For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come.For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come.
4 sermons cite this verse
… He says, I'm getting ready for my departure. My life is being poured out like a drink offering. Poured out like a drink offering. Someone would have looked at that and said, oh, what a dreadful waste of a life that he should go so soon. Paul doesn't see it in those terms. And the appeal that he makes here is according to the mercies of God. We've sung of it already, that a holy God has come down to us in Jesus, that our only answer in life and in death is what he has done on our behalf. That God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love towards us, made us alive together with Christ. There were a number of photographs that I was privileged to enjoy or endure, depending on how you want to look at it, before I arrived here. It's nice to meet people. It felt like a wedding reception, actually. There were so many photographs. And I wasn't remotely interested in saying to the photographer, excuse me, before you take this photograph, will you just please make sure that this photograph is going to do me justice? …
… challenges and battles it's like Paul our hero he said at the end of his life for I'm already being poured out like a drink offering and the time for my departure is near the time for my departure is near this is second Timothy four that's a great way of saying by the way I'm going to die soon. But isn't it a cooler way to say I'm going to die soon? I got a flight like at 1.30. So I need to head to the airport because my departure is coming quick. But I'm encouraged because verse 7, I have fought the good what? Fight. I finished the race. I've kept the faith. I have fought the good fight. Now we're all fighting fights. Hello? They're not all that fantastic. They're not all need to be written about in the annals of history. Some of you are fighting against that guy in your HOA right now. We probably don't need to, you know, record that for all of human history. Some of you are fighting that, you know, cranky person at your job right now? Some of you are fighting that person in your family right now? There are a lot of fights going on in the world, but Paul is saying there's a good fight. And I'm not saying, you know, getting your variance for your offense isn't good. I'm just saying that they're high value fights. …
… He says he knows he's going to die soon. I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. The letter ends. Shortly after it's over the letter is done. He is taken to the Basilica Julia from the Mamertine prison 100 yards away. Thank you. he would stand to hear his death sentence read publicly. And then he was taken out to be executed. I'm going to close by reading to you the words of A.T. Robertson, a great scholar and another one, another author. So I'm borrowing from them of what it would have been like. The crowds flowed into town. some were going out. Paul was only a criminal going to be beheaded. Few, if any, of the crowds would know or care anything about him. At a good place on the road, some miles out, the executioner stopped. The block was laid down. The executioner stood ready, axe in hand, the men stripped Paul, tied him, kneeling upright to the low pillar which exposed his back and his neck. The lictors beat him with rods for the last time. He groaned and bled from his nose and his …
… being poured out. Now what does being poured out refer to? Death. And there's no doubt that it refers to that because he says in 2 Timothy 4 6, I am already being poured out. The time of my departure has come. So the first facet of Christian joy is Paul's joy at the prospect of dying in the service of the Philippian faith. He's glad that his life could be taken in the service of their faith. That's what it says. That's not natural. That's supernatural. The Christian life is supernatural or nothing. It is one thing to rejoice because you're the instrument of bringing someone to faith. That's a great joy. It's beyond all normal human experience to rejoice that you get to die to do it. You get to die to do it. Nobody does that. Nobody talks like that except weird people, Christian people, real Christians. what's behind that? How can Paul talk like that? Two things are behind it, and you know at least one of them. Philippians 121, he said, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. So that's part of the answer. What's behind that? You're going to rejoice that you get to die for the service of their faith? And he said, I already told you, it's gain. That's not the whole answer, because that would be true whether he died for somebody's faith or not. All he has to do is die. This is about dying in the service of an unreached people group that you'd like to see come to …