Finish Well (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

A reality of life that we all must face is the reality of death. Death will come for us all. We don’t like to think about death. We spend much of our lives ignoring death. But death is coming. One reality I have observed is that as a person comes closer to death, they begin to evaluate the life they lived a little differently. We can see this in the final statements of several people. 

As Napoleon lay on his deathbed, he is reported as saying, “I die before my time; and my body will be given back to the earth, to become the food of the worms. Such is the fate which so soon awaits the great Napoleon.” Gandhi, the world-renowned Hindu religious leader, confessed, “my days are numbered. I am not likely to live very long – perhaps a year or a little more. For the first time in 50 years, I find myself in a slough of despond. All about me is darkness. I am praying for light.” 19th-century French statement Talleyrand wrote a note which he left on the nightstand beside his deathbed: “behold, 83 years passed away! What cares! What agitation! What anxieties! what ill well! What sad complications! And all without other results, except great fatigue of mind and body, and a profound sentiment of discouragement with regard to the future end of disquiet with regard to the past!” (MacArthur, 187)

Each of these men has lived their lives for certain things began to reevaluate those things on their deathbed. Each seemed to be marked by regret. Is this going to be our response when our time comes? Will we be marked by regret? Or will we be like the Apostle Paul and be marked by satisfaction with a life well lived for God? in our text this morning, we observe a different attitude from Paul. As the steps of the executioner draw near, Paul does an evaluation of his life. And comes to the conclusion of satisfaction.