“He’sthere.Themonster.He’sthere.”
“No,honey,thereisnomonster.Gobacktosleep.”
“NoDaddy,he’sthere.Inthecloset.”
“Look,I’llshowyou.See,thereisnothingtobeafraidof.Besides,I’mrighthere.
It’s not just little kids. Older kids, adults, we all find some things—real or imagined—frightening from time to time. It even happens when we are just going about daily life as Christians in a world not always friendly to us and God. We are afraid to do some things, to say some things.
We’ve heard it already this morning that as God’s child, you do not need to be afraid. And we now get a striking example of a man living for God unafraid. The Apostle Paul fully trusted God, and his inspired and inspirational words assure you that…
You have Nothing to be Afraid of as You Serve the Lord
He is with you always (6-7, 16-18)
Paul is writing to young pastor Timothy to give him direction for his ministry and to encourage him as he would be carrying the torch of leadership as Paul handed it off to him. You see, Paul was very near death. It’s not that he was sick, but he was a prisoner in Rome, which was ruled by the Emperor Nero. It was just a couple years before this that Rome was set on fire, possibly by Nero himself so that he could rebuild the city with his vision. Either way, he pinned the blame for the devastating fire on Christians.
So, it was not good to be a Christian in Rome, not when Nero was crucifying them…and dressing them in wild animal skins and letting them loose to be torn apart by ferocious dogs…and having them fight lions and leopards and boars…and covering them with pitch and setting them on fire to light up the chariot-racing stadium or his pagan garden parties…well, you get the idea.
Paul had been imprisoned before, but this time he was certain it was going to end in his death. This is why he wrote the way he did. His life was being poured out like a drink offering. That probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to you, but it did to Timothy. He was familiar with the Old Testament sacrifices where you would sacrifice the lamb, for instance, and at the end of that sacrifice, you would pour out a measure of wine the drink offering.
After a life of sacrificing for the Lord, the end was coming. If you know the reference, that’s a pretty picturesque way of telling someone that you’re going to die. So is this: the time of my departure has come. That doesn’t sound so flashy, but the sense of what Paul wrote was more like, “it’stimeformyshiptobeletloosefromthemooringsanddriftofftosea.”
Paul felt he was going to die. And he was right. He had looked death in face before, but this was different. He knew it was the end. But he wasn’t bitter. He wasn’t angry or bashing his Roman captors. He was doing the Lord’s work, and he knew that there was a cost for doing so. So now he sits and reflects on his ministry and the Lord’s grace to him as he writes to this young pastor/co-worker of his…and he writes some more picturesque stuff. What great timing that we have this bit of Paul’s letter today where he calls to mind Olympic images!
As he talks about keeping the faith being faithful in preaching the truth of salvation by faith in Jesus AND keeping that faith in his own heart, he paints for Timothy—and for us—the picture of an athlete. When he said, I have fought the good fight, he was not comparing his life of ministry to boxing. (He actually does that in 1 Corinthians 9!) He is picturing holding onto the faith like the way an athlete struggles. He pushed himself and strained every muscle and gave every ounce of energy in service to his Savior. Then another picture: I have finished the race. Faith and service to God is a race he ran for years about 30 years of mission work and church-planting and pastor training. And it was tough! Multiple times he was whipped and beaten, he was stoned, shipwrecked three times on the Mediterranean Sea, went hungry and homeless at times, endangered by both Jews and Gentiles. He continuously dealt with stress because of his concern for all the churches (cf. 2 Corinthians 11). Ministry was hard and long and it was coming to an end. Through it all—by the grace of God—he had kept the faith. The finish line was just ahead, and he knew it.
As he wrote to Timothy, he lamented the fact that when he first faced trial for the charge of public disorder because of his preaching of the gospel, no one had stood with him. You can hear the disappointment: no one came to my defense, but everyone deserted me. What he meant was that he had no character witnesses before the court, no advocates, no men of standing who could influence the verdict (and he knew plenty of people in Rome!) I’m sure it made sense to him though. Remember what Nero was doing to Christians. How eager would you be to stand with Paul in the court?! May it not be counted against them, he said. You almost hear an echo of Jesus in Paul’s words, don’t you? “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).”
He was disappointed, but not despairing because while not one person stood with him there, the Lord did! This was the lesson for Timothy. The Lord strengthened Paul so that he could boldly speak about Jesus to those who were there. What a dicey situation! Here he was, along with Peter, the most high-profile of Christians, a leader and missionary, accused of a crime and in a Roman court and he justkepttalkingaboutJesus! The Lord did rescue him! There’s no other way he survived that.
But he knew that he would not survive this next trial. He knew the Lord would rescue him, but it would be a rescue from this world to the safety of heaven.
The Lord has a perfect history of being with his people in times of trouble and a way of taking their fears away when they realize he is there. You heard it with Elisha and his attendant and the chariots and horses of fire. You heard it with the disciples on the boat. It was the same with Paul, no matter what danger he faced because of the gospel.
You don’t doubt that the Lord is with you as you serve him in difficult situations, do you?
You don’t think that he has abandoned you when those close to you reject him and you feel alone in your faith, do you?
He doesn’t leave your side when a teacher or friend or co-worker mocks God and you’re wondering how or whether to say something. When you get brave and invite someone to church or talk with them about their Savior, you don’t need to be afraid of what they will think or say, because God is right there. You can be bold like Paul was and he was in front of a much more threatening crowd!
When you are giving your time and your energy and your money to serve the Lord and serve other people with the gospel, you don’t have to be afraid that you’ll go without. He’s with you and he promises to take care of you.
It’s a bit of an understatement, isn’t it, to say that the Apostle Paul carried out meaningful ministry?! But God uses you to carry out meaningful ministry too whenever and wherever you represent him and share your Savior! And you can go about it fearlessly like Paul did if you will remember what he knew that the Lord is always with you. You have nothing to be afraid of because he is right at your side, strengthening you.
2. You will be with him forever (8, 18)
You have something else in common with Paul. You know you’re going to die.
Some of you will know when death is coming for you, like Paul did. It’s going to be a type of cancer or some other unrelenting disease that medical experts have pretty much come to know snuffs out life within a certain time frame. Or it will be the steady, or perhaps rapid, decline that comes with old age—and when death nears, you’ll have an idea.
But maybe you won’tsee it coming. One day you’re fairly healthy and the next…or there’s an accident…or an abrupt medical event. Unless the Lord returns first, we will all die. But it’s nothing to be afraid of! Like Paul, you know where you’re going when you die! Whether you see death coming or it happens unexpectedly, it doesn’t really matter when it comes to knowing what will happen to you. You have saving faith in Jesus, just like Paul.
God’s Son faced death on the cross head-on. He knew howhe would die and whenhe would die. It’s why he came from heaven, so that he could do that for you, to pay for your sins. He rose from death for you too—so that he could make the promise to you that you will also rise from death to life in heaven. By God’s grace and the Spirit’s work, you know that, and you believe that. So, no matter when death comes or how death comes, you will join the Apostle Paul around the throne of God. The righteous Judge has reserved for you also a crown of righteousness.
It’s interesting that the word for crown that Paul chose to use is not the one that is a royal crown worn by a king or queen. It is a victorycrown, specifically the laurel wreath, the victory wreath, the one the winners in the Olympic games received when they crossed the finish line! (Yes, he had an imagery theme as he wrote this!) What an appropriate word to use as he writes about the victory that death is for the Christian!
You Really Have Nothing to be Afraid of as You Serve the Lord. He is always with you as you serve him. And when the Lord determines that it is the right time, your life of serving the Lord will be done and, as with Paul, the ropes will be loosed from the moorings and you will drift from the shores of this world to the safe harbor of heaven. To the God who promises it and will make it so to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.