I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      A passage of Scripture that most Christians know well is 2Timothy 4:6-8.

                                                             1.      This passage is often read at funerals because it declares the reward for a life spent in the service of Christ, which is a crown of righteousness.

                                                             2.      It is also used as a message of hope to motivate Christians to endure through difficult times.

B.      However, we may not recognize that Paul wrote this message to Timothy as part of a commission to him for evangelism.

                                                             1.      When we read the context of 2Timothy 4:1-8, the full meaning of Paul’s words becomes evident.

                                                             2.      Paul charged Timothy with the responsibility of preaching the word of God because his own life and work were quickly coming to an end.  Paul was going to his reward, and Timothy was to carry on the work of evangelism.

C.      Therefore, let us consider Paul’s letter to Timothy as his last will and testament, which gave Timothy an inheritance not of material possessions, but of a mission to preach the gospel.

II.      PAUL’S GOOD FIGHT

A.      Most of the work of the apostle Paul is well-documented in the book of Acts.

                                                             1.      Paul, known among the Jews as Saul, was a violent persecutor of the Lord’s church (Acts 8:1-3).

                                                             2.      Later, following a vision of the Lord, Paul converted to Christ and became an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-31; 22:1-21; 26:1-23).

                                                             3.      The three preaching journeys of Paul throughout the Roman Empire are recorded in detail (Acts 13-21).

a.       Paul had tremendous success spreading the gospel primarily to Gentiles throughout Asia Minor and Greece.

b.       With these successes, he also had tremendous sufferings and persecutions nearly everywhere he went because of the gospel he preached (consider 2Cor. 11:16-33).

                                                             4.      The final section of Acts records Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Rome, which lasted for about five years.

B.      There is no historical account of Paul’s final years, but some traces are given in Paul’s letters.

                                                             1.      The book of Acts closes with Paul under house arrest in Rome for two years while he awaited his hearing with the Emperor.

                                                             2.      In Paul’s prison epistles, he indicated that he expected to be released by the Romans and that he had plans after his release.

a.       It is evident from Paul’s letter to the Philippians that he planned to go to Philippi upon his release (Phil. 1:19, 25-26; 2:24).

b.       Also, Paul asked Philemon to prepare lodging for him (Philem. 22).  Therefore, he was intending to go to Colossae in Asia Minor where Philemon lived.

                                                             3.      Paul’s first letter to Timothy and his letter to Titus give more clues to where Paul went after his first Roman imprisonment.

a.       Paul seems to have implied that he had been to Ephesus (1Tim. 1:3) even though he previously told the Ephesian elders that they would not see his face again (Acts 20:25, 38).  It would have been logical for him to go there if he had gone to Colossae.

b.       Paul did go to Macedonia (probably Philippi as he had planned – 1Tim. 1:3).  He also planned to return to Ephesus again (1Tim. 3:14-15).

c.        At some point, Paul went to the island of Crete where he left Titus (Tit. 1:5).  He had been there briefly before as a prisoner, but he did not have opportunity to preach then (Acts 27:7-15).

d.       Paul also planned to spend a winter at Nicopolis, which was a city in western Greece (Tit. 3:12).

                                                             4.      Finally, Paul’s second letter to Timothy gives a few more details of his last days.

a.       Paul had been to Troas and Miletus (2Tim. 4:13, 20).  He may have been arrested at Troas, for he left his books and his cloak there.

b.       Paul’s final days were spent in a Roman prison, where he expected to die.

i.         Christianity became illegal in the Roman Empire in 64 A.D. after Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the burning of Rome.  This was probably the basis for Paul’s arrest and trial (he referred to himself as a “criminal” in 2Tim. 2:9).

ii.        Unlike Paul’s first imprisonment, he was mostly abandoned by his friends during his second imprisonment (2Tim. 1:15; 4:10-11, 16; compare to Acts 28:16-31).

iii.      Unlike Paul’s first imprisonment, he did not anticipate his release, but instead he anticipated his death and heavenly reward (tradition has it that Paul was beheaded at Rome around 67 A.D.).  Therefore, he urged Timothy to come to him soon (2Tim. 4:6-8, 18, 21).

C.      The details of Paul’s life are worth our consideration because they demonstrate the purpose of his life.

                                                             1.      Paul’s life was quite literally used up in the service of Christ.  His travels were strictly for the purpose of serving Christ.  Service to the Lord consumed his every thought, word, and deed.

                                                             2.      Paul said it best himself when he said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

                                                             3.      The details of Paul’s life reveal the good fight he fought, the course he finished, and the faith he kept.  He died poor and mostly alone in a Roman prison, but his treasure was in heaven.

III.   TIMOTHY’S INHERITANCE

A.      The impending end of Paul’s life may have left Timothy discouraged, but Paul sought to prepare him to inherit a great work.

                                                             1.      Most of Paul’s directions to Timothy in 2Timothy are forward-looking admonitions intended to help Timothy move forward without Paul.

                                                             2.      Timothy needed these words of encouragement to carry on the work of preaching the despised, illegal religion of Christianity (notice the references to shame in 2Tim. 1:8, 12, 16; 2:15).

B.      If we view 2Timothy as the last will and testament of Paul, then let us consider what Timothy received as an inheritance.

                                                             1.      Most inheritances consist of wealth, property, or titles.  Paul had none of these, but what he gave Timothy was much greater.

                                                             2.      First, consider the negative side of Timothy’s inheritance:

a.       He received suffering, such as the physical torment and imprisonment of Paul (2Tim. 1:8, 12; 2:3, 9-10; 3:10-12).

b.       He received hardship, such as Paul’s Spartan manner of life without the comforts of a home and family (2Tim. 2:3-5; 4:5).

c.        He received struggles, such as the ongoing problems among Christians because of strife and false teaching (2Tim. 2:14-3:9, 13; 4:3-4, 14-15).

                                                             3.      Then, consider the positive side of Timothy’s inheritance:

a.       From Paul he had received “the gift of God” (2Tim. 1:6), referring to the spiritual gifts he received by the laying on of Paul’s hands.

b.       He received no reason to be ashamed, for God had given him a spirit “of power and love and discipline” (2Tim. 1:7-8).

c.        He received “the standard of sound words” (2Tim. 1:13-14; 3:14-17), which equipped him for every good work.

d.       He received godly character in the image of Paul and Christ (2Tim. 3:10; see 1Cor. 11:1).

e.        He received the high and noble charge to preach the good word of God (2Tim. 4:1-5).

IV.    OUR INHERITANCE

A.      Let us realize that the words written from Paul to Timothy were not just for their personal relationship, but they were written for our benefit.

                                                             1.      By the Lord’s design, faith in Christ must flow from one believer to another through the word of God.  Consider Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:17.

                                                             2.      The charges given to Timothy by Paul belong to us as well.  Notice 2Timothy 2:2 – “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

B.      Therefore, if we desire the crown of righteousness, then we must love the appearance of Christ just as Paul did (2Tim. 4:8).

                                                             1.      By considering Paul’s life and words, we can understand what it means to love Christ’s appearing.

                                                             2.      If we would have Christ bring us “safely to His heavenly kingdom” (2Tim. 4:18), then we must make His kingdom our highest priority in the likeness of Paul.

C.      Will you accept the charge to do the great work of the Lord?