A Letter Before Death - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

If you remember over the past few weeks and months as a church, we've been exploring the book of first Timothy. And our prayer is that through that book, we would have had a greater understanding of God's purpose for the local church, what his DNA, his blueprint for the church is. Not what tradition says, not what modern church growth movements promote, but what God's word says. And with the interaction between Paul and Timothy and Paul's writings and instructions still fresh in our minds, I think it seems appropriate that we would only continue as a church to go through the book of second Timothy. And that's exactly what we're gonna be doing throughout the next few weeks.

So please turn with me to the book of second Timothy chapter one. And as you turn there, we're gonna pray one more time and ask the Lord to help us with these two verses that we have today. Pray with me, please. Father in heaven, we come before you again. Lord, your word says that your house shall be called a house of prayer.

We pray. We seek your face. Lord, we come with empty hands. We come with hearts that are in need of you, minds that are in need of you, bodies that are in need of you, Lord. Our souls are in need of you.

We ask, Lord, that this morning, you would sanctify us. You would wash us afresh in the revelation of your goodness. We pray, Lord, that you would destroy every work of Satan, every work of the flesh. We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit would do miracles in this place. And, Lord, as you fell in the household of Cornelius, to those who heard the word, would you do the same in this place?

Fall upon us as we hear your word, and change us from the inside out. Lord, we long to partner with your purpose, and your purpose is to transform us into the image of your son. Brand us, Lord, with Christ. Rewire, renew our thinking, Lord. I pray, Lord, with my brothers and sisters that in this place, you would show us how we can change.

Show us how we can understand you. Show us how we can reflect you. This is our desire. Lord, may the ministry of the word be assisted by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit now. We can't do this without you.

We can't preach it without you. We can't receive it without you. We humble ourselves in the name of Christ, we pray. Amen. Read with me, please.

Second Timothy chapter one verse one and two. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my beloved child, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The book of second Timothy is unique for two main reasons, and I'm sure you can come up with one or two other ones. Firstly, second Timothy is one of Paul's most intimate and personal letters.

Paul here is not addressing an entire congregation as he does other books, nor is he unfolding a theological masterpiece like he does with the book of Romans, for example. Paul here is speaking to an individual, and not just a random individual. He's speaking to his protege. He's speaking to his spiritual son. His coworker in the gospel that meant so much to him because Paul had seen many disappointments throughout his ministries.

Some people starting out with zeal, some people coming in and out, some people walking out in the ministry. But with Timothy, there was something special. He was sold out to Christ. And Paul had a special affection for him in the spirit. And this letter gives us a glimpse into one of the most intimate and transparent moments in the life of the apostle Paul.

He's sharing his his thoughts, yes, and he's sharing truths, but he is also showing us by the spirit a special bond that he has with another co laborer in Christ. And I believe that as you read second Timothy, if you read it with that kind of a lens, it would challenge you and I to reflect on our own relationships with others in comparison and see what really binds us to other people. You read about Paul and Timothy, and you know that what they shared was this, a dedication to the gospel, a love for Christ. They lived for no other thing. And this is why they had such an intimate relationship.

It may challenge us to reflect what we do with our relationships, what connects us to others. And even the language of Paul here in this personal letter should stir us as Christians is to know how we should encourage one another, build up one another, stir up one another as we seek to serve the Lord together. But this letter is even more unique because of the timing. It is Paul's final letter. It's his concluding letter.

This letter invites us to the brink of a man's martyrdom. As you and I read this, we know that in second Timothy, look at chapter four verse six with me quickly. We are aware that Paul is in prison, but we know more. He says, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. When you read Paul's other prison epistles, he often shares his hope that he will be released.

He has this faith that he's gonna come out of it. He knows that it's just a temporary moment, just a season. But in this letter, he shares no hope. He knows that this is the final end of the road. His departure has come.

History tells us that while Paul wrote this letter, Nero, the Roman emperor, broke out in mass persecution against the Christians, and he was hunting them down, and he was causing society to turn on believers. And Paul here is a victim of that persecution. And here he is in prison, and he knows full well that at any moment, a Roman official will come into his dungeon and call his name to lead him to his final exit. And so you and I before us with these words have the preserved words of the Holy Spirit of a man who is facing death, of a man who is about to enter into glory. And that is special for us for many reasons.

Because the reality is from time to time, facing death has a purifying effect on what we prioritize in life. Ecclesiastes seven two says, it is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. For this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. For this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.

You know, most people dodge the discussion about death, and more than that, they avoid the thought of it at all costs. And this verse here in Ecclesiastes doesn't teach us to be morbid and to be preoccupied with dying. No. It's giving us an insight. It's showing us that in the house of mourning provides some kind of a wisdom that the distractions of the house of feasting cannot provide.

And even if you come to the place where you behold death for a moment, you can learn much about how to navigate through life. It is the brevity of our lives that makes us more thoughtful with our days and careless with our hours. And I believe that second Timothy, if we read it with that kind of a lens, will provoke us. Provoke us because we see here a man who is burned out for Christ and was finished well. You know, it showed us what it really means to live a full life, a joyful life, a meaningful life.

And we praise God for such a letter as this because we know that we can draw some encouragement from it. And I believe from the first two verses alone, we can pull out some insight. I want us to wring out every single verse from this book. It's not a very long book, so we should draw every drop of truth that we can, and we will do that. In verse one alone, we can see three truths.

Three truths of this man who is in such a dire situation. Remember, he's not in the American version of what prison looks like. He's in a cold, damp, stinking cell left to himself abandoned by his friends, his partners in ministry, and knowing that at any moment, the cold breath of the grave will call for his head. But notice here that as this man is writing his final letter before his own death, the call of God, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. Now that's interesting.

The apostle Paul is writing to Timothy. Timothy knows Paul. Timothy understands Paul's spiritual authority. Why would Paul go out of his way to reintroduce himself as an apostle? We know that.

Timothy surely understands that. But he's saying it, I'm an apostle. This is an intimate letter. Is that necessary, Paul? Well, it is necessary when Timothy himself is a target of persecution.

He is going through difficult circumstances himself. You read this and you notice he needs encouragement. He needs to be built up, and Paul wants to make sure that he understands the words you're about to read come from God. I am commissioned by the Lord as an apostle. I've been called out to be a channel for divine revelation, and I'm bringing that revelation to you.

I want you to know, Timothy, that what you're about to see and read and understand comes from the heart of your master, of your Lord, which tells us the very simple truth that the greatest encouragement that you and I can receive are the truths from the almighty, unchanging God. And that's what he wants to provide him. My words are authoritative. My words come from him, and they are for you. But Paul mentioning his apostleship goes beyond just the authority of what he's about to say.

I believe that what Paul is saying here is highlighting how he personally lived on this earth for the glory of God. I'm an apostle by the will of God. In other words, one of the greatest comforts that you can have in this life, other than having the assurance of salvation, is to know that you lived your calling. Is that you understood your purpose for God, and you lived it out for God. And And I think that Paul is saying something of the sort here.

I'm an apostle by the will of God. I have performed the will of God. In my final letter, I wanna let you know that, and I am reflecting on that myself. I stumbled across a song not too long ago. It's an old song, and it intrigued me.

The lyrics intrigued me, so I looked into it and I realized that it is one of the most popular funeral songs. And it's not for Christian funerals, of course, but generally speaking, it's one of the most used songs for people to cope with death, and it's one of the most used songs for people to request at their burial. You've probably heard it. It's been made popularized by Frank Sinatra, My Way. You heard it?

Well, here are some lyrics to consider from that song. Listen. And now the end is near, and so I face that final curtain. My friend, I'll make it clear. I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full. I traveled each and every highway, and more, much more. I did it. I did it my way. If somebody would have sung that at the apostle Paul's funeral, I'm sure he would have resurrected just to rebuke the guy.

I did it my way? I did it my way. No. Paul would never say such a thing. He would say, I obeyed the heavenly vision that I've received from him.

I obeyed the will of God for my life. He called me to be an apostle, so that's what I honored him with, to be an apostle. And you're gonna see later on that Paul will expand on his joy of how he fulfilled his purpose on the earth for God. And it's no wonder because he is reflecting the attitude of his lord, our lord, Jesus Christ, when he said these words near the end of his own life in John seventeen four, I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. I read that last night, and it moved me to tears.

Jesus saying to the father, I glorified you on earth. I did what you called me to do. I pray that you would be able to say those words if you know your death is coming. You would confidently be able to say before God, I glorified you. I didn't do it my way.

I didn't live life to my understanding of what it means to live life to the full. No. I glorified you. What's amazing about the life of Jesus is that it wasn't a long life, but it was a full life. If somebody died at the age of 33 today, even a Christian, most people would think, what a what a loss.

He's gone too soon. In the human sense, that that may be true, but then Jesus would have gone too soon according to that understanding. Do we believe that? No. See, that's old covenant thinking because in the old covenant, the emphasis of blessing, one of them, is a long life.

Many, many years being lived. And we could equate that today as well as a blessing, but there's a different emphasis in the new covenant, and that is exemplified by Christ. It's not about the amount of years. It's what you do with those years. It's the fullness of life.

And Jesus Christ, the earliest recorded words of him in the gospels is found in Luke at the age of what? 12 years old. Those are the first words uttered from the son of God in his preteen years. And you know what that sentence was that came from those holy lips even at that point of his life? In Luke two forty nine, when his parents were looking for him, his earthly parents, he said to them, why were you looking for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? Other translations, did you not know that I must be about my father's business? And so even at 12 years old, Christ consecrated himself. The revelation of who he was was blossoming, and these are the earliest recorded words of who he was and what he lived for. And as he approached the finality of his life, he could say, I glorified you on the earth.

I'm about my father's business. I'm here to fulfill his will. And it's amazing in verse 50, they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. They didn't understand what you're 12 years old. You're about your father's business.

See, in that time for Jewish culture when you were 12, 13, you would you would begin to learn your father's trade, And Jesus here is doing that. He's at the right point of life, but he is imitating his heavenly father. He's saying, I'm here to preach the word because he was teaching in the temple. This is what I've came to do, to to show the truth, to declare the truth. And even after that, they said, well, you're still our son, so he had to submit to them.

And listen, that was still the will of God. So you might be wondering, what is it that I must be doing to to to go about my father's business? And you have all these radical, amazing plans that rush through your mind. But in this case, at this point in Jesus' life, yeah, he was teaching, but that was only for a moment. He submitted to his parents, and he was equally fulfilling the will of God.

He was obeying. And we see here that Paul is saying, I am an apostle by the will of God, and I've been doing it up to this very moment. He reflected on the call of God. But him mentioning his apostleship goes even deeper than that because it is not just him reflecting about his faithfulness to the mission that God had ordained for his life, it's also a recollection of the wonderful mercies of the master. What do I mean by that?

You and I have every reason to believe that whenever Paul mentioned his apostleship, those who read it were alarmed by the authority. This is an apostle. While at the same time, Paul would be lavished by fresh sense of the grace of God. Because every time he knew that he was an apostle, and he declared that he was an apostle, he knew that he didn't deserve to be an apostle. First Corinthians 15, he tells it very plain and clear in verse nine.

For I am the least of the apostles. I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. You have many people that discourage Christians from reflecting on their past. And I would discourage you of reflecting on your past if all that brings about is guilt and shame. I would.

But this man didn't forget his past. He reflected. He understood it was ever before him, but it only provoked worship. It provoked an understanding of the grace of God. It magnified the Lord and his affections and his adoration.

And so here he says, I know what I did. I killed Christians. But, oh, here's the grace of God. Here's the mercy of God. Here's the wonderful tender kindness and compassion of God.

I am not worthy to be called an apostle. Do you think anytime he said in one of his introductions, I'm an apostle, that he said it with pride, with arrogance, with his nose lifted up. No. He understood full well that what I was able to do on the earth was simply by the mercy and grace of God. I'm an apostle, Timothy.

Paul was a preacher of grace, and oftentimes the grace that was connected to the cross of Christ. But that's not only the grace that he preached about. There was a grace for service, not just salvation that he declared. Yes. Christ called me to to be in his kingdom, though I persecuted his own body, but Christ also elevated me and called me to be one of his ambassadors.

And here's the beauty about that. You and I not only have the invitation to know the comfort of salvation and the grace of God in that. If you're humble and hungry enough, you can know a lifelong experience of different series of his grace by him letting you use you for his glory. Many Christians don't know those graces because they're not hungry enough. They want to do it Frank Sinatra's way.

I'm saved. Thank God I got my ticket to heaven, but I'm gonna do it my way. Do it my way. And you waste a grace that God longs to fill your life with. It's a grace that you might know and that he uses you for something, and you say, I'm not worthy to be used in this way.

He uses you to touch somebody else's life. He uses you to to do something wonderful out of the ordinary. Oftentimes, it's the grace that you feel with the strength that you're able to endure knowing that in the natural, you would throw in the towel. It's a grace to love the unlovable, to forgive the unforgivable, to give what you would not give if you did not have Christ reigning in your heart. Wonderful graces are waiting for you to experience, but you have to be like this man who says, I count my life of no value unless I fulfill the call of God on my life.

And this man was an apostle, and he understood that he was an apostle because of God's grace. And I guarantee you, if you set your life apart for the glory of God, at the end of the road, you will look back and all you will see is his grace. Grace upon grace upon grace. This man was be he was able to identify his grace in absolutely everything. Look what he says here in first Corinthians fifteen ten.

By by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them. Oh, Paul, don't be so proud. You worked harder than any of them? If we heard somebody say that today, we'd say, this guy needs a spiritual shower.

Who says I work harder than any of them? Well, finish. Though it was not I, but the grace of God that is in me. Grace. Not just for salvation, not just to be called into service, but grace for the strength to endure, to be faithful, to be fruitful.

Grace everywhere. And here as he writes this to Timothy, he goes, I'm an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and you can write in parenthesis, by the grace of God. There he is sitting in that dark room reflecting on the fact that he lived his life in such a manner, and it was only because God was merciful toward him. Oh, you and I have the opportunity to know that same grace, but we have to be hungry to do his will. But it goes beyond that.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. See what he's saying? Yeah. I I I am an apostle. I obeyed his will.

That's all by the grace of God, but now I'm looking forward to a promise that has my name on it. According to the promise of the life that is where? Only in Christ Jesus. And Paul loved to use those words, in Christ Jesus. And this promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus is a two fold promise.

It's a promise that's connected to what he said. I lived the will of God. See, there's only true life in Christ Jesus. And he experienced that side of the promise. I know this life, that abundant life, that amazing life, that wonderful life.

I often say this, you you cannot even measure up. If you had all the resources in the world, all the options, all the opportunities to do what you want, it would not even come close to the will of God for your life. And this man knew that. The promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. I experienced that, but there's another side of the promise.

It's the life to come. It's a life that he will experience very shortly. It's a life that is eternal. And what's amazing is that it's a promise that he was holding onto. This is not a phrase that Paul often uses in his introductions in his letter, but it was appropriate here.

I'm reflecting right away, and I wanna comfort you, Timothy, right away. I'm not gonna see you most likely unless you hurry up and get here, and he says that later on. But I'm clinging to a promise. A promise that will help me endure these chains, that will help me endure beheading. And here's what I wanna say to you this morning.

Jesus Christ has made you a personal promise. Listen now. Forget everybody else in this room, just for a moment, and hear my words toward you. K? Jesus Christ has made a personal promise to you.

Now that might not mean much to you, especially in a day where people say yes and no and break those promises. But let me remind you what Titus one tells us about this God. In verse two, listen carefully. It says, in hope of eternal life of God who never lies. Promise before the ages began.

In hope of eternal life in which God, listen, who never lies. Promise before the ages began. We are talking about a God who can't lie. He can't. And he made you a promise this morning.

And that promise was found in John eleven twenty five and twenty six. Jesus said to Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. Whoever, whoever.

And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. And here's the question for you this morning. Do you believe this? Do you believe this? Whoever believes in me, does it matter, great or small, rich or poor?

Whoever believes in me will never die. You know, that truth, if you really believe it, will help you interpret what Job calls the king of terrors, which is death, in a whole new light. One of my favorite books thus far is a book by John Flavel or Flavel called Facing Grief. And I would actually recommend that book from the pulpit to you because it deals with an ancient writer who had lost many people in his life to death, including a child and three different wives, I believe. Imagine that.

You married one, died. The second one, died. Third one, died. And I think the fourth one survived or the third one survived. And this man, from that pain, received an authority to speak on grief.

And it's no wonder because when you read that book, you come into insights that will blow you away. And one of the things that touched my heart is from one of the chapters in which he encourages Christians who have experienced loss, and I want you to hear these words. Listen carefully. John Flavel says, that is, listen, look not upon the dead as a lost generation. Think not that death has annihilated and utterly destroyed them.

Oh, no. They are not dead, but only sleep. And if they sleep, they shall awake again. You do not use to make outcries and lamentations for your children and friends when you find them asleep upon their beds. Why?

Death is but a longer sleep, out of which they shall surely awake as ever they did in the morning in this world. You see what he's saying? You never came after a late night into your home and saw your children sleeping in bed and and ripped your garments and put ashes on your head because they're asleep? You never stumbled upon your spouse on the couch after a long afternoon taking a nap and wept your eyes out because they were asleep? Why?

Because you know that they're gonna wake up any moment. And what he's saying here is that in Christ, death is just about a longer sleep. One day they're gonna wake up, and that's the hope that you and I have. That's the promise. And here's the thing, it's gonna be the best beauty sleep they've ever had.

You know why? Because they're gonna wake up glorified in splendor and majesty. And you're gonna be amazed at the promise that is in Christ Jesus. Fulfilled in those that you love and fulfilled in you when you are in Christ. It's just longer sleep.

That's what this promise does. It surges such a grace and strength for you to not only interpret death in such a way, but even if you like Paul stare death in the eyes, you can know a certain grace. Because why? This Timothy, this Timothy that's receiving this letter is being encouraged. You read on as we're gonna discover, and he's actually getting weak in the faith.

He's letting his spiritual gift sit aside. And Paul's like, no. Fan it into flame. Put things in order. Don't lose your seal.

Suffer for Christ. I mean, if there's anybody that needs encouragement from a letter, it's Paul. You're the one in the prison. You're the one that's about to be executed. Where are the letters coming in?

No. He's sending letters out. Why? Because he has a promise with his name on it. And it's so powerful, it's so profound that it even gave him the energy to motivate someone else that is not in the same predicament as him.

That's what faith can do. That's what faith can do. It frames things in such a way where you know supernatural compassion even in the midst of your own sorrows. And Paul is doing that. And that's why he says in verse two, to Timothy, my beloved child.

What tenderness and compassion. What comforting words. I love you. I wanna show you how much I love you. I'm gonna instruct you as a father now as this man has rats running around his feet, small rations of food, living with any human with the anxiety of one day, I'm gonna leave, never to return again.

Because he had a promise. And this is what he says. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father. Again, he's reflecting Christ. Didn't Christ hang there on the cross, having the whole weight of the sin of the world upon his shoulders?

And he looks down and he sees his mother. And he assigns a caretaker for her while he is suffering. And Paul is doing the same to some degree. He's tapped into a grace because of a promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. And here's where we're gonna do something a little interesting, because I've never done this in a message.

I've never gone through books this fast, but I wanna show you something. He says grace, mercy, and peace. No word is by accident in the Holy Bible. No word is by accident, and I wanna prove that to you. Do you have your Bibles with you this morning?

I hope so. Go to the book of Romans. I want you to see and compare every other introduction that Paul gives in his letters, and we're gonna do this by just skipping stones over the surface of these books. Romans chapter one verse seven. You ready?

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It's there. Right? Let's go to first Corinthians one verse three. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see it? Second Corinthians verse one rather verse two of chapter one. This is gonna be worth it. I promise. Okay?

Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians one verse three. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians one verse two. Maybe some of you are getting it already.

Grace to you and priest peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now skip over to Philippians one verse two, just a few pages. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians one verse two, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae, grace to you and pre peace from God our father. First Thessalonians one verse two verse one rather.

Paul saw Agonus and Timothy to the church of Thessalonians and God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. Second Thessalonians one, we're almost there. Verse two, grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, skip over a few books, and the short letter to Philemon, sure enough, in verse three, grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace.

Grace to you and peace. Grace to you and peace. Grace to you and peace. Grace to you and peace. Grace to you and peace.

And then you go to first Timothy. What do you read in verse two of chapter one? To Timothy, my true child in the faith, grace, what's that word say? Mercy and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our lord. Second Timothy, you read it.

Now you will only see this unfortunately, the ESV does a disservice to this. You'll only see this if you have a King James and New King James, but go to the book of Titus verse one. Chapter one rather, verse four. To Titus, mine own son after the common faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our savior. Three out of all those letters, Paul includes the word mercy, and he reserves using that word in 10 of them.

When he uses the word mercy, do you know where he uses them? When he uses them? Why he uses them? Every time the word mercy was used, it was in the pastoral letters. In other words, he used the word mercy when he was directing his letter to a full time minister.

That's significant because it shows that Paul didn't add words or subtract words randomly. It wasn't just such a general salutation. No. It was calculated. And here's the understanding.

It's not that people who are not ministers don't need mercy. It's that ministers who serve full time are in need of extra mercy. And he knew that very well as a minister himself. And so he says, mercy. I call upon God to give you mercy, Timothy and Titus.

Mercy can be understood as a kindness and a compassion that is shown towards somebody who offends. And you know this very well that when a spiritual leader offends, there is greater weight and consequence to it, causing greater mercy to be needed. For the shortcomings and the blunders and the and the failure to be an example, Paul says, Timothy, I'm asking God that you would experience a greater mercy because you're gonna need it. And I'm gonna give you mercy through my compassion in this letter. You know what I learned from that?

Here's how I'm challenged. His greetings alone display his thoughtfulness for each and every single one of the believers that he knew. He wasn't general. He wasn't just throwing words for the sake of saying certain things. No.

He understood the particular needs of every individual, and he translated his prayers, and he translated his words and his encouragement to cater to those specific needs. Timothy and Titus needed mercy, so I'm asking God to give you mercy. That's how much love this man had, and we dare not think for a moment that his love is greater than the love of Jesus Christ. It's a particular, singular, unique love that he has for each and every single one of us in this place by name. By name.

I hope you would believe that this morning. If Paul here is concerned about Timothy's condition and Titus' condition, and he knows how to deal with the Romans and the Galatians, Do you not think that your master cares about you with your particular situation and circumstance? Do you not believe that he will provide the exact grace and mercy and peace for you and supply it in another way for somebody else? He knows how to walk with us individually. See, it's one thing to know Jesus Christ loves the world.

Well, praise God. Jesus Christ loves his church. Hallelujah. But how much do you re rehearse over your soul that Jesus Christ loves me? Loves me.

Personally, me. And if we think that's a stretch and if we think that's too much and if we think that that's something that we shouldn't do because it glorifies self, well, then you have problems with the love of Christ. In John 11, when Lazarus was sick, we are told by the Holy Spirit in verse five, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus individually with a particular love, a special love. Do you think Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were all the same?

Do you think they had the same personalities? Do you think they had the same spiritual disciplines? You read about Martha. She was the one running around working and getting distracted, and Mary is there sitting sitting at Jesus' feet. And Lazarus was just quiet.

I don't know where he was. They're different. Different temperaments, different challenges, different failures, different pros and cons, and yet Christ equal love. Equal love for each of them. And that's what we have to understand here is that the love of Christ can so fill us that we look at every single person around us and we are magnetized to catering to their specific needs and their cares and their weaknesses.

And like Christ, we manifest exactly what it is that they need in our tenderness, like Paul does with Timothy here. You're in need of mercy right now, Timothy, and I'm asking God that you would know that mercy. That's the power of understanding this promise that is in Christ Jesus of life. Morning, I want us to prepare for what we are about to read because it's about to encourage us to live a life that knows the life that is in Christ Jesus. It's a radical life.

It's a life of surrender. It's a life that will demand obedience, but it is a life that will know joy and pleasure and bless others. I look at this man again, and in conclusion, I say this, My faith can be so in tune with the power of God that I can be at the brink of my own martyrdom, and in my thinking care about a discouraged brother who's in his house. Say I must reach out to him before I don't have the chance to do so anymore. I know we all have weaknesses.

I know we all have discouraging moments. I know we have bad days, But I wanna encourage you with one point, one driving point as a result of this Sunday morning service. We can know such a relationship with Christ that self is eliminated. That self is eliminated and we are so preoccupied with the needs and the brokenness of others. And I don't wanna be a Christian that's so caught up in my own desires and wishes and longings that I forget to know that there is a grace that I can experience that helps me look outward and not inward all the time.

And I pray that that would be our desire in this place. Grace, mercy, and peace to you, Timothy. And we're going to prepare ourselves in the weeks ahead for what he's going to say. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.

Thank you that you are the resurrection and the life, and that whoever believes in you, even though he dies, yet shall he live. Lord, we pray that we would know that life, that promise that would so strengthen us, that it would help us strengthen others. Lord, in this place, we pray that every person in here would know the will of God for their lives. And that no matter what success you bring through them, what opportunities open for them, they would never fail to realize that it is by the grace of God. By the grace of God, I am what I am.

And, Lord, in these two verses, we receive much, and we ask you to help us be like this man, Paul, who is able to think of another even as he faced death. Surely, this is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Surely, this is something that is unleashed when truth is really trusted in. And we pray now, Lord, that we would feel that grace that makes us feel undefeated. That the king of terrors, according to Job, is incapable of intimidating us to sorrow, to fear, to guilt.

And that even in our last moments, we can be a blessing to others. Lord, what an amazing truth. Help us arrive there, God. Please help us arrive there. Lord, we worship you for this promise.

We glorify you in this house. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.