shares the gospel of Jesus Christ. You don't have to be a preacher to do that. As a matter of fact, Philip. You remember Philip who was a deacon in Acts chapter 7 and 8? You remember he was one of the six men, or seven men that they set aside in Acts chapter 6 to take care of the widow women in the church? And then we read over in chapter 7 and chapter 8 and what is Philip doing? He's doing the work of an evangelist. But he's a deacon. He's supposed to be taking care of the widows and everything else. But where does he end up? Out in Samaria and then he ends up with the Ethiopian eunuch out in the wilderness. And what is he doing? He's an evangelist. He's preaching and sharing the word of God. So we all have that responsibility. We all have that duty that is there. And so he says to do the work of an evangelist. Make full proof of your ministry. It's not my ministry. It's not someone else's ministry. But you realize you have a ministry. And you've got to make proof of your ministry. What God has asked you to do. What God has called you to do. And Paul says, For because of this I am now ready to be offered. And the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. You know, three things that I think any of us ought to be able to say as Christians is that we have fought a good fight. He didn't say I fought a winning fight. He ends up dying, right? There's a lot more fight, I think, left in Paul. I think there was a lot more preaching that Paul could have done. I think there's a lot more churches that Paul could have started. But guess what? That wasn't in God's cards for him. He fought as long as he could fight. He went down when he died. He was still fighting. He said, I fought a good fight. And then he says, I finished my course. In other words, I completed what God set out for me to do. All of his ministry, he finally made it to Rome to preach the gospel. That was his desire. That was his goal. And through the moving of the Holy Spirit, keeping him from going into Asia, and the working of the hand of God, guess what? Paul ended up in Rome where he wrote most all of his letters. But we had the majority of the Bible that we based on doctrine. Guess what came while Paul was in prison at Rome. And so amazing what God did. He said, so I finished my course. I didn't quit. I didn't give up. I continued to do until that time. And he said, I've kept the faith. If there's nothing else that we can do, we ought to be able to keep the faith. Trust God and keep obeying him. Keep the faith. But then look what he says. He says, henceforth the cause he has fought a good fight, he's finished the course, he's kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto them that also that love his appearing. He goes all the way full circle. What did he charge us in verse 1 of chapter 4? I charge thee to remember Christ is coming back. Right? And depending on how you live, you can look forward to Christ returning. And when Christ returns, you don't have to face judgment. You don't have to face the bad thing. Guess what? You can also face reward. And so I think sometimes we don't talk about that enough. You know, we talk about the judgment. We talk about the bad side. But you know what? You can face Jesus as a reward. You receive the crown of righteousness saying that you've done well entering in by thankful serving. But what do we have to do? We have to love his appealing. And then if you go on down and you read there, the sad thing is he comes in verse 10 and he says, For demons hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica. Here he's challenging Timothy to keep up, keep fighting, keep looking to Jesus Christ. But here's someone that has forsaken me. Because they love the world more than they love the returning of Jesus Christ. And so the simple question is, is which do we love more? Do we love this world or do we love the appearing of Jesus Christ? Because where your heart is, there your treasure is going to be also. And where your treasure is, there your heart is going to be also. Father, we thank you for your love. We thank you for this message from Paul. There's so much there and so much more that could be said. But Father, I hope tonight that we see the sincerity of Paul, the heartbreak of Paul, the heartfelt seriousness and soberness that Paul has in his words, knowing that this is possibly and most likely the very last thing that he is going to be able to write or the last message that he's going to be able to deliver before he's put to death for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Father, after looking at his entire life and everything that he did, he says, guess what? My number one priority before I was arrested was the gospel and my number one priority in death is the gospel. And as long as we focus on that and we love your appearing and look forward to you coming back, then Father, the gospel is going to be preached. And when the gospel is preached, we know that you promise that your seed will not come back void. Because whatever we do, you're the one that takes care of the soul. Your Holy Spirit prepares the heart. And it's just our job to share that gospel. And Father, just help us to be witnesses for your honor and your glory. Help us as we go into business meeting tonight that everything we say, everything we do will be centered and focused with the gospel message in mind. And we'll give you all the praise and the glory for it. In your name we pray. Amen. At this time, we'll call our business meeting into order and we'll begin with the reading of the minutes.