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1:30The rest of Paul's letters. Well, except for one. Popquiz, does anyone know the other letter that's written to a person by Paul? Philemon, very good. You get a prize. There's some debate on whether Timothy and Titus were actually pastors. Some prefer the term apostolic delegate, but that's not a debate we're having tonight. Whatever the case, there's no doubt that Paul is giving these guys an intentional authority to teach and preach and to make arrangements in the church. The second unique thing about the pastoral epistles is the content. There's a heavier focus on the church in these letters. You talk about its structure, its leadership, its specific ministries to specific people. I mean, here you have the passages in 1 Timothy about the roles of men and women in the church. You have in 1 Timothy and Titus your qualifications for elders and deacons. And you have specific content for widows, for masters, servants, young men, old men, young women, old women. All those are fleshed out in the pastoral epistles. This is about conduct and behavior in the church. And to that end, these epistles are practical, right? I think Paul assumes that Titus and Timothy have been tracking with his theology. Up into this point, because after all, they've been walking with Paul for so long as he's been instructing these other churches. So, Paul doesn't really dwell on theology here, he talks about practice. In 1 Timothy, there's a famous passage: just as one ought to, how one ought to behave in the household of God. That's what he's going for, he's going for behavior. So, the last distinction I'll draw out about the pastoral epistles, and this is the one we'll focus on tonight. These letters were written at a very particular time in Paul's life, they were written at the end, and that's significant because these are the very last words that we have from the Apostle Paul. Think about that. When you read them in that light, you can tell that there's an underlying emotional current that is really unmistakable when you read it that way. You sense an urgency from Paul, you sense a deep love and affection for these people, Timothy and Titus. Besides that, you sense a concern for the gospel. You know, the apostolic age is coming to an end. So, Timothy and Titus, when they have a problem, they just can't call up their nearest apostle anymore. They've got to take care of it themselves. So, Paul is writing these letters as a succession plan. You know, what's going to happen after I'm gone? You have that urgency there. That brings us to our past. Passage today, 2 Timothy 4, 6 through 8. If you're reading from NKJV and maybe some others, you might see a heading there, Paul's valedictory. Now, I didn't know what that word meant, so I looked it up. It has nothing to do with being first in your class, by the way, like I thought. Valedictory means farewell. So, this is Paul's farewell address. So, if you have ever said goodbye to someone, then congratulations, you are now a valedictorian.

5:01So, take that, nerds. All right, I better start reading before I get in trouble. 2 Timothy 4, 6 through 8. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. These are the words of Paul. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have loved his appearing. Wonderful words. So, I've got another fun fact for you. I'm just full of those today. Does anyone know where we get the term swan song?

5:50Any thoughts? Well, I looked that one up too. Swan song comes from an ancient belief, like very ancient, like before Christ's ancient. That the swans, the birds, that they would sing a very beautiful, melodic song right before their death. Now, that's probably not true. If you're a zoologist, you can let me know after the service. But we still use this phrase today to refer to some sort of grand final gesture, usually before a death or before retirement, something like that. It's something that's intentionally graceful, sorrowful, and reflective. And I bring this up because I think the book of 2 Timothy is Paul's swan song. And I know it's not the last of Paul's letters as you read through the canon, but as best as we can tell historically, and we're pretty confident about this, as best as we can tell historically, this was the last book that Paul wrote, and he wrote it shortly before he was executed in Rome. And here at this passage, just look at what we're reading. Paul knows, or he seems to know, that the end is nigh, and he says as much in verse 6. He says, the time of my departure has come. And look at the past tense verbs he uses in verse 7, too. I have fought the good fight. I have run the race. I have kept the faith. See, I really don't think that Paul is reserving anything in the bank at this point. I don't think he sees future ministry for himself. And I know if you've been tracking.

7:30At YAGS, if you've been part of that study, you know that this is something that I've returned to time and time again. This is the tone of the whole letter. John Calvin notes, 2 Timothy is not written with ink as much as with Paul's own blood. So keep that in mind. But let me pivot for a minute and talk about a personal experience of mine. A few times up here, I've made some references to my previous job, which was as a hospital chaplain. Some of y'all know that. Some of y'all have learned that. I've been a hospital chaplain for about three years, and this was before I started teaching YAGs, so I recently stopped that in order to start teaching YAGs. Before that, I was at the hospital every day for about four hours a day, and I visited hundreds, maybe even thousands of patients throughout the years of being a hospital chaplain. And there's a lot that goes into chaplaincy, and it's not just visiting people on their deathbed. I want to make that clear. A lot of people have some misconceptions about chaplaincy. There's more to that. But part of chaplaincy was visiting people on their deathbed. And me, being the young, fresh-faced seminary student that I am, I had never really thought about death. I just hadn't really encountered it much. God had spared me from that to this point. So God used chaplaincy. In my life, to really grow me and train me and stretch me, to confront me with this idea of death, because people in front of me were dying. And I've talked to a lot of them. I've heard a lot of their swan songs. And tonight I want to share just a few of them with you. And I'm going to keep the details purposely vague, but these are all real conversations that I've had. And as I share them, I want you to ask yourself this question: What do these final words reveal about this person's belief in God? I'll say that again. What do these final words reveal about this person's belief in God? So, number one, a patient in his late 50s was admitted for chest pain. He was quickly diagnosed with heart failure with little hope of recovery. I visited this man twice in the hospital. The first time, he was playing a video game on his phone. He didn't talk very much. Second time, he was still playing a video game. But he put the phone down and we had a little conversation. He told me he struggles with relationships, in part because, in his words, he's no good at coping with pain. So he spends his time playing video games, smoking weed, and taking painkillers. He realized after his diagnosis that he actually cares a lot for his family, for his children. And at this point, in the conversation, Conversation, he started to tear up. But when he realized that he was crying, he quickly gathered himself. He said that crying was a sign of weakness, and he picked up his phone and returned to the game, not willing to talk anymore.

10:46Another patient I visited was in his 70s. He was a military guy, served in the special forces for most of his life, never married. And he wanted to talk at length about some of his experiences doing contract work for the military. His stories were very graphic, including a story about systematically wiping out gang members in a third world country, some of them young boys. He wasn't bragging about it. It's like he just wanted to tell somebody. Abruptly, he stopped his stories and looked at me. And he said, Chaplain, I don't believe in a God of justice after what I've seen. But if there is, I know I'm going straight to hell.

11:36Last story. There was another patient I talked to who was dying of stomach cancer. It had spread to multiple organs. She was probably not going to leave the hospital alive. And I knew this before I went to see her. I introduced myself. We had a bit of small talk. Then I asked her how she felt about her diagnosis. When I brought it up, she became visibly disturbed. She said, what diagnosis? Talking about is just going to leave the door open for the enemy. I'm not going to speak death into my life. After that, she told me to leave and refused to speak to me. So, put yourself in a chaplain's shoes for a minute. What would you say to these people?

12:29I'll tell you what you can't say. You can't say, it's okay, you'll be fine. You can't say those things because you can see, can't you, that these individuals have bought into some lies. You can see the coping mechanism that's coming out. You can see the fear and the grief in each of their stories. It's all in their swan song. And there's more stories like these, conversations I've had, and they all reveal the same thing. And this is a lesson I learned from my time as a chaplain. It's physical and existential suffering has a way of revealing someone's most fundamental belief about God.

13:18And this is especially true when they're dying. Because God can't be theoretical when you're about to meet Him, you're going to face Him. So, what you believe about God matters. Some people repent on their deathbed. I've seen it happen a couple of times, but it's not the norm. I know you have these stories like the thief on the cross, and praise the Lord when that happens. But for most unbelievers, they will rationalize their suffering, even on their deathbed. And they'll say something like this: If God is letting me suffer this way, then either God doesn't care, God isn't powerful, or God doesn't exist.

14:09And if that's your fundamental belief about God, then yeah, I agree. Death is terrifying. It's the most terrifying thing that I can imagine. So, before we jump back into the passage, can I just encourage everyone for just a brief moment to be urgently sharing the gospel with your friends and your family before they're on their deathbed? So, why do I share these stories? Well, I wanted to share these stories because I wanted to show a little bit of contrast with what we're reading in 2 Timothy here.

14:49You have a little bit of contrast with these stories and the Christian worldview, which is what we'll focus on for the rest of the night. Let's look at Paul's final words. Let's see what he... Believed about God. And that's the same question. As we read, be asking yourself, what do these words reveal about Paul's fundamental belief in God? So let's break this down. Let's take a look. Verse 6 says, What's a drink offering? Well, Numbers 15 describes a sacrificial system of offerings for the people of Israel. This is where Paul is getting this reference from. Now, in that system, there are several offerings that occur in succession. There's the animal offering, the grain offering, the oil, and the wine. The wine is the last one, and that's the drink offering. According to tradition, it's the last offering to be made, and it signals the finality of the ceremony. So I think Paul is comparing his final days to this offering. Remember, Jesus used a similar phrase when he was giving the bread and the wine at the Last Supper. He said, This is the cup of the covenant being poured out for you. So there's definitely a sense of finality there. There's also a sense of worship. Paul is laying down his life willingly for the sake of the gospel. Notice also the verb tense being used. Paul says, I am already being poured out. So it's passive, sorry, present, passive, indicative. So, what is presently going on with Paul? So, we turn to history now. In 2 Timothy, we know that Paul is in prison. And this isn't a relaxed house prison that we read about at the end of Acts. This is what some call a harsh imprisonment. So, this is the reign of Nero. This is when he started executing Christians. This is most likely akin to a dungeon. It's dark, it's dingy. There's suffering involved. So, there's physical suffering, but there's also emotional suffering that's going on. We read in 2 Timothy, we read at the beginning in chapter 1, that a lot of people that Paul counted on as his friends have deserted him. You get some name-drops there. You get Fagelus and Hermogenes as two people that have abandoned Paul. Later in the book, you get Demas, who is in another epistle, he's called out as being a close friend of Paul. But here, he has run far away, and we don't know why. Maybe because of the harsh imprisonment. But regardless, Paul is not just experiencing immense physical suffering here, he's being abandoned by his friends. Think about the toll that that would have on somebody.

17:45We read on in verse 6: And the time of my departure has come. So, here Paul cuts right to the chase with Timothy. He says, I'm not going to make it. This is it for me. That word departure is. An interesting choice because it's the same word in Philippians 1:23 where Paul says that he would rather depart than to be with Christ. And it's obviously a reference to leaving the world. There's no doubt about that. But there's a nuance in the Greek word. So this is a word that's used for untethering or untying something. So the mental image here is that of a ship, a great ship, casting off on a voyage. That's the word departure that Paul is using. It implies not the ending of something as much as a new beginning of something.

18:37Moving on in verse 7, Paul says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Again, notice the verb tenses. Here we're in the past tense now. Paul is reflecting over his ministry. He knows that his ministry is behind him. We already covered that. And to what does he compare his ministry? So we see that Paul revisits a couple of metaphors here. And he's already used these metaphors earlier in the epistle. So if I could, could y'all turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2? We're going to briefly look at verses 3 through 7. Should be just a couple of pages backwards.

19:252 Timothy 2, 3 through 7 says, Share in the suffering. As a good soldier of Christ Jesus. For no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding. So, chapter 2, we see Paul is encouraging Timothy to adopt the attitude of three people: a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. Okay?

20:07It's a bad joke in the making, but there it is. It's a helpful metaphor, even for us today, because we all have a context of what these people do. And we know what do all three of these occupations have in common? One, they require an extraordinary amount of endurance and discipline. All three of them. And two, they all require an extraordinary amount of hope. Think about it. For the soldier, there's the hope of victory. For the athlete, there's the hope of first place, right? For the farmer, the hope of a bountiful harvest. They've all got their sights set on something ahead.

20:51How many of y'all run cross-country? I'm looking at the youth, especially. I know a lot of y'all do. I see a few hands up in the air. I've got a question for y'all. Why? Why do you put yourself through that agony? It reminds me of what Matt was saying this morning about the mountain that he climbed. Just why? But I have a confession to make. I also ran cross-country back in the day. And I remember the agony.

21:30Particularly, I remember at the end of one of our cross-country seasons, each member of the team got a commemorative photo. It was a very nice gesture. One of the moms, I think, paid for it. And all it was was just an action shot of each of us kind of running mid-race. And so I remember getting that photo and just looking at it. This big blown-up photo of me running the race. And I looked like the living dead. I looked awful.

22:04My eyes were bulging. I was drenched in sweat. There was drool flying off my face. And I don't know where that photo is. It is long. It's been burned a hundred times over, I'm sure. But I remember that. And I remember looking at that photo and thinking, why do I do this to myself? And reflecting on that, I did think of an answer. I did cross-country because I like the feeling of finishing the race. I like looking back at either the time or the distance and thinking, yeah, I worked hard and I accomplished that. And if you run cross-country, I think you can relate to that. So I like the image of me on the podium, right? That's the image of glory, which, by the way, there's no picture like that.

22:59But that's the picture, not the picture of me in the middle of the race. You see, there's no glory in the run, there's glory at the finish line. So that's Paul's encouragement to Timothy. He's saying, hey, man, put yourself in the shoes of these people, of a soldier, of an athlete, of a hard-working farmer. And remember that you're going to have some rough days. It's going to be hard. You're going to want to quit. But guess what? Here's the view from the finish line. It's worth it. What an encouragement. Hebrews 12:1, it's a familiar verse. It says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings to us so closely. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Feel like giving up? Just look at the people who have made it. Look at the people who have fought the fight. Fight, who have finished the race, who have kept the faith, because they're cheering you on. Let's turn to our last verse, verse 8.

24:11Paul says, Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day. And I'll stop there. Again, look at the verb tense. We have a third verb tense here. It's the future. Paul is looking forward now. And what's Paul looking forward to? You have the answer there: a crown. A crown. So let's talk about this crown. Paul calls it the crown of righteousness, which is the only time that that phrase is used in Scripture. Now, we have other crowns in Scripture. Peter and James and John, they all use the phrase the crown of life, right? We see that in Revelation. And the crown of life seems to symbolize the reward for all Christians for enduring to the end, you know, for being a believer. You've won the crown of life. And that may be what Paul is talking about here. I think there are some good arguments for that. However, there is another view for this crown of righteousness. And that is the idea of a victory wreath, like the ones that they would hand out in the Greek Olympics. Now, the difference is that a victory wreath, this kind of crown, only goes to one specific participant. Usually the winner. And Paul refers to this type of crown in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. 1 Corinthians 9, 24, he says, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. So I know that might be parsing terms a little bit, but it's worth considering if we're trying to get into the mind of Paul when he's using this metaphor here. He says in 1 Corinthians, he says, of this wreath, run so that you may obtain it. So it's not so much the emphasis of if you're running, it's about how you're running. And I tend to lean towards that interpretation of 2 Timothy 4:8, particularly of this crown of righteousness. I think that it's a victory wreath that Paul has in mind. It's not just about getting into heaven, but it's about specifically being faithful to the specific task that God has given you. And here's why I lean towards this interpretation. Paul says that this crown is laid up in heaven. And the word laid up. Up that Paul is using is the term for guarding, safekeeping. It's like Paul knows that this crown has his name on it when he gets there. But secondly, I think this is the stronger argument, look at how Paul describes the one who is giving out the crown. He says, the Lord, the righteous judge. Now, think for a minute. Paul could have identified the Lord with any number of adjectives, right? But he chooses the righteous judge. Why do you think he does that?

27:36Think of the last time your sports team was on the receiving end of a bad call made by a referee, okay? Now, that is an example of an unrighteous judge. Christ, he's not unrighteous. He calls it like it is. And Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 2 that an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. So the judge exists to make sure that the rules are being followed. There is no crown without a righteous judge. Paul has fought the good fight. He has finished the race. He has kept the faith. The reward is no mere participation trophy. It corresponds to the suffering and the endurance and the discipline that Paul has gone through, even what he's currently going through in prison. And the judge who sees all and rewards all. He's not missing a beat. And what an encouragement that is for young Timothy. And what encouragement that is for us. God sees your suffering. And he's waiting at the finish line. Don't give up.

28:48The last part of verse 8 says, And not only to me, but to all who have loved, excuse me, all who love his appearing. So we have here this day, right, that Paul refers to. This day of appearing. He talks about the crown that's awarded on this day. So some people will ask, what is this day? What day is Paul talking about? Is it the resurrection day? Is it Jesus' second coming? Is it the day that we die?

29:22And we're not going to go into that debate today. But let me just say that there is a consensus. And that consensus is on one basic principle: and that on this day, there is a reckoning. In other words, this day that Paul is referring to is a day when Paul's stewardship comes to an end and an account is being made. So, real quickly, turn with me to Matthew 24, 45, just to read a little bit about this day of reckoning.

29:58It's Matthew 24, 45. All right. Jesus says, Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is the servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. You read a little bit down the page in chapter 25 that this is played out in a story, the parable of the talents. You see, the one who is faithful with five talents is given five more talents. When does this happen? On the day of the master's appearing. So for some, it's a day of reward. But in contrast, go back to chapter 24. We read of another servant. We read the wicked servant. This is the one who says, My master is delayed in his coming. And these servants, they beat their fellow servants, they eat and drink with drunkards. So for them, the day of appearance is not a day of reward, it's a day of dread.

31:17How many of y'all have read the Odyssey? A few of y'all? Okay. Well, if you're like me, you probably read it in grade school and then haven't thought about it since, right? So. I read it in eighth grade and did not think about it until it was offered to me as a free audiobook. And I remember, huh, I kind of like that book. Let me get it a listen. So I listened to it while I mowed the lawn. And funny enough, it fits in perfectly with what we're talking about here. So let me give you just the cliff notes. So the Odyssey is written by Homer. It's an ancient Greek text. But in it, the main character is a man named Odysseus. He leaves his homeland. He fights in the Battle of Troy. And once the battle is over, he starts his return journey home. But he is delayed. He's delayed tragically. There's a series of events that happens to him, and that's the Odyssey part. That's him trying to get home. But this occurs for something like 20 years. It takes him a long, long time. And meanwhile, the people in his hometown have no idea if Odysseus is alive or dead.

32:27And that's the uncertainty that drives the plot. You can divide the characters into two groups of people. You have those who believe that Odysseus is dead and will never return. And you have those who believe that Odysseus is alive and will yet return. And the ones who think that Odysseus is dead, they live accordingly. They plunder his house. They seduce his wife. They plot to kill his son so that they can have the inheritance. But there are some who are faithful to Odysseus.

33:00And these people watch and wait and pray for Odysseus' return. Y'all might see where this is going. The story ends. Odysseus finally comes home. This is the last act of the book. And when he comes, he sets everything straight. So, for some, the day of his return was a day of joy and salvation, but for the others, it was Judgment Day. And you can read the book to see what happens. But that's what it means to be part of those who love his appearing. A day will come, and it might be your last day on earth, or it might be the last day on earth, but either way, a day will come when the master returns to the house. Have you lived your life in such a way that honors the master? If so, you've got waiting for you the same thing that Paul has, the crown of righteousness, and what a glorious day that's going to be.

34:06So that brings me back to the hospital. I read at the beginning some stories of people who were at the end of their race and they were filled with dread. These were people who were terrified to see God, terrified of the day of appearing. But those weren't the only people I met at the hospital as a chaplain. To share three more stories with you, and like the others, these are real conversations that I had with people who are looking eternity in the face. I want you to note some of the differences here. My first story: I met a patient with an advanced lung condition that would likely take his life.

34:49As I listened to him breathe, I could tell that every breath was a battle. So, I decided not to ask him many questions. I didn't want him to feel like he had to speak. But he signaled me over to his bed like he wanted to tell me something. So, I leaned in close. So, through labored breaths, he mustered his strength to deliver one clear message. He told me, Chaplain, I want to use the rest of my life to tell everybody that God is a loving God and He has shown me great mercy.

35:27Another patient, her husband died on the same week that she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The hospital released her for five days to bury her husband, and then she was required to come back for surgery and treatment. In walking into this situation, I expected her, frankly, to be in shambles. But when I walked into the room, she immediately greeted me and hugged me, genuinely excited to see another believer. She raised me. The fruit of the Spirit, joy, peace, kindness, self-control, not a single ounce of self-pity. When I asked her how she was coping, she smiled and she said, I have given my will to the Father. All I can do is go where he sends me.

36:19The last story. The patient was a 79-year-old man, and he was dying, likely not going to leave the hospital. And when I knocked on his door, he was asleep on the bed, but his wife was on the visitor's couch. And we got to talking. She told me that she is praising God because God is using this trial in my life for his glory, is what she told me. As I talked to this woman, I came to find out that she was well acquainted with trial. Their only daughter died in a plane crash several years earlier. She was a believer. And since then, her mom and her dad have used their daughter's testimony to lead over 400 people to Christ.

37:10And there she was, giving glory to God for the 73 years of ministry that she got to do side by side with her husband. Charles Spurgeon said, It's a grand thing to see a man dying. so full of life. That was part of the blessing of working as a chaplain was that I got to see Christians look eternity in the face with confidence and hope and assurance and praise. If you've never gotten that chance, then man, pick up some stories. I mean, if you have, you know just how much of a boost that can be for your own faith. I left those rooms rejoicing.

38:07And I think that's the point of Paul's message to Timothy here. You might be saying to yourself, man, John sure is talking about death a lot. This sure is depressing. But that's just the opposite. These words are here to encourage Timothy, to spur Timothy onward. How can this be? I mean, this is countercultural. It's because death has no power over Paul and Timothy. And that's not just Paul and Timothy. Death has no power for all who love Christ's appearing. My friends, this is the practical power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because when you believe in the resurrection, truly believe, it will shape your life in two ways. Ways. One, the resurrection means that Christians, we fight on the side of life. And two, it means that Christians, we don't have to be afraid of death.

39:14We fight for life, but we aren't afraid of death. If we have been raised with Christ, then death has no dominion over us. Death has lost its sting. Do you believe this? So, in light of the resurrection, my final encouragement to you is this: run the race that is set before you so that you might obtain the prize, especially in seasons of suffering. Runners know that when you get to the third lap in a mile, that's when you really start to feel the burn. You might be in that lap right now. Keep running. It's worth it. Secondly, we read about Christians who have finished the race before you. Read their swan songs. Be inspired by them. Talk to men and women who are believers at the end of their life. It's okay to be inspired by them. It's a wonderful experience. And lastly, and most importantly, carefully consider your belief in God before you're laying on your deathbed. Do you really believe in a God who has conquered death?

40:30I don't know who chose the hymn this evening, but it comes from 2 Timothy when Paul says, For I know in whom I have believed and persuaded that he is able to keep that which was entrusted until that day. That's 2 Timothy. That is Paul's swan song. He knows the God that he believes in. He knows his true character. What a blessing. Is that you? Are you excited for the day of Christ's return? If your answers to these questions concern you, then you can change that. Today, don't wait.

41:12I'll close on Hebrews 12:1 through 2, which I read before, but it bears repeating. This is what I want ringing in your ears as we leave tonight. Hebrews 12, 1 through 2 says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight in sin which clings so closely, and let us run. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising his shame, and is alive today, seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

41:59My friends, this is the first time. This is the gospel. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for the truth of your word. Thank you for how it has impacted us. Many of us here, Father, Lord, who have believed in the resurrection, Father, and how that can provide such assurance, even in the face of death. Lord, I pray that that would be true for everyone here, Lord. If there are those who that's just a strange paradigm, Lord, they don't know what that feels like. Lord, I pray that they would repent, Lord, that you would reach out to them, Father, save them.

42:44Lord, I pray that we would all finish the race like Paul with the assurance that we have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, we have kept the faith. Thank you that you are laying up for us a crown of righteousness. In your name we pray these things. Amen. All right.