2 Timothy 4:9-22
Final Words
Today
we come to the end of 2 Timothy – 17 studies began in April.
A) Today we are going to
look at Paul’s final words – Not just in this book – but his final recorded
words –
B) Break up this Final
section in this way:
The Request
The People
The Comfort
Read Verses
9-22
The
Request: V.9 Come quickly – v.21 come before winter.
A) The journey would take Timothy
4-6 months over land and sea—mostly land—by way of
B) Go thru
C) Paul called Timothy to
come before winter – because if he delayed – if he procrastinated …. He
wouldn’t make it.
1) Too hard to travel that
far in the winter and Paul would have been dead.
Procrastination
destroys many good intentions.
A)
Some things must be done “before winter” or they will not be done at all.
B)
There are doors of opportunity that open before us today, but if we do not take
advantage of them, they will be forever
shut.
Examples:
A) More marriages die
because of slow neglect than from deliberate desertion.
B) Things essential and
basic are neglected every day
We mean to say a word of
encouragement, but we never get around to it.
C) We mean to write a
letter, or make a call but it never gets done.
1)
We mean to share Christ with a neighbor,
2)
We intend to get serious in our Christian faith.
D)
We hope to pray more, we want to read the Bible.
We
have great dreams and high ideals, but time and neglect and the cares of life
sap our strength & divert us until the day comes when our resolve is gone.
A) Our marriage has grown cold,
our children have left home, our spiritual life has grown dull.
B) Come before winter! The
whole idea here is there was an urgency to this request:
C) Same is true of us – Times when the Lord says Deal with this and do it now!
The Bible says: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or
tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business
and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is
your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:13-14).
A) That’s all we are, just a
vapor, a mist, we’re dust in the wind, like the grass of the field that is here
today and gone tomorrow.
B) What is Christ calling
you to take care of today?
1) Do it – don’t procrastinate
– you will be the better for it – Don’t miss the opportunity.
2nd
Request: Bring Mark – Great Story of 2nd Chance
A)
Mark was the cousin to Barnabas – he joined Paul and Barnabas on their 1st
missionary journey – mid way thru change of heart – went home
B) This bothered Paul – he looked at Mark as being a Flake
1)
When it came time for Barnabas and Paul to go out on their 2nd
missionary Journey – Barnabas – Son of encouragement - Mark a 2nd chance
C) But Paul was not into
that at all. The whole matter turned into a dispute between Paul & Barnabas
– that led to their splitting up.
1)
Paul went out with Silas and Barnabas went somewhere else with Mark
D) Mark
Proved himself with Barnabas and ended up ministering
with Peter who also was no stranger to failure ( Denial ) & Knew about 2nd
Chances
Now what is
really cool about Mark’s story is that his relationship w/ Paul also eventually
was restored
A) IN Philemon 24 Paul names
Mark among his fellow workers
B) And in 2 Tim 4:11 Paul tells Timothy to “pick up Mark and
bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”
C)
Paul told the Colossians that if Mark came to them, they were to obey his instructions and welcome him.
1)
They were not to shun him because of his previous failure.
Now If the story ended
there it would really be great, but it doesn’t.
A) Mark continued on in the ministry and was
used by the Spirit to do what only three other men in history were
called to do, write down an account of the life of Jesus, the Gospel of Mark.
B)
The great lesson of Mark’s life is that God heals & restores and He uses
those whom He does restore.
1)
His life was a testimony to God’s ability to use failures that God is the God
of the second chance, even in ministry.
C)
Maybe you have had some failures in life or in ministry – Mark’s life is a
testimony that you can be used again.
1)
God still has a place for you on His team –
3rd
Request: V.13 Bring my cloak – my
books – my Parchment
A)
It seems very likely that Paul was re-arrested by the Roman authorities in
B)
This happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that he had no time to return to the home of
Carpus, where he was staying, and gather his belongings.
C)
Paul was dragged off probably while Timothy looked on, the tears streaming down
his face, as Paul said in Chapter 1 of this letter,
"I remember your tears at our parting,"
Paul
wants Timothy to stop by
A)
The cloak was what we today would call a pancho, a circular garment with a hole
in the middle for the head,
B)
It was made of very warm, heavy wool garment that served as both coat and
blanket in cold weather.
C) Books probably refers to papyrus
scrolls, possibly of Old Testament books.
1)
Or Possibly copies of the Gospels-
Paul’s final days find his solace and comfort in the word of God –
D)Parchments were what Paul used to write his letters and thoughts on.
1)
Journal – write down – great way to open up the word
THE
PEOPLE: Highlight a few - 2 Bad
A)
First is Demas, who had been Paul's fellow worker, had forsaken him.
B)
With obvious pain & heartache, Paul gives the reason for this -- Demas was "in love with this present World"
C)
Departure was subtle Philemon he is called a fellow worker – Colossians, just
Demas
D)
Started over time – backsliding always does -
All
of us Know a Demas –
Forsaken
the Lord because they loved this present world
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world
or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the
world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does
the will of God abides forever.
Saw
a powerful illustration in our study on Wed nite: Those who love the World – will serve the
world –
God
says: Let them distinguish it is a lot better to serve me! People serving sin
are miserable – Old aged -
The
next problem person He mentions Verse 14 is Alexander the Coppersmith
A)
He did me much Harm!
B)
The word that is used for "did me harm," is the word that is
frequently used in Greek for an informer.
1)
Possibly the one who turned Paul over to the Romans as declaring - Paul to be an enemy of Ceaser
C)
And If this is the same Alexander who is mentioned in the first letter to Timothy
-- there he is linked with the name Hymenaeus, and of both of them the apostle
says, "I
have delivered them to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme"
–
D)
That would be the motive for Alexander's deliberate attempt to hurt the apostle
by betraying him to the Roman authorities.
E)
Timothy would be passing through there, so Paul warns him, "Watch out for Alexander; he'll do you in if he gets a
chance."
But notice
where the apostle rests his case: “May the Lord repay him for his deeds"
A)
Human side of Paul – watch out for this guy – and I hope the Lord takes care of
him.
B)
In Romans 12, reminding himself that the Lord has said, "Vengeance is
mine; I will repay," {Romans
The
People. the Blessings –
A)V.10 Crescens has gone to
B) Both of these had gone
out on missions.
V.12
Tychicus to
C) Dependable Luke.
1)
Personal Physician
2)
Biographer
D) Stuck with Paul thru
thick and thin – Imprisonment - Ship
wreck –
E)
He was with Paul during his first Prison term in
Luke
was a tough friend for tough times.
A) Luke was a true friend –
sacrificed his own comfort to stand by Paul -
B) Jonathan
with David.
C)
In V.19-21 We have some names we’ve seen
before. Priscilla
(or Prisca) and Aquila were the Jewish couple, tentmakers like
himself, whom Paul had met in
D) Every time they appear in
Scripture they have a church meeting in their home.
Paul
greets the family of Onesiphorus.
A)
We read about Onesiphorus in Ch.1 Paul mentioned that he came to
B)
To find him in Prison and Paul said of him – He refreshed me often. .
V.20
"Trophimus," Paul says, "I left ill at
A) Notice Paul didn’t say,
“Why are you still sick? Where’s your faith?”
B)
No, some were healed when Paul prayed for them; some weren’t. Trophimus was one
who wasn’t.
C)
This is a remarkable word, because if we are to believe many of the faith
healers of our day it is absolutely wrong for a Christian ever to be ill.
1) It is because of a lack of faith, they say.
D)
Paul was used many times to Pray for pp to be healed
But
not Trophimus
E)
Paul’s own thorn in the flesh!
I
wish the Lord healed everyone – Amy Diabetics
A) But he doesn’t always
B) Side note: Don’t make
excuses for God – Pray in faith –
1) If God chooses to not heal
someone – we can deal with the questions as to why later.
C)
Pray believing expecting – God to move and heal
1) Trophimus was one of the
ones like Paul that God chose not to heal
THE
COMFORT: Verses 17-18
But the Lord stood with me and strengthened
me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that
all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of
the lion. 18 And the Lord will deliver me
from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To
Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
A) When Paul was in Prison
in
B) No one in
C) The fact that no one
stood up for the apostle could have led to his immediate execution.
1)
But that did not happen because, as Paul says, "The Lord stood by
me."
D)
He is the One on whom you can always count. Heb 13:5 tells us that God has
promised, "I will never, never, ever, under any
conditions (there are six Greek negatives thrown in there) leave you nor forsake you,"
E)
The writer's response is, "What, then, can man do to me?" {cf,
Heb 13:6}.
This
too is Paul's experience. The presence of Jesus with him and beside him, Paul
says, accomplished two things:
A)
First, it "gave him strength to testify."
B)
Indication is that Paul had his voice before Nero – like he did before Aggrippa
– Paul Preached the gospel
1)
That is one sermon – I look forward to hearing replayed in Heaven
C) Second, Paul says,
"He delivered me from the lion's mouth."
Some
have read that to mean that Paul was afraid he was going to be thrown to the
lions in the Roman Coliseum.
Unlikely
since he was a Roman citizen
He
was facing death by beheading.
D) The "lion" here is very likely
a reference to Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 -
1)
Prowling – seeking who he can devour – sink teeth and claws into.
Paul
says – He didn’t get me!
A)
Reminds me of Shadrach M. / A. –
Our
God will deliver us! You can set us free or throw us into the fire but either
way – we will be delivered.
B)
Paul: I was delivered { Our God is a Deliver!
Final
salutation
The Lord be with your spirit.
A) That is the foundation of
life, the rock upon which all else must be built:
B) The union of our spirit
with the Lord's Spirit to make us new persons in Christ. { Born Again
C)
The daily supply that we need to encourage, strengthen and feed that union is
grace, the daily grace of our Lord. So Paul concludes,
Grace be with you. {2 Tim 4:22b RSV}
"Grace be with you" in these pressure-filled times when we, like
Timothy, are called to keep the faith in dark days, and to stand for the truth
amidst the pressures of life.
Paul began with Grace – He
ends with Grace – Grace was what sustained him for the time in between –
His
Grace in which I stand
His
Grace is sufficient
Are
you living in His Grace ? His Suffiency?
Paul
called on Timothy to come before Winter – Jesus calls us to come all who are weary
and heavy laden
He
gives More Grace – Maybe you are a Mark – get back in the game
Like Demas –
Stop your running, the world has nothing for you.
Come
back to His Grace !
Unbeliever
Christ stands at the door of
your heart
It
is Christ who calls to us. He speaks to us today.
He
stands and knocks at the door of your heart. Will you open the door and let Him
in? He says, “Come unto me. Come now. Don’t delay.
Don’t put it off.”
Jesus
said to Zaccheus, “Come down out of that sycamore
tree. I’m going to your house today.”
The
Bible says, “Behold, now is the day of salvation.”
The sweetest word and the most solemn word of salvation is the little word
“today.”
Today is the day of
salvation. Tomorrow may never come.