The Last Dance: Instructions on How to Die Well - Part B

Today's the reset button after today, things can be different number. His mercies are new every morning from now on you find. From now on the run from now on. From now on, each of the people given a friend present circumstances and day-to-day worries can distract you from eternity, but it's important to keep your eyes fixed on her today on connect with Skip Heitzigs shares that you can finish a race of faith well and believe in eternal impact. Before we begin to let you know about an amazing opportunity you have. Visit the sites with the prophets and kings in the Bible from God and I are taking a group to Israel in 2022 and we want to invite you to join will visit places like Nazareth, the Jordan River. The Dead Sea and Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount and the garden to, and not just a flyby look at the itinerary. Find out more about the trip that inspiration cruises.com/C a B think skip. Here's a resource that will give you more insight into God's character and nature like immersing you in his word every day 19 pandemic caused the reevaluation of priorities like choices and the path forward. The question might want out of life here Skip I think with some thoughts on priority. Don't we all want the life with a happy ending life marked by growth life marked by productivity and refreshment in God's touch of blessing and prosperity and maturity. Here's our special offer for this month. For those who support the daily… I Skip hiking playlist messages on significant stomach 2022 daily… And they're both hardly thinking of you.

Give $30 to help more people connect with password: 819 to go online to connect the skip.com sample from scant you pursue him. When you pursue holiness, happiness tags along: 892 1888 to give or connectwithskip.com. Let's dive into today's teaching will be in second Timothy chapter 4 is Skip Heitzigs and begins the study. This man spent his entire 30 year spiritual ministry career answering the question, what does God want me to do dispatch.

That's why you can say.as you live that way. He made the decision to be faithful would be great to look back over your life with absolutely no regrets, no disappointments, no misgiving, no sense.

Upon fulfillment. Nothing left undone. If you want that and decide today that faithfulness is going to be your aim now we read verse seven. Let me give it to you in the original language in the original language.

The object is placed first for emphasis. The verb display second so it literally reads the good fight, I have fought the race, I have finished the faith I have kept why because Paul looked at his life on those three tracks I'm a soldier I'm a runner on the Stewart in all three categories. It's good good. No regrets… Kind of dig through those just a little bit quickly.

I have fought the good fight, very descriptive descriptive language that the language of a soldier understand you are in a fight you're in a fight is very strong language, even in English to say I have fought the good fight. In Greek it's even more emphatic member. The word I told you a few weeks ago Ogg on it so my used here and listen to how it's written in the original.

I have Ogg go so my the backbone I have agonized the agony as his life. I have fought the good fight.

This is war.

The Christian life is not a playground it's a battleground you're a soldier not a sightseer you gave your life to Christ, peace, joy, forgiveness, and then you're in the Army your conscripted phenomena read to you a section of Scripture, read to you. Second Corinthians 11 at the chapter just a couple verses, but I'm reading at you in a different translation called the message by Eugene Peterson this is Paul talking about his past life a little more detail. Since I work much harder been jailed more often beaten up more times than I can count. I've been at deaths door.

Time after time. I've been flogged five times with the Jesus 39 lashes beaten by Roman rods three times. I've never been beaten with rods, once pummeled with rocks. Once I been shipwrecked three times and immersed in the open sea for a night in a day and hard traveling year in and year out that the Ford rivers fend off robbers struggle with friends struggle with photos. I've been at risk in the city at risk in the country endangered by Deseret News and storm C storm betrayed by those I thought were my brothers I've known drudgery and hard labor.

Many a long and lonely night without sleep. Many a missed meal blasted by the cold, naked to the weather.

That's like a fight do you does to me, that's Paul's life. So you know what he means when he says my life is been a burnt offering. Now this is where I get to make it a drink offering to the Lord. I finished the race, I've kept the faith.

Just a note about that at first when I fought the good fight. I've seen many Christians give up the fight seen many pastors quick if I just I want to fight man I don't want the battle anymore so so they quit.

Here's what you need to know if you're thinking that way. Notice what is called, not just a fight.

It's the good fight the good fight. It means noble means distinguished. If you are looking for a cause that is a worthy cause more worthy than any political agenda. Any monetary agenda.

It's of this because it is a good fight. It's a good fight.

You don't come to the end of it and lick your wounds because it's been so hard. It's good, it's a good fight and he says I finish the race. That's Paul's going back to the Olympics sees the runner in the Olympics.

I stayed the course.

A lot of people start the race. They don't finish it. Paul's aim is always to finish the race back. I've always loved when he came to Ephesus. He was going to Jerusalem.

He stopped off at Ephesus. He says to the leaders of Ephesus, and on a paraphrase of you know, everywhere I go people tell me how many get beat up and maybe even killed. When I go to Jerusalem and then he said this, but none of these things move me nor do I count my life dear unto myself that I might finish my race with joy how to stop a guy like that you don't let them run in Iraq ran all the way to the end any set I've kept the faith. Now he sees himself as a steward and he's a steward fulfilling the sacred trust from God.

Notice is not called just faith but the faith followed say I've kept faith man. He says I've kept the faith than we ever see the definite article before faith in speaking about a particular doctrinal stand. It's is the body of Christian belief the faith. It's the it's like Jude verse three the faith once for all delivered to the saints. That's the faith followed in his preaching. He guarded it and I see that is the role of a pastor. I'm not just a preacher. I also him to guard the faith guard the truth defend the faith put up a good fight for the faith.

And when people are ditching Bible inspiration and and and source of truth I want to get in at five and this is why it's always a pet peeve for me when it comes to preaching. Whenever people misinterpret the Bible, or use it to serve their own purposes or wrongly teach it. I get upset at that. I don't like it when preachers stand in pulpits and just read a Bible verse.

But you know it seems like the method is read the text apart from the tax and never return to the text. That's her homiletic method to start a Bible verse of people think this is a church I got kinda get away with saying my own opinion. Paul preached the text taught the text guarded the text and I cannot predict what happens in the next generation. But I can't say I will faithfully pass down with integrity. Hopefully the truth to the next generation.

Now I I can't think of any better way to live in.

I then that is a way to do as a way to leave this world you know most people only think about death. The only think about the physical part of death will it hurt yeah might, for most people it's not pleasant. I mean, I've been going on for thousands of years.

We can study it pretty easily because it happens all the time so yeah might, it would be a lingering disease. It might let the cold light die from covert, you might but God will Take You Out Whatever Way, God wants to take you out to be afraid of it. I think it's better that we start looking at death not in terms of will it hurt her any physicality, but in terms of opportunity because when you die the opportunities over right now, you can witness to people right now you can teach Bible lessons and preach sermons right now you can share with your family how to get to heaven in heaven. You won't do that. That opportunity is gone for ever, for this is the time of opportunity to get busy, get active in the fight did not get on the track run the race I told you before, it's been a while, but about a woman who lived in the Midwest named Nancy. Nancy Jones was her name.

She was a spinster widow. She didn't do much in get out much disorder stayed home.

People knew.

She lived, but they did know anything about her because she just didn't do anything.

She didn't involve herself in the community at all, though she died and the newspaper was tasked with writing not just an obituary but something they could put on her gravestone so nobody knew Nancy Jones so they gave it to the sports editor to write something for herself.

I hear that there's a tombstone somewhere back there that says this here lies the bones of Nancy Jones her life and held no terrors. She lived an old maid. She died an old maid, no hits, no runs, no errors.

I don't mind making errors as long as I can make a few hits and runs and men so you only do that by deciding on commits a back locked down. I'm going to get busy for his glory and live my life. A life well lived. So face the inevitable decide to be faithful. Number three and four will make this quick aim at the eventual look down the row. Paul does that in verse eight he pivots from the present than the past. Now the future verse eight all-in-one verse finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only, but to all who have loved his appearing. If you want to fight well if you want to run well if you want to be a good steward of what God is put with in your life. Think of the N go all the way there to that day help.

Paul knows he's not going to get an earthly reward.

He knows what's can happen in a few days, weeks, months. He knows that nobody is a crown on his head or laurel wreath on his head.

He knows that his head will be severed from his body soon, but he also knows he's going to get a resurrection body.

He also knows that besides a resurrection body that his Lord is gonna reward him and he is aiming for one sentence that he wants to hear. Well done good and faithful servant. Aim for the well done aim for the well done for a soldier to fight well in a battle. The soldier needs to think about the victory parade at the end of the battle when they would go through Rome to the temple of Jupiter all the troops would be honored if you win the battle lots with the Roman soldier thought out. If you're in the Olympics you think of the gold standing on that platform walking away with the prize. Years ago Woody Allen had a statement and dump every time he made a people laughed nervously because they they understood the truth, he said, I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens.

Sorry it didn't work that way you will be there. That appointment if you're late for every other appointment, you'll keep that one you be on time you'll be there when it happened but for the Christian is vastly different because our Savior said this. Here's a promise I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will never die, and whoever dies. Liberalism believes in me, even though he dies, yet shall he live. So what does that mean exactly it means that when you die you won't be dead long enough to know you died.

It'll be instantaneous glory in the presence of God on that day.

On that day and I love how we writes. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that.

Dick imagine this office in heaven.

He's gonna reward us these and give us some crown summer work, women, and he does being there is reward nobody but there's more. But wait there's more.

He'll reward you Bible talks about those crowns and so many places. When Martin Lloyd Jones another one of my heroes of the faith when he was ill and he was on his deathbed and his family was around and he said to them, don't pray for healing. Don't try to hold me back from the glory years ago when I was single and living in a house in Huntington Beach. I had a roommate who had a girlfriend named Barbara they were talking about marriage. They were then planning their marriage and were just so much in love and I'll never forget one day Barb said to me she was really looking forward to marriage but she heard it church people talk about Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming soon and so she turned to me and even gritting her teeth. She quizzed. I hope Jesus doesn't come back before I can get married and returning to her and what did I just hear you say that you really just say what I think you just said is obviously you do not understand the reward that is awaiting for you marriage is great but come on rewards in heaven allow different level and it's this view of death that sustains us in life and I discovered something I I believe this to be true whenever you see a Christian feel morally run out of steam. They fall is not that they just fell in that moment they lost sight of the end. That's what happened that they lost sight of the end they left side of this. On that day so face the inevitable decide to be faithful aim at the eventual fourth ingredient to dine well become more relational become more relational dine with friends around you be connected to people restore relationships that are broken, swallow your pride reach out asked for forgiveness make peace before it's too late. Verse nine he writes to Timothy because he's alone. Be diligent to come to me quickly.

He longed for his fellowship. He wanted somebody around to be diligent to come to me quickly for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed for Thessalonica creations for Galatea Titus for Dalmatia only Luke is with me his friend, the doctor get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry member Mark had a falling out with Mark first missionary journey. Mark left went back home to scared. Gotta go find mama you went back home to mama that never sat well with Paul. There was a rift from that day forward, between Mark and Paul and even between Paul and Mark's uncle Barnabas that is split company and they did for years, but eventually the text would indicate there was a reconciliation in this he's useful to me. Bring him made peace become more relational. I discovered that as people get older it's harder for them to make friends. Sounds odd but is true when were kids were friends with everybody up our hearts out. Everybody we become more guarded. We want to be safe. We've been hurt before we put up the walls. We put up the guards and it's harder. Somebody once said everybody's talking about the miracles of Jesus. No one talks about Jesus, miracle of having 12 friends in his 30s, some to be said for that. The early Puritans talked about dying well. They said everybody should make it a name in life to die.

Well before you say will already blown it. There's too much water under the bridge.

I've gone so far down the road in am much older now.

Again, today's the reset button after today, things can be different member. His mercies are new every morning. So from now on your flight from now on, you run from now on you are faithful to the truth. From now on. You reach out to people and forgiven me make friends or keep them from now on no, that's really the end of this message that I want to take you to the end of Paul's life.

Paul was in the member team prison. I told you about that.

He's in the second imprisonment the prison. He was in his second imprisonment was vastly different from his first and his first imprisonment. He was in a house. Basically, in his second imprisonment. This letter was written from the member team prison solitary confinement member team prison was a hole in the ground and the rock. There was no Windows.

The only light was above him.

There was a hole above him and they could lower food through a rope and it was in that setting that the apostle wrote these words with this kind of hope. Soon they would lift him up out of the member team prison soon he would stand in the Basilica Julia a building built by Julius Caesar. There he would be read his final sentence a death sentence. I'll let a T Robertson the New Testament scholar take it from here. The crowds flowed into town somewhere going out. Paul was only a criminal going to be beheaded.

Few if any of the crowds would know or care anything about him at a good place on the road some miles out.

The executioners stopped the block was laid down. The executioners stood ready acts in hand.

The men strip Paul tied him kneeling upright to the low pillar which exposed his back and neck. The lectors beat him with rods for the last time he groaned and bled from his nose and mouth and then, without a hint of hesitation. The executioner frowned as he swung the blade down swiftly hitting its mark with the goal thought and the head of the greatest preacher of the ages rolled up on the ground in that moment the soul of Paul was instantly taken from the Imperial city of Rome to the eternal celestial city.

At that moment he was unshackled he was unloosed he was free. That's the way to the address of Skip Heitzig six message from the series now Street to Skip to tell you how you can keep encouraging messages like this coming your way as you help connect others to God's word. You know we all have a pass at time when we tried to live life on our own terms. The good news is that when you hand your life over to Jesus. He redeems her past gives you a future full of hope and joy. We want to share that great news with more friends like you all around the world and you can be a part of that work to change lives. When you give a gift today to keep these messages from God's word going out you can help redirect someone's eternal future.

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No matter what you're going through. Christian you are accepted in heaven if you've lost your health for your feeling that loss of help.

You are accepted and have if you are excluded by a circle of friends know what you have been accepted even cast out by your family. So Skip Heitzig presentation of connection communications changing to ever-changing time