Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, (9) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, (10) but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel

The Apostle Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy while he (Paul) was a prisoner for his faith in Rome.  Paul knew he was about to die and this letter is essentially his last will and testament.

Under Nero, those who followed and believed in Christ Jesus were subject to criticism, ostracism, persecution, imprisonment and even death.  Paul is writing to Timothy asking him to not be ashamed of the gospel – not to suffer a lack of courage or fear humiliation or be kept by any circumstance from preaching the gospel Paul has taught him.  Paul reminds Timothy that salvation has been revealed to the human race by the historical appearance and completed works of our savior, Christ Jesus.  Christ has destroyed spiritual death through His death and resurrection.  Through faith in Christ we have inherited eternal life so Paul tells Timothy – and us – that we have nothing to fear, not even death.

Paul is saying that Timothy and by extension all believers – through faith in Jesus will have a better life – peace, joy, life eternal – but our problems may be much worse in this temporal life.  So Paul exhorts Timothy to embrace suffering for the gospel.  Paul use his own suffering as an example of one who has run the good race.  Remember, Paul is fully aware that his death for Christ is immanent.

I would like to end with a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge who said in a sermon at the University of Edinborough, 1968,

“So I come back to where I began to that other king, one Jesus, to the Christian notion that man’s efforts to make himself personally and collectively happy in earthly terms are doomed to failure  He must indeed, as Christ said, be born again, be a new man, or he’s nothing.  So at least I have concluded, having failed to find in past experiences, present dilemmas, and future expectations any alternative proposition.  As far as I am concerned, it is Christ or nothing.”

Amen.