Title Before Winter Comes (2 Timothy 4:9-22)
Contents
(Sunday 20071021) 2 Timothy 4:9~22 Hits:99
2 Timothy is the second epistle from the apostle Paul to his beloved son of faith, Timothy. Perhaps the most famous verse in 2 Timothy is the verse that immediately precedes today's text. Verses 6 through 8.
“I have already been poured out as a drink offering, and the hour of my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
And the content of the text we read today is to inform Timothy of his current situation, and to come to him before winter comes, and when he comes, he asks him to bring the robe and the book written on leather paper which he had left at the family of Troas. . A book would be a bible. In the days when books were scarce, Apostle Noh showed his love for God's Word even in prison.
When the Apostle Paul was in prison in Rome, he was already in his old age, the winter of his life, and it was a time before winter in the natural season. He needed a thick coat to prepare for the coming winter, and as he looked forward to the winter of his life and the time of the coming martyrdom, I think he needed the word of God even more. So he must have asked his beloved Timothy for such a request.
The phrase “before winter comes” means autumn in time. Paul is preparing for the time to come. Of course, that preparation includes not only seasonal preparation, but also preparation for the near and near final hours of life. Everyone has to live the reality faithfully, but on the other hand, it is a wise life to prepare for the future time coming from that reality.
Paul's vision of his future was not death, but eternal time behind the barrier of death. He was looking at the crown of life reserved for him in that time of eternity. For the Apostle Paul, the present life is not a void that ends in death, but a process that continues into eternity. So the present was more precious to Paul.
This truth applies to everyone, not just Paul. So we have to live every moment of our lives well. Living well does not necessarily mean material abundance. It has a deeper meaning than that. To live well means to live more appropriately without missing out on the coming seasons in our lives.
Just as there are four seasons in nature, there are also four seasons in our lives. Just as each season in nature has its own characteristics, the seasons in our lives also have their own unique characteristics. If the spring of nature shows new birth and growth, the spring of life is also characterized by birth and growth. If the summer of nature is the season of passion for preparing fruits, the summer of life is also the season of preparation for fruits and fruits. After summer, autumn is the season of fruitfulness, and the winter that follows is the season of dormancy, which puts an end to everything. The same goes for the fall and winter of life.
It is now the end of October. Autumn is deepening. Autumn is a season of new adaptation. Unlike spring and summer, it is no longer a time to plan and pursue new tasks, but a period to harvest and organize fruit. It is also a time to prepare and adapt to a new beginning.
It is the autumn of life. People are good at telling you to face reality, and it's time to do so. Accepting one's reality as it is and humbly acknowledging the limits of one's abilities. But it seems that this is not so easy.
For those who have received the love of their parents since childhood, and those who have faithfully realized themselves in their youth, it is not difficult to accept the fall of life. Because I have no regrets. However, people who have had regretful days in their youth find it very difficult to accept the reality they are facing. It is because we are mentally tied to the past or the future because of our attachment to the past and our attachment to the unfulfilled. But unfortunately, autumn and winter can be happy only when you give up what you have to give up.
So, autumn is another time of choice. Selection here does not mean planning and pushing forward with something new, but means giving up on things that are already in progress and organizing things that need to be organized. That's not to say you shouldn't make new choices at all. You make a choice, but it must be a choice that can use the rest of your life as a stepping stone on your eternal journey. That is a wise choice.
Those choices may include serving others, or learning what you did not learn in your youth.
Dr. William Barclay, a prominent British evangelical theologian, received a letter one day from a woman. Her wife was a teacher at a prestigious girls' school and an honorable retirement from education. According to the letter, he wanted to read the New Testament in its original language, but he did not have time to learn it, but now that he has retired, he has the time.
How would Dr. Barclays respond? “It is my joy and honor to have a wife,” I replied and accepted. In this way, from the new semester, he attended Dr. Barclay's lectures along with other young students. Dr. Barclay says: “It is not necessary to say that it is already too late to learn.” That's right. Learning never ends.
It is said that autumn leaves are at their peak in places like Seoraksan. Autumn brings new changes in all ecosystems. In particular, various plants in the mountains or fields show their own fruit and color in their own way. Even things that were not well differentiated in spring and summer clearly reveal their uniqueness in autumn. It is as if weeds and grain grow similarly, but clearly distinguish them in the fall.
So are people. US President Abraham Lincoln said, 'When a person reaches middle age, he must be responsible for the appearance of his face'. The appearance of a person's face in middle age means that the person has lived the life he has ever lived.
No human being can escape responsibility for the life he or she has lived. It is the attitude of a true believer to reject such an image of oneself in the fall of life, to accept it as it is without passing on responsibility, and to be able to love oneself one step further. That's maturity.
One of the aspects of being mature is being simple. One day while walking along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus met the fisherman Simon. When Jesus saw that he was very tired and depressed, he told him to go out into the depths and cast his net. When Simon obeyed Jesus' words, he was able to catch many fish. We must be simple before the word of God. It is difficult to expect fruit in a complex mind in many ways.
Autumn in nature is beautiful. There is fullness. But the autumn of life is a season of loneliness, loneliness, mental emptiness and emptiness, when unwanted guests come. In order to overcome these negative phenomena well, we need spiritual fullness. You must have simple faith. And I hope you decide to do something good for someone else.
One day, a middle-aged woman came to Europe to a famous psychiatrist named Adler, and told him the pain of depression that had come to him. After listening to his wife, Dr. Adler gave him a prescription. It was that I had to follow one principle of life while giving me a week's supply of medicine. The principle I had to follow while taking the prescribed medication was to do one thing a day and do something good for others.
When she went home, she followed her doctor's instructions, took her medicine, and did one good thing a day for others. When the wife returned to the hospital a week later, her face was shining brightly. He was admiring Dr. Adler that his illness was all over and the effect of the drug was so good. Then Adler said to his wife:
'Ma'am, it's not because of medicine that you got better. In fact, the drug is just a digestive, and the reason that my wife got better is because she was freed from excessive worry and concern for herself.’
That's right. The more we cling to a problem, the more we discover that it only gets bigger and bigger. If you only think about yourself and worry, you will only get frustrated and depressed. But turn your attention away from yourself and live your life doing good for others. Then you will find that my problem is solved naturally.
At any time, people of faith did not look at problems, but looked to God who was above all things. Moses did not try to solve the problems of the resentful people, but turned and prayed to God. When other people were troubled by the sight of Goliath, twice the size of a normal person, David looked to the living God. And I saw the people of God.
There are many Goliaths trying to get our attention. When everyone looks back, there are things like regret, conflict, and fear. Because we are not perfect, and there is always the temptation to sin. But we do have hope. Because there is a God of love and forgiveness. There is no other way for us to be comforted except through God's love and forgiveness. Christ's atoning love washes away our sins, our emptiness and our regrets. And he gives you a new promise of eternal life. Hope will be fulfilled.
Life is a gift from God. Living well the life you have given us as a gift means living well without wasting each stage of your life. To do this, we must seek and follow God's guidance. Before winter comes, autumn makes us once again honest with God and discovers what life is all about. And humbly seek the will of the Lord for me. In that sense, autumn is a blessing from God.
The Apostle Paul is now organizing many things ahead of winter. By naming those who have departed, those who are with them, and those who are still working together in faith and laboring for the kingdom of God, he is warning Timothy, the son of faith, and speaking of hope.
His wish is simple. I hope that the Gentiles can hear the Gospel. And we hope that only the Lord will be glorified and we are praying for the grace of the Lord to be with Timothy and the brothers of faith. I hope that we too will live a simple but full life with the Gospel.
The things that are not worthy of the gospel are to give up what to give up and to give up what to give up. And it is a life of loving and blessing our brothers by grabbing what we need to hold onto.
The weather is chilly today, but the sun is shining brightly again. On this holy week, I pray in the name of Jesus that you have a week of victory with hope as you look to the risen Lord.