2 Timothy. His last sermon (Quality:Good)

[0:00] I will ask you now to follow me in the great subject that we had this morning, which we left, not like Paul says, having finished the course, but which we would have the Lord's own unfoldings, his merciful revelations to us of the great truth of God.

[0:42] And that portion is found in the second epistle from Paul to Timothy, chapter 4, verses 6, 7, and 8.

[1:01] For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight.

[1:16] I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but to all them that love his appearance.

[1:49] The fourth chapter of the second epistle of Paul to Timothy, verses 6, 7, and 8.

[2:00] Our first word of the third verse. I have felt sweetly laid upon my mind and given some sweet opening of God's truth conveyed through this most sacred and precious word.

[2:30] How many times have I read this word, looked at other portions in the scripture where it occurs, and perhaps never seen a great deal in it, as I believe I have in these last few days and weeks.

[2:55] Henceforth is the first word of this third chapter.

[3:07] Let us consider for a moment the greatness of this word. See what it really sets forth.

[3:23] It's the setting forth of the past. Hence, Paul has already set forth before us.

[3:33] What that past in his life has meant, what it means to him on this particular time.

[3:48] All the mighty and wondrous unfolding, both in providence and in grace, of the Lord he trusted, believed in and experienced through the teaching of the Holy Ghost, are all embraced in that part of the word, the first part of it, hence.

[4:20] And that is something indeed for a believer to look back to. It simply means this, they've got something which others have not.

[4:42] They have an experience of God's grace, of God's love. And of all the mighty and wondrous fellowship of the Holy Spirit of God.

[5:01] Hence, it also embraces the direction. Well now, that's an important thing.

[5:14] Hence, whither goest thou? Said one of the disciples to the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, Christ knew perfectly.

[5:26] His destiny, his directions. And what a great thing, my dear friends, if you and I know, that we have a hence in our lives that we can rejoice over in our end and realize what a glorious and wondrous thing it is.

[5:59] Hence. And then the other part of the word also means the future.

[6:11] He's learning now from the past, with all the value of it, preciousness of it, all that he has come to taste and feel of the good word of life in his own heart, and all the precious knowledge of Christ as a Saviour, Lord and Friend.

[6:35] He now can see what all this has led to in his life and in his faith.

[6:47] Henceforth. He's now going on. This is not the end of things. Oh, dear friends, unless we have something like this stamped upon our religion, believed on in our very hearts, what have we got?

[7:12] An empty shade and sham, worthless in its nature, and of no value whatsoever.

[7:22] But no. He says forth. He doesn't try to describe what that all entails. He doesn't say, I know, I know all about heaven.

[7:38] Sometimes you wonder whether people who know everything about heaven know anything at all of what it will be to be there. No.

[7:50] He believes that what will be, will be the greatest of all.

[8:05] And that will be forth. What God will do and what he will bring, what the final triumphs will and must be to those who truly believe.

[8:20] Paul knew that there was something so great in it, beyond his calculation, and so blessed and wonderful.

[8:31] And the chief substance of this is he shall know more, more and more.

[8:45] He shall know perfectly the precious Christ whom he has loved and believed and whom he has preached henceforth.

[9:03] And then what a great encouragement it is for the believer in the times of great trial and weakness and face of death itself.

[9:21] Henceforth it shatters all the disarray and the dismay of the human heart.

[9:36] Henceforth. I say again, dear friends, what a mighty and wonderful thing it is to have a religion which is capable of bearing this description as Paul was able to lay claim to it himself.

[10:03] This man has a religion that has embraced the past and looks to the future without understanding or knowing the full measure of the greatness but who will enter very shortly into the triumphs and victories of faith over sin righteousness over all evil and the blessed reign of Christ begun finally in their hearts so it's a great word it gives me a great deal of help comfort and pleasure to take a word from the word of God and see in it what God has stored up in it and we might well say is this for me yes if Christ is yours you have you have more than heart could wish greater things than ever eyes or the soul can conceive of the glories of that dear person that man who said in our reading this evening comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God now from that point we will try to go forth a little this evening for a few moments and

[11:59] Paul says this henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness notice this will you he doesn't say ah I'm deserving of all that I may receive I can make claim to all the honors that Christ has promised to give I can be assured of a blessed eternity undismayed untarnished with sin with pure righteousness as the whole element and Christ as the glorious center and the one thing his people will love to see and rejoice in the truth that it has been laid up for those who truly believe not they themselves you lay up treasures you lose them and when you think of it the millions of money that passes in the auction rooms in this land and when you come to weigh it all up what is the nature value real value of those things they're poor fading empty things at the best and man's vanity will give almost anything to obtain them and when they've obtained them they have nothing really they can safely display they have to hide them deep down in the vaults and only very occasionally thereafter will any eye look upon these things what treasure can that be to anyone who has the means to possess no oh that we might get our values right that we might avoid that terrible error of men and women when they put trash for treasure and value far more the empty treasures than those that are worth all that is to be experienced in the possession of them it is laid up for me yes and what is laid up for him and as he says here a little later all them that love his appearing it is that blessed treasure which no man can perceive no man can fully grasp no man can even measure one iota of its real value it's

[15:59] Christ and my dear friends if we've been preaching Christ we've come to that point where Paul came when he could say that it is laid up for me well who has laid it up and he tells us quite plainly he says the Lord the righteous judge and no one else can how can anyone righteously judge a person whose life largely has been hidden perhaps secretly great many things never exposed never revealed but the righteous judge knoweth all things and nothing can deceive him therefore if you've got the judge on your side and that judge not like

[17:19] Nero to whom Paul was brought and by whom he met with his death but that judge who sees the end from the beginning and knows everything he knows everything about you and all that concern him the psalmist says he knoweth that which concern me he knoweth and he's the judge perfect judgment is his it belongs to him the only one that can meet out perfect judgment and he is that judge and he says here Paul says about him he's a righteous judge oh how many people will think they've been treated most unrighteously and undeservingly when they come to stand before their maker and their judge when he says indeed depart from me for I have never known you whatever will they think and they'll hurry to to put in their own case their own righteousness and they'll say Lord we've been preaching into the streets in thy name we've done in thy name many great and mighty works and all this and that and the other thing they will claim to the Lord is not righteous that can take people such as we deal with them in judgment and hardness and justice and consign them to everlasting woe because they think and they believe that he is unjust

[19:44] Christ now how do you come then my friends and I feel I must be very clear and play in this sermon these sermons today how do you come to view him who is all that I have described him as and be judged by him through mercy through love through the goodness of his holy name you will view him as the great one that has laid up for you a crown crown of righteousness again you see a crown is not something that we lay up for ourselves crowns would be very common things if we could strike the same quality as is placed upon the head of our reigning monarch no it has to be laid up it has to be handed down from generation to generation it has to be all as near as can be by human hands perfect article to signify crowning glory for a monarch who after all is but a man and must leave everything behind and Paul says here it is laid up for me by the righteous judge and further he says it's a crown of righteousness righteousness oh yes you won't look for diamonds of great value and beauty and dimensions so great that no one perhaps has ever seen anything like them before but it will be a crown far greater than any earthly crown the crown of righteousness which means of course that the giver the judge will transfer the wonders and blessings the greatness and the great favor from those who have to say like

[22:51] Paul there is laid up for me there is one who crowns with the crown of righteousness which no man can deserve but which all believers shall have and great and small shall wear to the glory of their Lord and Savior crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not here he brings in you see all the beloved of the Lord all who truly repent and come to God and seek his face and are accepted in the beloved and are made to see the way of truth opened up before them and see all the necessities and wonders of it is made up says Paul to such who are truly born again from above by the mighty grace of God all them also that love is appearing not a great thing

[24:33] I want to linger on that point just for a very few moments and that is to say this do you love the appearing of the Savior is it a great delight a great pleasure a mighty wonder and surprise when you can say he has appeared to me and for me to me as a revelation of himself for me in all the mighty wonders of his providential good all them who love his appearing do you come just with this with without anticipation do you think very little of whether the

[25:38] Lord does appear whether he has appeared whether in this trouble and that trouble in your life he will appear or do you come on the contrary at almost every turn in your life and experience to say Lord appear for me show thyself to me reveal thy glories to my soul and teach me that I am among those who love his appearing you can look back I'm not sure whether I was saying this this morning but I did say it to some of our friends when I was very young I went to a special service in a certain place certain chapel dear old minister was preaching in fact it was Samuel

[26:46] Curtis of South Hill and he said this and I never have forgotten it it oppressed me deeply he said all them also that love his appearing now he had apparently just buried one or two of his own people and he says of each one of them such were those who loved his appearing what more could we say what more could we desire to really truly love the appearing of the Lord he may come at evening late he may come in the midst of the darkness of night or at the rising of the sun but whenever he comes and reveals his appearing to his people these appearings are loved more than anything in this world they're loved because they see he is the one thing one person they need to appear unto them never go anywhere do anything if you have first of all to say to yourself would is it likely could it be possible for the

[28:35] Lord to appear to me in a pathway like that it'll keep your conscience clear it'll make your steps very choice it'll cause you to realize how important it is to keep close to the word of God because it's only through that blessed teaching of his holy book that we can come anywhere near to appreciate and to love his appearing and not to me also but to all them who love his appearing oh Paul how thou didst seal thy life thy ministry with this precious seal of experience oh thou had no empty kind of religion that was vanishing as swift as the days went by he had a religion that could bear the appearance not everyone that can bear the appearing of the

[30:12] Lord what drives people away from our the gospel the truth of the gospel today and as Paul says to Timothy turning them to fables rather than the truth it's the fact simple plain fact that they do not love his appearing or if you love it you'll keep yourself close to it you'll want to be assured that you benefit by it and to know and I come to the conclusion this evening you want to know the one who appears not just his appearing that's great enough that's a blessed experience but you want to know him who is he what does he mean to me that precious redeemer that shed his own precious blood to wipe away the sins of his people that he might present them spotless before the throne of

[31:29] God without blemish and without spot or without any such thing all the glories of the land the beauties of his countenance what must it be to taste of this glorious substance by tasting of the appearing of the Lord however small the way may be your soul that he is the God of your salvation oh I have tried and tried to set forth nothing better there is no nothing that is better but I've tried to set forth the glories of the name of Jesus the wonders of his grace it will not be anything really to get to heaven if the only thing is to see other people friends that have long departed the only real nature of reaching heaven is to see him the son of God from all eternity the God man the man

[33:07] Christ Jesus Lord may we be found on that side may we have a true experience of thy appearing may all the mighty unfoldings of thy grace oh Lord be upon us and help us to hold on to these precious things by a faith that faileth not but triumphs over death and overcomes the devil and then you will know what faith is that God gives and lives and lasts forever the

[34:11] Lord be with us Amen Amen let me close the end this evening is 146 to June Church Lane 735.

[34:44] We are singing verses 4, 5, and 6. My glorious Redeemer, I long to see thee descend on the cloud, amidst the bright numberless throng, amidst the triumphant drought.

[35:04] O, when wilt thou bid me ascend to join thy praises above, to gain on thee, world without end, and feast on thy ravished indah.

[35:19] 2, 4, 6, verses 4, 5, and 6, to the Jew Church Lane 735. The Holy Spirit, I long to see thee descend on the cloud, and the Holy Spirit, I long to see thee descend on the cloud, the King of Christ and the Lord, and the Holy Spirit, I long to see thee descend on the cloud, and the Lord, I long to see thee descend on the cloud, and the Lord, I long to see thee descend on the cloud, the King of Christ and the Lord, and the Lord, I long to see thee descend on the cloud, and the King of the Lord.

[36:39] CHOIR SINGS Thank you.

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[39:21] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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[40:07] Thank you. Thank you. Amen.