2 Timothy | 4:14-22

do not buy into a false gospel because false gospels will bring death, and the true gospel will bring life. So Alexander opposed our message, beware of him. At my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. This is his first trial with Caesar. He'd just gone. He had to stand there alone. No one showed up. No one came to his defense. No one said to Caesar, this this dude's awesome. He was by himself. But look what he says. This is incredible. May it not be charged against them. [00:42:02] (34 seconds)  #BewareFalseGospels

And there Paul says it, all of it. I have run the race. I have fought the good fight. I have kept the faith because Jesus promised that he would complete me. I am heading out, boys, about to be rescued from every evil deed that has ever existed and enter the heavenly place that I've spoken through multitudes of letters to you. But you, you are not leaving yet, So may his spirit be with your spirit, so that in his power, you may live by faith the same way I have lived by faith. That just as I have been a witness to you of the things of God, now you will live the life that will become a witness to others. [00:51:53] (51 seconds)  #RunTheRaceOfFaith

And that 75 year old says to me, it's worth it. No. No. It's not worth it. It's better than worth it because he has rescued me every time when I've when I've been alone or not, and he's about to rescue me once and for all. So do it. And here he is passing the baton. Embrace your calling, men and women, boys and girls. What is your calling? To preach the gospel to everyone. Starting with yourself, then each other, and then the world. Embrace your calling and guard the gospel. Stand against corruption if the gospel's corrupt. Don't tolerate that. And then live what you know to be true. That's called faith. [00:53:45] (49 seconds)  #EmbraceYourCalling

Not because if you're not If you're lawless, God will reject you. But because once you know Jesus, you know his way is life, and you know the world's way is death. And so if you oppose God's way, you're gonna you're welcome. You'll just experience a bunch of death and filth. Instead of like, that's dumb. Right? And so it gives us this clarity of how the gospel informs lawlessness. I'm not going to self govern myself. I'm not going to be self righteous. I'm gonna trust Jesus for my righteousness, but I'm also gonna then be smart enough to say, I'm gonna do it his way because he's smart, and I'm not. [00:19:55] (34 seconds)  #LiveJesusWay

And Paul's first response to that is this. Man, let that be held against them. Do you read it? Oh, wait. No. That's what he said. Sorry. My bad. There was a big other word in that sentence. Let it not be charged against them. I know somebody else that said that in circumstances more dire than Paul's. Jesus was nailed to a cross. People were taunting him. Dear God, get off that thing. And Jesus said to his father, I know we should wipe them all out. I'll give you that. He didn't say that, but I'm sure that's what I would have been feeling if I were there. He said, forgive them because they do not even know what they're doing. [00:44:02] (45 seconds)  #ForgiveLikeJesus

And I just love it we're watching this guy and all of these frameworks we have that if you're Paul and you follow Jesus and you're faithful then things will go super well for you. He's like yeah that's that doesn't work. Oh my goodness you kidding me? He's shipwrecked. He's floating. He's bitten by snakes And yet, all these things, his life doesn't end. And so we have this insane wonderful dichotomy. We are going to be a people that live in circumstances that feel like they're going to take our life. And sometimes they will, but sometimes they won't. We don't know. And so Paul lives a different life in this and he's like, listen, no man. You're gonna have miracles for sure, but you're also gonna have martyrdom for sure versions of it. And the Christian life whether you're Paul or me or you, it's the same. [00:24:21] (45 seconds)  #FaithInStorms

Oh, wait. No. That's what he said. Sorry. My bad. There was a big other word in that sentence. Let it not be charged against them. I know somebody else that said that in circumstances more dire than Paul's. Jesus was nailed to a cross. People were taunting him. Dear God, get off that thing. And Jesus said to his father, I know we should wipe them all out. I'll give you that. He didn't say that, but I'm sure that's what I would have been feeling if I were there. He said, forgive them because they do not even know what they're doing. [00:44:09] (38 seconds)  #ForgiveInDarkness

Listen you all. I don't know that there's a circumstance you'll ever be in as dark as forty days and nights in an ocean with sharks and you're like God. Hello. Hello. My skin is turning a little wrinkly. That does Paul and then he ends up on a on an island. There's like, oh I guess I survived that. And then what does he do on the island? Oh preaches the gospel. But while he's preaching the gospel some snakes come over and bite him. Legit. You're like what? And he's like, oh got bitten by poisonous snakes but he doesn't die from that either. And I just love it we're watching this guy and all of these frameworks we have that if you're Paul and you follow Jesus and you're faithful then things will go super well for you. He's like yeah that's that doesn't work. [00:23:44] (48 seconds)  #PreachThroughPeril