2 Timothy 4 WHEN THE WORLD IS AGAINST YOU // INTRO I was reading for leisure this week, which is something I try to do more and more in my 50s And I happened upon one of my books in my office that I hadn’t opened in a very long time It was a compilation of poems, and the book had been given to me when I graduated high school (I’m fairly sure that’s the case, but in my defense, that was a LONG time ago, though NOT in a galaxy far, far away) Here it is, in all of it’s insightful glory… IF (Rudyard Kipling) If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’ If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son! This sentiment dovetails nicely with chapter 4 of 2nd Timothy insomuch as it is a kind of pep-talk from an older mentor to a younger man just beginning his race And while Kipling was pushing the young man to maximize his potential, Jesus is calling all of us to make the most of the Holy Spirit living in us as a result of our common salvation To put it plainly, in the life of the Spirit, there are some things that you and I can do and are called to that don’t merely apply to all mortals, but only the ones who put faith in Christ And so this is Paul’s encouragement and pep talk here at his end of life, knowing that he’s going to see Jesus soon So he takes the opportunity to give a solemn charge to his young protégé, Timothy // TEXT & EXPOSITION [1] I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. So here Paul is solemnly charging Timothy in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge those who are still living when He comes, as well as those who have already passed on Its like orders being given to a soldier to execute his or her duties But why would Paul do that? The answer is that every person who has ever lived will be judged, and there are more than just the one judgment Those who die in their sins will be judged accordingly, and end up in the Lake of Fire But those who have faith in Jesus will be judged first for being IN Christ (having received and embraced salvation) and then also judged for what they have done with the Gospel Hide it under a bushel? NO! I’m gonna let it shine!! Every single human being will be judged based on sin OR righteousness And all who have NOT come under the blood of the Lamb will be cast into Hell since they thought that their own goodness was enough to merit salvation The problem is that only Jesus lived a perfect life, therefore meriting that perfection That’s something no other human is capable of SO we have access to gain that positional perfection when we submit our lives to Jesus! And if you’ve never done that before, I would LOVE to talk with you! It would be my pleasure! I’ll pray and pay! Just tell me when and where! [3] For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. This is precisely where we are on the timeline today Just look around at the current iteration of the American Church There are still many good churches in our land, but they don’t get the notice or attention that they ought to receive And this is NOT to make much of self, but to make much of God We want the Churches of America and the World filled with people praising God for saving them, and filled with those who are kicking the tires on this Jesus-thing! But there are churches that are not good, not orthodox, not preaching the Gospel or God’s actual Word In fact, they do the opposite, and whether it is their aim or not, they lead people astray from the one true and living God When false teachers get their hooks in people, it is highly likely that those under their care will be led astray John 14:5–6 [5] Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” [6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is our TRUE NORTH, and the compass that leads us to our true Home! [5] As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. I’ve taken a lot of flack over the years because my heart is for people to come to know Jesus and so be saved I’ve never understood those in the Church who were frustrated or offended by what God has called us to do - namely to seek and save the lost Yes, contextually, Timothy is being told via Paul’s letter to him that he (Timothy) is to evangelize And yes, Timothy was a pastor of a local congregation in Ephesus But that does not excuse any of us from engaging in Christ’s Great Commission So be sober-minded - aware of the reality that is around you Endure suffering - even from those who are “in” the Church Do the work of an evangelist - never stop sharing the Gospel And fulfill your ministry Did you know that you have a ministry? If you’ve been born again, you most assuredly do You need to find out what it is and then engage in it, and grow And if you need help with that process, let me know, and I will be overjoyed to help you! [6] For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Paul knew his life was coming to an end, and he wanted to see Timothy one last time He knew he would executed for his beliefs But He also knew that he had given all that he had to give for the sake of the Gospel and to honor the Lord Jesus Christ Paul knew he was going to stand before God and give an account of his life, just like every one of us will My question for you this morning is, “Are you ready?” Are you ready to stand before King Jesus and give an account of your life? Have you fought the good fight of faith?? In that moment when you stand before Him, will you be filled with shame that you did not give your all to Him, or will you rejoice in His Presence Will you stand before Him and be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!”? I sincerely hope that you will! And additionally we are told here that there is a reward - the crown of righteousness And that comes later, when we’re with the Lord It can’t come now, because we would inevitably boast in it! That crown is tied to judgment - not punishment, but rewards, and especially the longing for Jesus’ appearing [9] Do your best to come to me soon. [10] For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. [11] Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. So Paul desperately wants to see Timothy, and also laments the loss of Demas In fact, it was Demas that had deserted Paul and gone on to THESSALONICA because he loved this present world more than he loved Jesus and the Lord’s way And we read that Cresens went to Galatia, and Titus went to Dalmatia And at this point, Paul knows that he is not long for this world He knows he’s going to be a martyr for Christ And yet, here he is managing things that will need looking after when he is gone That’s intentionality and care for the Body of Christ Would that more people who name the name of Jesus had that much intentionality and care for the local church Only Luke, the physician, stayed with Paul at this time, so he requests that Timothy bring John Mark along with him, because he was very useful to him [12] Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. [13] When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. He definitely needed the cloak in the cell he was in It was cold and likely dank, when the chill seeps in all around you and you can’t keep it out Paul likely dealt with sickness in that cell, and even (possibly) frostbite And all this over a difference of belief! And yet Paul embraced it all for the sake of the Gospel And it looks like Tychicus was the relief preacher while Timothy was going to see his mentor [14] Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. [15] Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. So a certain coppersmith by the name of Alexander did Paul much harm We don’t have the details, so we can only speculate as to how he harmed him And Paul left the discipline/retribution to the Lord It would be corrective if Alexander was a Believer (and we don’t think that he was) In such a case that this, there is only one holy recourse, which is to leave it in the Lord’s hands He knows how the get the most mileage out of situations like that one And Paul was warning Timothy here again about this man, urging Timothy, to be on his guard because this man vigorously (Paul’s words) opposed the preaching of the Gospel so that others might be saved [16] At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! [17] But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. [18] The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. At Paul’s first defense (before a procouncil or magistrate of the Roman Empire) no one supported Paul Instead, they all ran away and deserted him And even given all of that, Paul requests that this not be held against any of the local believers who should have stood up for the Truth The Lord stood with Paul and gave him strength through this situation The result was a bold proclamation of the Gospel in all it’s fullness, so that the Gentiles might hear it and believe the Word of God And in this context, Paul says he was “rescued from the lions’ mouths That could be metaphorical, pertaining to the Romans, but more likely is literal, since they did toss their opposition to the lions in the arena And that sound so heinous and unjust to our 21st Century American ears, but Jesus never promised any Christian that they would not experience hardship, imprisonment, or even death in this life That kind of thinking is more akin to the health and wealth “gospel” And we read that “The Lord stood by Paul” That’s what you want when the proverbial waste makes contact with the oscillating blades that cool the room But also it is also true that the Lord will, at some time in the near future, do what He has promised to us in His Word, namely rescue us from from every evil deed and bring us safely into His Kingdom And thus we shall be with the Lord forever! To Christ alone be the glory, Amen?? [19] Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. [20] Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. [21] Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. Paul asks Timothy to get Priscilla and Aquila (husband and wife theme that ministered together), along with those of the household of Onesiphorus Eratas stayed in Corinth, but Trophus stayed back in Miletus because he was sign Paul writes that he Timothy to make every effort to come to him before winter comes, as travel would become slower and more dangerous A brother in Christ named Eubulus sent his greetings, and also Pudens and Linus and Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters in Christ in that area [22] The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Paul ends with a wish for God’s grace to be upon Timothy, and all the saints in Ephesus // APPLICATION The take-away for us is, “Don’t give up!” What you do for Christ and by the Spirit is not in vain You and I don’t always get to see the impact of what we say or do in the Name of Christ, but we will when we are with Him 1 Corinthians 15:58 [58] Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. We should give our all to Jesus' agenda because our labor is not in vain in Him We do something and God does everything! God calls us to do something in this world He calls us to be active, abounding in good works (as I just read) But even as we abound, we have to recognize that we’re never doing as much as God does It’s true that “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain,” but it’s not true to say, “Unless those who labor build the house, the Lord builds in vain.” That would be heresy So Paul puts it in these words, “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10) So what I’m calling all of us to is the synergy of working together God doesn’t need our help, but He wants it God is building His Kingdom, and He’s more than capable, but He wants us to build alongside Him It's just like the days when I was 2 years old, toddling through the muddy rows of green bean at our house in Jonesboro, GA My dad hoed the rows, planted the seeds, cultivated the plants, protected them from insects and worms, and tended them until the beans were ready to be picked He included me because he loved me (and he loves me still) And so it is with our Great God! He wants us to till the fields with Him precisely because He wants relationship with us So when the drought comes or blight or mildew, don’t blame the Lord - we still live in fallen world When the harvest is eaten by the devouring locusts, don’t put that on the Lord - we live in a fallen world When family falls apart, that’s not his doing - it is the will of individuals and an unwillingness to see what is good instead of only seeing bad But the day is coming, and coming soon, when we will see Him face to face, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him And for those who have put their trust and faith in Him, He promises to wipe every tear from our eyes So endure hardship as a soldier of Jesus Christ! And keep looking up He’s coming quickly! // PRAY // SING // GO If the Apostle Paul can endure hardship in a rock-hewn prison, with beatings and all the other things he had to endure, don’t you think that we can stand up for Jesus? No one is waiting outside of this building to take your life because you profess faith in Jesus And if you told someone - anyone - about your faith in Him, the worst thing that might happen would be for them to curse at you or spit on you So why do we, who are NOT in mortal danger, shrink back in fear? It is not the fear of the Lord, my friends It is the fear of Man that makes us quake Pray that our Lord and Master sets us free from such restraints until we see Him face to face Emmaus Road Church, DO NOT COWER!!