Author: Gary Witcher
Company: none

Last Will
2 Timothy 2:1-13 (hymn in 2 Timothy 2:11-13)
Focus:	Christians should be diligent to be faithful men and women..
Function: To encourage my audience to develop the characteristics of Christian soldiers, farmers and athletes.
The mood of the text is one of somber instruction as Paul prepares Timothy to take his place and carry on his work.
	The text begins in the first verses of the chapter with language that reflects a Roman will.  Paul presents himself throughout 1 and 2 Timothy as a paterfamilias.  Verse two of this passage indicates Timothy as the heres of the will.  He is not just the recipient.  He is the one who is responsible to see that everything is distributed properly.  The text then moves to three metaphors for Christian lifestyle.  The exact point of contact for each metaphor is indicated in the hymn in verses 11-13.

I did a research paper about this passage for Hermeneutics.  It is a very interesting text.

(introduction) - Willie Nelson made one of the most famous recordings of a song called, “Life’s Railway to Heaven.”  When my 105-year-old grandmother died, we learned that this was one of her favorite songs.  
(body) – Faithful Christian men and women should be soldiers, farmers and athletes.
1) The soldier on active duty lives only for his assignment and is prepared to die in carrying it out.
2) The athlete knows how to compete by the rules (faithfully).
3) The farmer knows how to persevere (endure).  He understands delayed gratification.
	Paul tells Timothy in verse 7 to consider what he is saying.  The Lord will give him understanding in everything.  Then Paul turns to Jesus as the example of what he is saying.  The message is driven home in the hymn.
1) If we die with Him, we shall live with Him (soldier).
2) If we endure with Him, we shall reign with Him (farmer).
3) (If we deny Him, He will also deny us.)
4) If we are faithless, He remains faithful (athlete).
(close) - We found printed music of “Life’s Railway to Heaven,” but we wanted to hear how it sounded when it was sung.  My mother called her cousin, a man who had spent a lot of time in their home after the death of his mother and who thought of my grandmother as the mother he would have liked to have had.  The cousin is a good friend of a well-known singer.  The singer used to be a Bible school teacher.  When the leaders in his congregation discovered that he was singing in bars, they told him he would have to make a decision.  He was an influence on the children he taught.  He would have to choose singing or teaching Bible school.