The Times They Were A-Changin’

It is was arguably the most momentous occasion since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The apostle Paul,  the principal figure in the world-changing spread of the Christian gospel throughout the Roman empire, was about to pass off the scene.  In chains in a Roman dungeon, his fate had already been sealed by none less than Nero himself.  In his own words, “the time for my departure is near”.  These were his last words, and as someone has said, last words are lasting words.  As Paul passed the torch to his young associate and much loved son in the faith, Timothy.  Those were no small shoes to fill, this was no easy responsibility to assume, and these were no gentle times in which to assume them.  In the coming weeks we’ll sit beside Timothy to hear and to heed the final charge of the aging apostle, in words that are every bit as important to our day as the day they were first written.  This morning we will begin with an introduction and overview of this urgent and timely letter, in a message entitled, “The Times They Were A-Changin”.
(From an expositional series of messages on “In Times Like These: The Message of 2 Timothy”)