* It’s not how you start - it’s how you finish!
* Paul is nearing the end of his days.
* He’s looking back and reflecting on his life.
* It’s good to number our days - when you go to the end of your life and look back “before” the end of your life.
* You’ll be more wise with your numbered days.
* Look at what Paul says:
* Vs 7 - “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
* Three Keys to Finishing Well:
* 1) Fight the good fight
* “Fight” - Your spiritual life is a battle
* Manage expectation - it’s not bounce house, but bootcamp
* “Good Fight” - Three Battles:
* Personal - fight against temptation
* Relational - fight with people
* Kingdom - fight for people (this is the good fight)
* 2) Finish the race
* “Finish” - It’s not how you start, but how you finish - finish well!
* Finishing requires Discipline, Diligence, Determination.
* “The Race” - Run to win - there’s a reward for your effort.
* Play by the rules.
* 3) Kept the faith
* “Keep” - If you have to keep something, it presupposes you can lose it.
* Satan comes to rob you - of peace, power, etc.
* “The Faith” - your faith is “evidence” and “substance” - it’s a “thing.”
* Practice seeing God in all things - this keeps your faith strong.
* Vs 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.”
* A crown symbolizes identity (it says you are royalty).
* Righteousness - we get “His” righteousness.
* “Longed for His appearing” - wanting Christ to return keeps you running the race so you can finish well.
2 Timothy 4:7 (11/2/22)
Three Keys to Finish Well
November 2, 2022 • Benham Brothers • 2 Timothy 4:7
2 Timothy 1:1-18 (10/22/15)
October 22, 2015 • Benham Brothers
• Paul was set for execution and almost all his friends had deserted him. • So what did Paul do in his last days? He didn’t sulk - he didn’t play bridge and golf in Florida. • He poured into Timothy. • In this chapter he encourages Timothy with three essentials for success: • 1) Courageous enthusiasm (vs 1-7) - Christianity was not the for the faint of heart. • He was to fan into flame the gift that was in him (vs 6-7) - this means being where Satan would try to blow your light out. • 2) Shameless suffering (vs 8-12) - he needed to be ready to embrace suffering. • 3) Spiritual loyalty (vs 13-18) - he needed to maintain reverence to God’s Word and not concern himself with relevance to culture.
2 Timothy 1:4-5 (10/22/20)
October 22, 2020 • Benham Brothers
* The best job of all is raising up kids who love Jesus. * Nobody can do that job for your kids better than you. * Anyone can replace you at a meeting, but nobody can at the ballgame. * Paul was Timothy’s mentor, but the spark of Tim’s faith came from his mom and grandma. * Vs 4-5 - they didn’t have a book or blog or on the speaking circuit, but they were faithful to raise a young boy who would turn the world upside down for Christ. * A river touches places its source knows nothing of. * Tim’s mom was faithful when nobody was watching. * Much like the mom who packed the lunch for the kid who’s lunch Jesus used to feed the 5,000. * My mom did the same thing. * Anyone could’ve spoken at a conference or written a book I read, but only one person could’ve walked my lunch up to me at school - and she was faithful to do just that. * As a parent, what do you do? * Run at the pace of your people. * Whatever the pace is in your kids’ lives, wrap your life around that.
2 Timothy 1:7 (10/18/18)
October 18, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* Darkness isn’t a thing. It’s simply the absence of light. * We have flash lights, not flash darks. * Fear is not a thing. It’s simply the absence of power, love, and a sound mind. * When we’re not living by the power of the Holy Spirit with a love for people and a sound mind bent on truth then fear will fill the void. * God made our spirits fully capable of power and love, but we have to walk in it by having a sound mind. * So what do we do to keep fear out? * We renew our minds in God’s truth, fueled by our love for Him and others, so that we can walk in power against the threats of the enemy. * Power, love, sound mind.