Title Before Winter Comes (2 Timothy 4:9-21)
Contents
In 1945, the year of our liberation, we found the Gospel of Thomas hidden in a clay pot in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The Gospel of Thomas, also called the 5th Gospel, is a collection of only the words of Jesus. In other words, there is no explanation of Jesus' deeds, stories about Jesus, miracles, or Passion, etc., only 'Jesus said .... said', 'Peter said', 'Peter ... asked', ' It consists only of phrases such as 'Jesus answered .....'.
The parable of Jesus is recorded in verse 97 of the Gospel of Thomas.
“Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a woman carrying a jar full of wheat. I didn't know. She paid no attention to the unexpected. It wasn't until she got home and put the jar down that she found out that it was empty."
This parable teaches us a lesson to be conscious of what is happening now.
It teaches you that you must have thorough preparation, the ability to respond when a crisis strikes, and a brilliant intuition.
Winter is approaching. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly prepare in advance before winter arrives. Once upon a time, when I was in elementary school, there was a story about [Ants and Guts] in a textbook. You don't know how much fun I had to read that story. Ants and guts lived. The ants worked hard even in the hot summer to prepare for the cold winter, sweating profusely. However, the guts is a story about going to the ant's house to get food to eat when the winter comes after spending a lot of time singing leisurely songs.
When winter comes, I always think of this story. So, every now and then, I have been preaching with this text and this title at around 20,000 times. This is my promise and my own habit. It is already time to feel the chill of the cold wind seeping through the thin clothes.
1. He said, "Come quickly before winter."
Winter is a season that must come. Prepare for the winter and not so harsh for those who get hit. However, if you do not prepare for winter and suddenly face winter, it will be very difficult to endure.
It seems that some of our members are weak. I don't know if I got the flu shot or not. For those of you who haven't gotten it yet, I hope you get it soon.
Wise and prepared people make preparations for winter days before winter arrives. It is done on a warm day, so there are no mistakes, perfect preparation, and less money. When it comes to church work, there are many cases in which we have to hurry to prepare for winter only after the cold has passed, and to prepare for the hot day only after the heat has passed. Only then do we realize the seasons after we have experienced the cold and then the heat. This kind of person is always the back drummer. A person who only plays the back drum is always a loser. And it suffers a lot, but the effect is small.
1) The Apostle Paul told him to come to Timothy, the son of faithful faith, who will be on the outside before winter comes.
Many people left the outside of the apostle Paul. Demas loved the world and went to Thessalonica, Cresces to Galatia, and Titus to Malmadia.
Verse 16 says, “When I first made my excuses, no one was with me, and all of them have forsaken me.”
On the other hand, Alexander the coppersmith did a lot of harm. It seems that he harassed Paul with money.
I asked Timothy, a faithful man who could spend the winter with me, to come. A good person is someone who can be with you when you are in trouble.
For me, there is someone who will stand by my side and give me strength, who will not leave me and do no harm even when the winter of my life turns. Verse 17 says, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.” The Lord will stand firm outside us even in the winter of life.
2) I was told to bring a coat.
I prepared for my body. Preparing for the body is never bad either. Believers must also prepare well for winter for their bodies. It's not against belief.
3) He told me to bring a scroll.
However, it is not right to focus too much on the body and prepare only the things that belong to the body. We must also prepare for the soul steadily. The Apostle Paul found the scroll. That's a really good thing.
4) He told me to bring Mark.
In winter it is better to be warm. Moreover, it is even better if you have a warm heart.
The Apostle Paul is trying to love, forgive, and reconcile.
I seem to realize it only as the winter of my life approaches.
There's a saying about quitting. It means that the one who is bound must untie it. Paul was now trying to resolve the feud with Mark that he had tied up.
Let us try to reconcile before the winter comes into our lives, before the winter deepens. I hope you will testify of what happened to you so that it can be a lesson to the believers. And I hope you will find the things that you have not been able to find until now for one reason or another, and that you have set aside for others and have forgotten.
2. He says, "Be careful."
When winter comes, there are many sayings to prepare for winter like this and to prepare like that. How can I repair heaters, repair broken glass in the summer, fill open doors and gaps in window sills, take care of plants, and so on?
As winter approaches, there are many prescriptions and many drug visits. Therefore, you have to be careful.
When people get sick, don't they have many drug visits and many prescriptions? It is common knowledge that a drowning person tries to catch even a straw, but it is difficult to resist. So, because you are taking medicines that have not been tested? On the contrary, I don't know how many times it ruins the body and shortens the life.
The same is true of the end. There are many theories about the end of the world. A person with soft ears trembles. As a result, we can lose sight of the words Jesus gave us and make the mistake of following and following people's thoughts more.
As winter approaches, there are many people who harm or oppose each other. In today's text, Alexander, the coppersmith, was a man who did a lot of harm to Paul and was a man who opposed God's work. Where would he have been? Demas loved the world more, so he left for Thessalonica, and all the other disciples were scattered. I hope you will remember the Apostle Paul, who had to spend the winter alone. Who is the true friend in the harsh ordeal of winter? It's a great opportunity to confirm who you really are.
3. He said, "May the Lord be with you in your heart."
As Paul looked back on his life's journey and confessed that he could not have come this far without God's help, he hoped that the Lord, who had been his constant strength, would be with him in Timothy's heart. Paul's final victory was achieved not only by his hard work, but also because "the Lord stood before him and strengthened him."
Even if there are times when you have to go through a winter of trials, hardships and pains alone, I hope you do not feel too sad or lonely. We hope that the Lord will be with us in our hearts.
God has created prosperous days and difficult days, summer and winter, in parallel in our path of life. The writer of Ecclesiastes said, "A fool's heart is in a house of feasting, and a wise man's heart is in a house of portraits." Before winter comes, we must do our best to prepare for winter and leave everything to God.
When you get home today, I hope you take a look around. And I hope you are well prepared for the winter days. The region we live in is so warm that winter is not so scary, but our constitution is accustomed to warm regions, so it is still the same as winter in cold regions.