“When Your Days Grow Short”

II Timothy 4: 6-8

The photograph in my mind is one that I have never seen, but have imagined many times. St. Paul, now old and feeble, body wracked from persecution and beatings but mind still sharp and focused, is dictating to a scribe (maybe Luke) who sits at a table while Paul lays on his mat. Paul, who has known starvation, imprisonment, and has been closer to death than most of us would ever know, realizes that his days on this orb are growing shorter and shorter. Yes, he had thought that Jesus would return in his lifetime — had not all the Apostles thought so as well? Now, with the lights fading and the curtains closing, he pens what may be his last epistle of any kind, to Timothy, his adopted son in the ministry.
The words of II Timothy flow with a passion and power that one can only imagine would go with statements that come at such a time as this. There are practical words, words of encouragement and hope, words of warnings and of dangers. In the 3rd and 4th chapters Paul’s tone grows intensely personal, reminding Timothy of Paul’s own difficulties in preaching the gospel and of the calling to live a godly, dedicated life. He compares himself to the drink offering (libation) that was poured on the altar as a symbol of one’s devotion to Christ. He is completely spent — all that he could give and more, he has given to his Lord, Christ Jesus. Now, he relates his final testimony as to how he had spent his life upon this earth, i.e., how he understood where he was, where he had been, and what he had been about.
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. (v. 6) The word for departure (v.6) has several images by which it can be understood:

• A ship which sets sail, leaving home port for a destination overseas.
  
• An army which, upon hearing that the war is over, breaks camp and heads for home.
  Paul saw his approaching death to be not something over which he was to be dismayed, but the culmination of his vocation to which he had been true his entire life. Let’s look at these verses for some guidance as many of us move into the twilight years of our lives.
  I have fought the good fight...
  Let us realize with Paul that there is a fight worth waging. Life is a struggle, even in the best of times. So often we find ourselves at odds with one another, with those who see and believe differently than do we. However, church or denominational or theological infighting or even fighting opposition in the world is not to what Paul is referring in this instance. Paul is talking, I believe, about the inner fight we wage with ourselves, with our lesser demons and those drives which are ever urging us to behaviors and activities with are less than what God has called us to be. In Romans 8, Galatians, and other passages from his letters we find Paul calling us to live at the level of the Spirit and not at the level of flesh. This is due to Paul’s own experience, his personal wrestling with the desires which inhabit all of us. How does he put it in Romans? “The good that I would I do not...and that which I do not wish to do, that very thing I find myself doing.”

All of us wrestle with human desires which, if controlled and used appropriately, are wonderful gifts of God. Used out of the bounds of God’s will and they become weapons of mass destruction.

• Sex — the desire to reproduce and leave behind offspring combined with the need to love and be loved.
  
• Hunger — the desire to eat and feed our bodies;
  
• Power — the desire to control and shape whatever endeavor in which we engage ourselves;
  
• Wealth — the desire to have security and ease of life;
  
• Ego — the desire to elevate ourselves above others and so feel that we are more than average.
  All of these desires dwell within us — and all of these rear their ugly heads at one time or another. When controlled by us they are good. When uncontrolled they become demonic and destructive, both of us and of others around us.
  Each of us struggles with one or more of these in some form or fashion. This struggle goes with being a fallen human being — we call it “original sin.” If Paul was like most persons who accomplish great deeds, then he had a tremendous ego. (I think most scholars would agree on that.) Paul thought he knew better and more clearly the truth and importance of the gospel than others and he worked to preach and promote his version. In fact, he did so well that Paul’s version ultimately wins out. Now, to be sure there are a lot of time where Paul is right: circumcision, the Gospel for Gentiles as well as Jews, the triumph of grace over law, etc. However, there are also times where Paul seems to have been caught by culture — women and their place in the church, etc. Whatever the issue, Paul had an opinion and was willing to advocate for it.
  Paul’s internal battle was, I believe, over his ego and inflated opinion of himself and his abilities. Now, to be sure the Spirit of God continually worked within Paul to battle him over this flaw. This is why Paul saw it as a battle that was continually being waged. The reality is that we never fully conquer the forces to which we are particularly susceptible. Ultimately we surrender them to Christ and allow the Spirit of Christ to control them and us — and in so doing we know the victory which only comes through the Spirit.
  If we do not wage this fight, this battle, then we will discover ourselves dominated and eventually destroyed by our drives and desires. I cannot tell you the number of talented, gifted, and highly intelligent persons whom I have known who literally destroyed their lives and those of their family because they refused to fight the good fight. Rather than allow the Spirit to lift them over these temptations, they give in to them time again, believing that God’s grace will forgive them. While it is true that God’s grace washes clean, the reality is that when we surrender rather than fight, we condemn ourselves to a lifetime of disappointment, destruction and regret. How was it the poet put it? 1“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
  

I have finished the race...
Paul not only knew that there was a fight worth waging, there was a race worth finishing. Paul loved to use athletic and militaristic images for our lives of faith, and one of which was life as a race. One of the saddest moments in all of ministry is to see people drop out of active service for our Lord Jesus Christ, to quit the race before they finish it. Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon — and faithful service to our Lord requires us to finish our particular race. Perseverance is one of the traits of a true follower of and believer in Jesus Christ. The gospels and the epistles warn the church that there will always be those who claim to love and follow Jesus, but when push comes to shove more often than not they are nowhere to be found.
The last time I checked Christian service had no retirement age. There is no age at which one can say, “I’ve done my part...I can just sit back and relax.” The challenge of building a community of faith and impacting a culture for Jesus Christ is so massive and huge that it requires all of us to be involved and engaged.
One of the great challenges of church is that though the gospel ever remains the same, the methodology and culture within which we function does change. Trust me on this one...I have literally spent my entire ministry watching it change. Sometimes, when change comes faster or in ways that we do not appreciate or understand, we have the desire to just step back or quit altogether. This “I will take my ball and go home” attitude is so sad, because it reflects an attitude which is not indicative of faith in and commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than ask ourselves what is it that Christ is calling us to do and where Christ desires us to serve in order that our church might go forward, we can become angry, resentful and even belligerent.
Several years ago a man and his son planned out a significant hike from British Columbia to California — over 1000 miles. In their planning they discovered that 90% of those who set out to hike over 500 miles never finish. A full 50% quit before they ever begin and another 40% quit after starting. When looking at the 10% who finish he concluded that they were successful for a few reasons:

• They strenuously prepared themselves, physically and mentally.
  
• They undertook meticulous logistical preparation.
  
• They knew that the biggest obstacles lay within themselves. They knew and anticipated that there would be problems; all would not go well. They committed to finishing no matter what. When trouble arose they were not surprised or flustered. They just knew that they had to find a way through the challenge, and then to keep going.2
  Last year the Boston Marathon was marred by explosions which killed and maimed hundreds. There were thousands who did not get to finish — and finishing is what it is all about to a marathoner. This year they returned to finish the race which they were unable to do so a year ago. Why? It’s just a race, isn't it? No, it is not a race — it is life itself. A true marathoner runs not as much against others as against themselves. So it is with our Christian faith. Life is a marathon — and we are called to be faithful until God calls us home.
  I have kept the faith...
  

Paul was genuinely proud of the fact that he had not altered or corrupted his faith in Jesus Christ — for he knew that we have a faith worth keeping. Despite beatings, arrest, imprisonment and even being near death on several occasions, Paul affirmed and maintained his basic core belief: salvation and eternal life were found supremely in Jesus Christ. The reality is that we have a truth worth keeping, worth giving our lives to and holding onto throughout the ups and downs of life.
It is so easy to give up our “faith” in Christ. Every age has it’s particular “hip” theology which compels people to participate. As humans we are made to worship something — and if we do not worship God through Jesus Christ we will worship a human god made in our image. It is so easy to give up true, hard-earned faith for one which says, “Do what you want...believe what you will...it does not matter.” There are so many “quasi-Christian” groups which maintain an image of respectability but which are in fact heretical or false versions of Christianity.
The most prolific of these in our age is the “prosperity gospel,” which maintains that God wants us all to be wealthy and “blessed.” I wonder what Paul would have said about that? I wonder how Paul, being beaten and bruised beyond recognition, would feel about his words being twisted and changed to reflect a theology totally at odds with historic Christianity. The true faith knows the difficulties of life and the mystery that we cannot understand it all, but maintains faithfulness no matter what.
A few weeks ago I was discussing with a fellow minister (and congregant) the current direction of the contemporary church in terms of full fledged Christian rock services, etc. (So much more out there than we are, trust me.) He listened to me and then said, “You sound like the old people we knew when we started ministry...they thought we were destroying the church as well.” I had to laugh at myself: Bob, the one time ministerial rebel who flayed against the ivy covered walls of the institutional church, has now become the domesticated defender of the institution — and the very person against whom he once caricatured.
No matter how much the church changes, as long as those changes enable us to share the gospel and live out the gospel with integrity in our culture, then I am going to be there. Why? Because we are engaged in a race worth finishing, a race through which our participation and finishing demonstrates to the world its truthfulness. If my faith will not see me full to the finish, how will it ever see me through death to life eternal?
What is the result? Paul used the image of a “crown of righteousness,” i.e., the laurel wreath which the judge awarded to the victor at the Olympic games. Unlike the Olympics where medals are only given to those who win, all of those who are faithful to the finish receive the victor’s crown. For we are not racing against each other...we are racing together. The goal is finishing, not merely starting.
Some years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics nine contestants were gathered at the starting line for the 100-meter dash. The gun went off and they began to run. They were about halfway through the race when one boy stumbled, fell, rolled over on the asphalt, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy, stopped, and returned to him. Every one of them. One girl with Down’s syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.” Then all nine

linked arms and walked to the finish line together. The stadium exploded with cheering for over ten minutes.3 They all receive the winner’s prize.
A fight worth waging...a race worth finishing...a faith worth keeping. No matter what our age, may God find us faithful in being the church he has called us to be. Our days may grow short, but our impact and influence and service for Christ can be as great as ever.
Robert U. Ferguson, Jr., Ph.d. Emerywood Baptist Church
1300 Country Club Drive
High Point, North Carolina 27262 May 4th, 2014
1John Greenleaf Whittier, Maud Muller — Pamphlet.
2 Dr. Ray Pritchard, "Finishing Well," keepbelieving.com
3 Author unknown. Printed as told by Bob French in A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Health Communications Inc., 1966, Deerfield Beach, Florida, p.70.