In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge.  Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  But you keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all duties of your ministry.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Now there is a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Judge, will award me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:1-8

In this scripture passage, Timothy is letting the people know that his life is near an end.  He is preparing them to spread the gospel and warning them that there are those who will not want to hear the truth.  There will be those who seek out preachers that tell them what they want to hear. They want  preachers that tell them that they can live like the devil here on earth and still get into heaven. They want  preachers that tell them that they can worship their idols here on earth and still make God happy.  They want preachers that tell them that their sinful lives can go completely unchanged and its okay.  Let’s face it, we would all love to believe that we can just keep on keeping on and do what we have always done and stroll through the gates of heaven.  But this is not what the bible tells us.  If you read my blog yesterday then you read the scripture passage from Matthew 7 that tells us that “the way is hard that leads to life”.

Now this may sound as though I am trying to discourage you by telling you that Christianity is just too hard.  Actually, it is the opposite.  Christianity is hard, but it is not nearly as difficult as struggling through life without Christ.  I guess what I am trying to say here is that life is hard either way you slice it or dice it.  We are going to go through difficult times. But let me tell you this friend,  I would rather face hundreds of catastrophes with God by my side than go through one hard time without Him there.  He doesn’t  force his presence in our life, we have to choose to draw close to Him.

A simpler way to look at it may be like this.  You see, when I was 16 my parents bought me a car.  I didn’t really have to do anything to earn the car, it was a gift.  It was a really nice car.  Used but only a couple years old and for a 16 year old it was a great car and an awesome gift.  Now I didn’t have to do anything to earn the car, my parents freely gave the car to me.  However, once I had the car, I had a big responsibility.  I had to keep gas in the car, I had to keep up with scheduled maintenance.  My dad gave me gentle reminders and my mechanically inclined friends helped to do the work.  I had to wash the car often and waxed it regularly.  I kept the interior clean.  It took work to keep my car in good shape mechanically and cosmetically.  So although it was a gift freely given to me, there was work to do once I accepted the gift.

Salvation is like that.  You see, God freely gives salvation and really wants every child of His to accept the gift He offers.  But, he doesn’t force us to accept the gift.  Once we do accept the gift, however, there is maintenance work to be done. First and foremost we have to put off our old selves.  The Bible tells us that we become new creatures and we are to put off our old sinful ways.  I think this is what discourages many people.  Many people have lived in their sin for so long that they are very comfortable with it and do not want to give it up.  But let me tell you the reward and the satisfaction that comes from following Jesus Christ and removing sin from your life is so awesome that I promise you will not miss it at all. Now the other thing is that people need to spread the gospel.  This scares many people because they think well I can’t go out and tell people about God  You may not have to, but you do need to lead them to Christ by example.  You may be the only Bible they will ever read.  Those around you will see the change in your life.  They will notice something different, something that they want in their life.  You just have to live out your commitment to Christ.  You will need to serve God.  As new Christians, it’s okay to be fed and to get your feet on the ground for a season, but God has equipped each of us with a gift or a talent in a way that we can serve Him.  There is a website called giftstest.com.  If you go to this website and answer a series of questions it will tell you in what area you are best equipped to serve God.  It only takes a few minu

So the question before you today is are you going to accept the gift?  This is the most awesome gift that has ever been offered to you.  Are you going to accept it?  It is there for you, but you have to accept it.  It will not be forced upon you.

If you have accepted Christ, then be sure that you are doing His work and fulfilling the duties he has equipped you to do. Are you fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and keeping the faith?

If you have not accepted Christ and perhaps are seeking a church, then don’t just seek a motivational speaker, look for a church with a pastor that speaks God’s word.  Be sure that his speaking is from the Bible. Be sure that what he says lines up with God’s word.  As you witness to others, remember we need to tell people what they need to hear in a kind, loving, and patient way.  We do not need to tell them only what they want to hear.  This is why we get into trouble when we vote for people that tell us what we want to hear without looking at what type of life they lead.  We live in a world where more and more people just want to hear what they want to hear.  It  seems as the truth has taken a back seat to what sounds good.

I hope that you accept this awesome gift,  if you have not already done so.  If you have accepted the gift,  then I hope that you are experiencing the peace and joy that comes from following Him and doing what He has called you to do.  If so, you have a wonderful eternity awaiting you with your heavenly father.

Have a great weekend!