LIFE LESSONS
PAUL – PART III: L’CHAIM
DR. JIM DIXON
2 TIMOTHY 3:10-4:8
JULY 31, 2005
L’Chaim! Those are the words the Apostle Paul would use to toast us were he here today. Those are the words he would use to greet us were he here today. The Hebrew words “l’chaim mean “to life, to the sum of life, to a long life, to a healthy life, to a good life.” L’chaim! But the word L’Chaim or as it is sometimes transliterated, “Chaim,” that word had a special meaning to the Apostle Paul. It’s corresponding Greek word, “zoe,” also had a special meaning to the Apostle Paul because, for the Apostle Paul, life referred to the godly life, Chaim referred to the godly life. Zoe referred to the godly life. So Paul would wish us a godly life. L’chaim, “to zoe,” to a godly life.
Paul wrote to Timothy and he reminded him that he was called to live a godly life. He reminded Timothy that all who desired to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted but seek a godly life anyway. As Paul was at the end of his life, as he was writing this to Timothy, he reflected on his own life and he was confident that he had lived the godly life.
Now, this morning as we look at the Apostle Paul, we look at what it means to live a godly life. Paul really has three charges to us, three charges for the people of God, three charges for Timothy. You’ve seen them before but we want to look at them in a very fresh and new way today. First of all, Paul tells us, “If you would live a godly life, you must fight the good fight.” You must fight the good fight if you would live a godly life.
About 1,200 years before Christ, Joshua led the people of Israel to the banks of the Jordan River. Joshua crossed over the Jordan and it was a moment of commitment. There was no turning back. They had entered the Promised Land and they would have to fight to conquer it. About the year 334 BC, Alexander the Great came to the banks of the Hellespont, the ancient name for the Dardanelles, the body of water that connects the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea. Alexander the Great came with an army of 35,000 men as he approached the banks of the Hellespont, and he crossed over. It was a moment of commitment. There was no turning back. The siege, the conquest of Asia, had begun.
In 49 BC, on January 10, 49 BC, on that day Julius Caesar brought his armies to the banks of the Rubicon. He crossed over. It was a moment of commitment. There was no turning back. They had begun the march on Rome and the Republic would be transformed into an Empire. The world would not be the same.
Around 30 AD, Jesus Christ led His twelve disciples and a large group of His followers down the Mount of Olives towards the Holy City of Jerusalem. On that day, He made His triumphal entry and it was a moment of commitment. There was no turning back. For this He was born. For this He had come into the world. He would be tried by Jewish and Roman leaders and He would be crucified. He would give His life for the sin of the world.
Around the year 49 AD, the Apostle Paul came to Alexandria Troas on the shores of the Aegean Sea near the ancient city of Troy. Paul, as he was in Alexandria Troas, had a vision from God and Christ spoke to him. Christ commanded him to cross over and so he crossed over the Aegean Sea. It was a moment of commitment. There was no turning back. He was taking the Gospel to the Continent of Europe. In Europe he would be beaten. In Europe he would be tortured and ultimately in Europe he would die.
In the year 1517, Martin Luther stood outside the church door at Wittenberg and he nailed his 95 theses to that church door and it was a moment of commitment. There was no turning back. The Protestant Reformation had begun.
On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces, under the leadership of Dwight David Eisenhower, came to the shores of Normandy Beach. They had crossed the English Channel in Operation Overlord. Now, they would on this day storm the beaches of Normandy. It was a moment of commitment. There was no turning back. It would change the tide of the war. It would change the course of history. As you look back on history, you see many points in time that were moments of commitment from which there could be no turning back.
So how about you? How about your life? As you look back on your life, what were the moments of commitment from which there was no turning back? If you’re a Christian, if you take the name of Jesus Christ, if you call yourself a follower of Christ, the moment you embraced Him as Savior and Lord, that was a moment of commitment from which there is no turning back. When you were baptized and you went under that water, a moment of commitment from which there is no turning back. This is the commitment that you would fight the good fight. That is the commitment. You’ll fight the good fight. Until you draw your last breath, you will fight the good fight.
So Paul gives this charge to Timothy and to us. If we would live a godly life, we must fight the good fight. The word “kalos,” the Greek word for “good,” Paul uses it in reference to ministry. To fight the good fight means to engage in ministry. That’s what Paul is talking about contextually. It is very clear. Everything he say to Timothy is all about ministry. Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. As for me, I’m already at the point of being sacrificed. The time of my departure has come. It’s all about ministry. “I have fought the good fight. Now you fight the good fight.” It’s about ministry.
So, how are you doing? How ARE you doing? Are you fighting the good fight? Have you entered into Christian ministry? For 8-1/2 years I served on the staff at Faith Presbyterian Church in Aurora. Every Sunday in our bulletin it said, “Ministers: All the members.” Would that that were true. Would that all the members entered into ministry. This is the call of Christ upon His people. If you live a godly life you must enter into ministry.
I love the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, in that famous passage. Paul says, “Is anyone a minister? Is anyone a servant of Jesus Christ? I serve him more. I minister more but I am speaking like a fool and yet I’ve had far greater labors with far more imprisonments, with countless beatings and oftentimes near death. Five times I received, at the hands of the Jews, the 40 lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day adrift at sea. On frequent journeys I was in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren and toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night in hunger and thirst, oftentimes without food and cold and exposure. In addition to this I had the daily pressures of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is made to fall and I’m not indignant?” Paul is talking about ministry and what it meant to be in the ministry in the 1st century AD.
Of course, today the ministry is not so tough. You don’t have to worry about being beaten or flogged or incarcerated because you teach Sunday school. I marvel though… I just marvel at how many Christians in the church of Christ today fail to enter into ministry. How can that be if you would live a godly life in Christ Jesus? You must fight the good fight which means you must enter into ministry. So we give you this opportunity and we lay it constantly before you.
The second life lesson this morning is “Finish the race.” If you live a godly life, you’re going to have to finish the race. You want to finish strong. That’s what Paul says a godly life consists of—perseverance.
In the 3rd century before Christ, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, was King of the Ptolemaic Empire. He was the King of Egypt. He issued a decree. He issued a decree that the Hebrew Torah should be translated into his language. Now, that Torah at that time was the first five books of what we would call the Old Testament, the Pentateuch. He wanted it all translated from Hebrew into Greek because Greek was the language of the Ptolemaic Empire and the Ptolemaic Empire had been founded by one of the four generals who served Alexander the Great.
And so, by the command of Ptolemy II, 72 Hebrew scholars were brought from Israel to Egypt. They were brought to Egypt to translate the Torah from Hebrew to Greek. These 72 Hebrew scholars were Hellenized. They knew the Greek language as well as the Hebrew language. And so, Ptolemy II placed them on an island near the city of Alexandria. He placed them on the island of Pharos. Of course, on that island stood the great lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. On that island, those 72 Hebrew scholars translated the Hebrew Torah into Greek. It took them 70 days, so when they were finished, their translated Torah was called the Septuagint which means, “70.” Sometimes it’s called the LXX, Roman Numerals, again, meaning 70. So it took them 70.days to render it from Hebrew to Greek. Ultimately the whole Old Testament was rendered from Hebrew to Greek and it was all called the Septuagint.
The Septuagint was powerfully influential on the New Testament writers. The New Testament writers quote the Old Testament 350 times and over 300 of those times they don’t quote the Hebrew Old Testament, they quote the Septuagint. They quote the Greek Old Testament. Of course, the Septuagint helps us understand Hebrew better and even Greek better. Because of the Septuagint, both languages are enriched.
Now, we look at the Old Testament. We look at the Hebrew Old Testament and God says to His people, “I am Orek Apayim” and God says to His people, “I am “Orek Ruah.” Those words mean, “long of nose” and “long of breath.” God says, “I want you to be Orek Apayim and I want you to be Orek Ruah. I want you to be long of nose. I want you to be long of breath. That’s what God says again and again in the Old Testament. And what’s it all about? What does it mean? Well, thank God for the Septuagint because the Septuagint helps us understand the meaning of the old Hebrew. So these 72 Hebrew scholars that came from Israel rendered Orek Apayim by the Greek word makrothumia, “to be long of nose.” It means, “to be long-suffering.” They rendered Orek Ruah, “long of breath,” by the Greek word hupomone which means, “patient endurance.”
We know that God is saying to His people, “I am long of nose and long of breath. I am long-suffering and I have patient endurance and I want you to be long-suffering and I want you to have patient endurance.” In fact when you come to the New Testament, again and again we see makrothumia and we see hupomone. We see these words for perseverance. It’s precious to God. God wants His people to persevere. He wants you to persevere. He doesn’t want anything you’re suffering to keep you from your focus. He wants you to endure. He wants you to persevere to the very end. He wants you to finish the race. The Christian life is not a sprint. The Christian life is a marathon, so finish the race.
That’s what Paul said to Timothy. “Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed.” The Greek is in a tense that means, “Finish the race.” That’s what Paul is saying to Timothy. Of course, Jesus spoke to the Church at Smyrna, and he said, “Be faithful unto death,” which means, “finish the race.” Jesus addressed the Church at Thyatira. He said, “Hold fast to what you have until I come” which means, “finish the race.” Jesus spoke to the Church at Philadelphia and He said, “Because you’ve kept My word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world.” But again, He was charging them to finish the race and complimenting them because of their perseverance.
Of course, Paul persevered. He was faithful unto death. The year was 65 AD when Paul died in Rome on the Appian Way. By the order of the Roman Nero, Paul was beheaded. Paul claimed the Lex Valeria for the last time. Perhaps for the last time he said, “Civis Romanus sum,” “I am a Roman citizen.” And so they beheaded him because no Roman citizen would die a long or suffering death. No Roman citizen could be crucified. Peter was crucified, you understand. Paul was not crucified because he was a Roman citizen so they had to kill him quickly and with a minimum amount of suffering. I don’t know whether beheading is painless but it’s quick. But Paul was faithful unto death and he died because he was serving a higher kingdom and a higher citizenship. He was faithful unto Christ, faithful unto death. If you would live a godly life, you must do the same. If I would live a godly live, I must do the same. Be faithful unto death.
And finally, keep the faith. If we would live a godly life, we must keep the faith. Fight the good fight. Finish the race and keep the faith. The word for keep is the Greek word “tereo.” This word tereo can mean, “to obey.” To keep the commandments means, “to obey the commandments.” This word tereo can also mean, “to safeguard,” “to protect,” “to preserve.” And so Bible scholars acknowledge that when Paul says, “Keep the faith,” Paul means, “Obey the faith,” but he also means, “safeguard the faith, preserve the faith, protect the faith.” Paul is talking about moral purity and doctrinal orthodoxy. And so Bible scholars are agreed that Paul is saying, “Submit to the scriptures. Obey the scriptures.” He is also saying, “Safeguard the scriptures. Preserve the scriptures and protect the scriptures.” That’s why, in this same context, Paul tells Timothy, “All scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the person in God might be complete and equipped for every good work.” Submit to the scriptures. Safeguard the scriptures.
Now today you all have Bibles. We all do. You probably have a Bible in your bedroom, maybe one in the living room on the coffee table, maybe you have a Bible in your car, you have a Bible at work. Most of us have many Bibles. Did you know that for 1,500 years, Christians did not have a Bible? For 1,500 years, the average Christian did not have a Bible and church leaders wanted to keep it that way. Ecclesiastical authorities and church leaders did not want the average Christian to have a Bible. They thought if Bibles were everywhere and belonged to everyone that people would just begin to just take them for granted and ignore them. They honestly did. They also thought that if everyone had a Bible, they would distort the scriptures. They would corrupt its theology, its doctrine and its teaching. They would not understand and it would be theological doctrinal chaos so they did not want the average Christian to have a Bible is his or her own language. All Bibles for the first 1500 years of the Church were written only in Greek, Hebrew or Latin once the Latin Vulgate Bible was given to the Christian world. So Greek, Hebrew or Latin. That meant that Bibles could only be read by the scholars and by the clergy and that’s the way they wanted it.
In the year 1380, there came a man named John Wycliffe. Of course, today the Wycliffe Bible Translators take their name from his name. John Wycliffe was brilliant. He graduated from Oxford University with a Doctor of Theology Degree. He was a master in Latin. He translated the Latin Bible into English for the very first time in the year 1380. He didn’t know Greek and he didn’t know Hebrew so he did not translate his Bible from the original languages, but he did translate the Bible from Latin to English. It wasn’t quite as accurate, but that was the year 1380. The church authorities condemned him and they were mad at him. They were not very afraid. They were not that concerned because Gutenberg hadn’t come along yet, and they could not mass produce books. They could not mass produce Bibles. They knew that he really wouldn’t be able to get his English translation out to the masses. So John Wycliffe commanded that a few Bibles be inscribed faithfully. It took a long time and then people were sent throughout the English countryside to read the Bible in English to every day Christians. The authorities were enraged.
John Wycliffe died and two decades later they condemned him in a court. After his death they pronounced him a heretic because he had translated the Bible to English, corrupting the Christian masses. They dug up his body. They burned it to ashes and threw the ashes in the River Swift. It’s a fact of history, incomprehensible.
In the year 1493, there came along a man named William Tyndale and of course today the Tyndale Publishing House and the Tyndale Commentaries take their name from his name. William Tyndale came along in 1493. He was brilliant, incredibly brilliant. He graduated from Oxford as well. He was a master linguistically. He knew Greek and he knew Hebrew and he knew Latin. He was a genius.
I remember when I was in theology school I had one professor who spoke 26 languages fluently, a professor who had written text books in seven different languages. That’s what William Tyndale was like. He was brilliant like that, a genius, off the charts.
So William Tyndale came along and he decided to translate the Bible for the very first time into English from the original Greek and Hebrew. Of course, the church authorities in England and in Rome came against him and ultimately King Henry VIII came against him because he was, at that point in time, a puppet of the church. He came against William Tyndale and William Tyndale fled England. He fled to Germany. Of course, the year was 1525 when Tyndale began to mass produce English versions of the Bible in Germany and smuggled them back to England. Of course, Gutenberg had invented his printing press and so Tyndale mass produced them and sent 15,000 Bible into England in one year. The English could not stop it. The authorities could not.
Of course, simultaneously Martin Luther was translating the Bible into German so every day German Christians could have a Bible and read it.
They apprehended William Tyndale. They incarcerated him in Brussels, Belgium. He was tried and convicted for heresy, and he was burned at the stake. His final words were, “God, change the heart of King Henry VIII” and God did change the heart of King Henry VIII. It was King Henry VIII who issued a decree that the Bible would be translated into English for all English citizens.
In 1604 King James I of England came out with the King James Version of the Bible. Did you know the King James Version of the Bible—90% of that translation is based on the work of William Tyndale. Incredible.
Of course, it’s just history and it seems so far away. So we’re sitting here today and we’ve all got our Bibles. Were church authorities right as we look back at history? Were they right or wrong? Does having so many Bibles available to everyone make us take it for granted? Do we just kind of take it for granted? Do we corrupt the teachings of the Bible? Do we corrupt its theology? Were they right? Or do we submit to the Bible, “tereo,” “Do we keep it? Do we protect and preserve and safeguard the scriptures?” In a culture where it’s increasingly hard and the Bible is not politically correct, do we keep the faith? In a culture where Judeo-Christian values are eroding and no one seems to live by the Word of God, do we keep the faith? Would you live a godly life? If you would, you must fight the good fight which means entering into ministry. When you accepted Christ, it was a moment of commitment, a point of no return. No turning back. You’ve been called to ministry. You must finish the race if you would live a godly life. Perseverance. You must be long of nose and long of breath, and of course you must keep the faith, submitting and preserving the Word of God itself, submitting to and preserving the Holy Scripture. Let’s look to the Lord with a word of prayer.