Sermon for the 3rd Last Sunday, November 8, 2026
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:1-8, 16-18 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom: 2Preach the word. Be ready whether it is convenient or not. Correct, rebuke, and encourage, with all patience and teaching. 3For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. 4They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5As for you, keep a clear head in every situation. Bear hardship. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. 6You see, I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. 8From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will give it to me on that day, and not only to me but also to everyone who loved his appearing. … 16At my first hearing, no one came to my defense, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. 17But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles would hear it, and I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (EHV)
Prepare to finish your race in faith.
Dear friends in Christ,
As we near the end of our year-long review of the catechism, we consider the 7th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “But deliver us from evil.” We skipped over it earlier in the year, but as we approach the end of the Church year, and in view of our end on earth, Luther’s explanation is a fitting addition. He wrote: “We pray in this petition, as the sum of all, that our Father in heaven would deliver us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor; and at last, when the hour of death shall come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.”
In our sermon text, we find Paul in prison fully prepared for the end of his life which he was now convinced was imminent. In his previous letters from prison, Paul had confidence that he would be set free to continue his work of proclaiming the Gospel of our Savior. This time, however, the reality of his new imprisonment was clear: Paul’s race in this life was about to reach its conclusion with his execution for the sake of the Gospel. The encouragement the Holy Spirit sends to us through Paul’s hand is to Prepare to finish your race in faith.
The situation was clear as Paul wrote this letter to Timothy; the end of his time on earth was very near. Execution was imminent for Paul wrote, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.” Certainly, Paul was no stranger to danger and persecution. He had survived many an attack from multiple sides for much of his Christian life and had already endured arrests and multiple abuses for the sake of Jesus Christ, so someone might guess that Paul had reason to be afraid or perhaps was somehow despairing as he wrote to Timothy. Yet, Paul remained confident of his future for he wrote, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness.”
Paul also understood that the world in which his fellow believers would be dwelling was not likely to provide comfort and ease for his fellow Christian believers. Likewise, as we look back throughout history, we see that this world is always strongly opposed to the salvation offered through faith in Jesus. We can blame the devil, of course, who is always seeking to devour those who would follow Jesus. Yet, we also know our own sinful flesh is complicit in following the ways of the world. Temptations abound for any of us, and the more firmly we imagine that we might resist them on our own, the more likely we will fail.
If the devil and this world were willing to attack Jesus’ hand-picked apostle, and even Jesus Himself, we certainly should expect that the old evil foe will just as ruthlessly come after us. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was sending Timothy out into the battle to continue providing the resources you and I need to Prepare to finish your race in faith.
The race of a Christian through life is a complicated and dangerous journey. False doctrines come at us from every side. Evil forces and evil people try continually to trip us on our way. Sinful flesh makes us want to rule our own ways or chose our own paths. Therefore, even in resisting temptation, we find ourselves guilty, for the very consideration of sinning against God’s will shows the depths of our corruption. Consequently, every moment of our race is a battle fraught with danger. To endure unto the end, we are forced to struggle with planning, preparation, commitment, and training. Any misstep along the way might jeopardize our race.
To Timothy and other pastors and teachers, Paul wrote, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom: Preach the word. Be ready whether it is convenient or not. Correct, rebuke, and encourage, with all patience and teaching.” Now, as I tell you this was written to pastors and teachers, understand that it doesn’t leave you off the hook. We are each in this world to teach by example, to be lights in the darkness for those who surround us. This is especially the case in our dealings with the young. Children watch everything around them. They study their parents, both the actions and the attitudes. Thus, every moment of our lives may help or distract others in their race.
Since that is the case, the next statement is especially troublesome. In the world we live in, it is astonishingly clear that Paul was shown the future, and he saw how diligent we must be since he wrote, “For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” Why are there so many denominations in our country even just in the Christians churches? Because mankind is so often misled by his own thoughts and desires. From one controversy to the next, there are always people leaving the true faith. In fact, every denomination would claim the true faith, but so very many have strayed from the fulness and truth of God’s Word! Also, it is very evident in our world that many now prefer deceptions over truth. Regardless, we must hold to the truths of God’s Word handed down to us from generation to generation.
Thus, the necessity to prepare. The Holy Spirit says, “As for you, keep a clear head in every situation. Bear hardship. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry.” That doesn’t make us all pastors or teachers, but it does motivate us to be in the Word God has provided so we are not misled by those who want to put their own desires and ideas over what the Bible clearly says.
Through Paul, God is also encouraging His people to endure, to bear up under the troubles and persecutions that will surely come against us. So that we may prepare to remain faithful in the race of our lives, God has provided His holy Word, pastors, teachers, church services in which we repent of our sins and receive forgiveness full and free. Jesus provides His very body and blood in the bread and wine of His Supper to restore in us, again and again, the righteousness He lived for us.
No Olympic athlete ever won a medal without strict training and effort. Indeed, even high school students rarely excel without diligent effort or preparation. Though many in politics like to pretend that material success should be available without effort, it is undeniably true that without effort or training, no one really succeeds. Without effort, a person might be kept physically alive but never do more than exist uselessly until death.
Now, in spiritual things, of course, we are all beggars. None of us possess the righteousness to stand before God on our own. None of us can pay for our ticket to heaven, nor earn passage through its gates. When Paul had to stand before the courts of the Roman Caesar, no one came to help him. No lawyer was willing to argue his case. No friend was willing or able to stand with Paul and defend him. Consequently, the sentence was soon given that his life must end, probably by beheading with a sword.
If we had to stand before the eternal Judge on our own, we too would face a sentence of death, but it wouldn’t just be a beheading, and I don’t mean to make light of Paul’s death sentence. Execution is a horrible way to reach the end of one’s race. However, to fall out of the race through lack of preparation, or to reach the end of our physical lives without Jesus advocating for us, ends our life in the kingdom of heaven. If Jesus does not speak for us, we have no hope and no place in His everlasting kingdom of peace. Therefore, the admonition to Prepare to finish your race in faith.
So, where did Paul find his confidence as he faced the executioner’s sword? Not in his own efforts! Rather, Paul held fast to the Savior who had grasped Paul in his sinful state and lifted him into the kingdom of grace. Paul rejoiced to tell Timothy, “The Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles would hear it, and I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
Paul compared his rescue to that of Daniel in the lion’s den. The Roman authorities and others who opposed Jesus probably were glad to get rid of this apostle they considered a troublemaker. Yet, through the trial Paul had to endure, he was able to proclaim the Gospel of Christ Jesus even to those who didn’t yet believe and perhaps never would. Still, the end for Paul was not death but a restful sleep, for Paul would die connected with Jesus who lives forever. Furthermore, with Jesus as his Advocate in the courts of heaven, Paul was already declared innocent by faith and consequently welcome in the eternal realms of heaven—just like you and me.
Dear friends, through the faith you were given at your baptism and which you have strengthened throughout life with the hearing of the Word in our worship services, your Bible reading and study, and by the hope you were given when hearing what Jesus has done for you, we now stand ready to say along with Paul, “From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will give it to me on that day, and not only to me but also to everyone who loved his appearing.” This is what true Christian faith is all about. It includes repentance of our sins. It includes our efforts to serve our neighbor and to proclaim the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to all we can reach, but ultimately, it is what Jesus has done for us, and His continuing intervention on our behalf at His Father’s side that makes all the difference in our race.
Therefore, hold on to the promises of your Savior. Prepare for the battles of life by arming yourself with the truths of Christ’s love. Never for a moment forget that God will never forget you. Then follow Paul’s example to fight the good fight, just as he encouraged the congregation at Ephesus:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the Devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand. Stand, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness fastened in place, and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace tied to your feet like sandals. At all times hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. Also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-17)
In all things and every day, cling to Jesus; Prepare to finish your race in faith. Amen.
Now to him who is able to strengthen you—according to the gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, . . . to God, who alone is wise, be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.