I want to begin my message this morning with a question.
If you knew how many days you had left to live,
and that number was about, let's say, six months,
how would you spend those days?
What would you do with those last six months of your life?
What would be most worth your time,
your attention, your effort?
This morning, as we look to the Word of God,
we've now come to the end of Paul's second letter to Timothy,
and we're about to see how Paul intends to spend the last months of his life.
And for Paul, his choices are somewhat limited,
because he's in a Roman prison.
So that really narrows the options down a lot for him.
But how will the Apostle use up what's left of his life?
Let me read the closing of this letter to you.
the last words that we have in our Bibles from the Apostle Paul
as he writes to Timothy saying,
this is chapter 4, verse 9.
He says,
Do your best to come to me quickly.
For Demas, because he loved this world,
has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.
Crescens has gone to Galatia,
and Titus to Dalmatia.
Only Luke is with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
because he's helpful to me in my ministry.
I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come,
bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas,
and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
Alexander, the metal worker,
did me a great deal of harm.
The Lord will repay him for what he has done.
You too should be on your guard against him,
because he strongly opposed our message.
At my first defense,
no one came to my support,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them.
But the Lord stood at my side
and gave me strength,
so that through me,
the message might be fully proclaimed,
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack
and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Greet Priscilla and Aquila
and the household of Onesiphorus.
Erastus stayed in Corinth,
and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.
Do your best to get here before winter.
Eubulus greets you,
and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia,
and all the brothers and sisters.
The Lord be with your spirit.
Grace be with you all.
The first thing that Paul does
as he closes his letter is this.
He urges Timothy to come to him quickly.
Paul knows that his days are numbered,
but he wants to see Timothy one more time.
And so he tells Timothy to make the journey
all the way to Rome,
where Paul is right now in jail,
and come quickly.
At the end of verse 21, Paul says,
do your best to get here before winter.
So think back over all that Paul
has charged Timothy to do in this letter
with the church, in the church, for the church.
And the first thing that he's to do, though,
before any of that is to pack his bag
and book passage on a ship to Rome
to meet with Paul.
Now, why does Paul want to see Timothy?
Is it just because he knows that he is soon to die
and wants to see a familiar face one last time?
Far from it.
As we're about to see,
Paul has a purpose in summoning Timothy.
He has a purpose that goes way beyond
his own comfort at the end of his life.
He says,
Do your best to come to me quickly,
for Demas, because he loved this world,
has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.
Crescens has gone to Galatia
and Titus to Dalmatia.
Only Luke is with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you
because he's helpful to me in my ministry.
I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come,
bring the cloak that I left with Carpus
at Troas and my scrolls,
especially the parchments.
So why does Paul want Timothy to come?
For or because Demas has deserted him
and the rest of his co-workers
in the cause of the gospel
have been sent out to all these different places
so that the only person with Paul
at the moment right now is Luke.
What is Paul doing
as he sits in this jail cell?
As he awaits execution in Rome?
Amazingly, he's not sitting there
feeling sorry for himself
in a dejected stupor
just waiting to die.
Rather, he is actively coordinating
the spread of the gospel,
building up of the churches
all over the Mediterranean world
from his jail cell.
He is continuing to proclaim
the words of Jesus as an apostle.
He is continuing to shepherd
the churches all over the Gentile world
from his prison cell.
And how is he doing this?
He's doing this through other people
and through parchments.
Let's talk about these people.
The sense that we get here
is that people are going back and forth
to and from Paul
from all over the place
to the region of Galatia.
That's up here, central Turkey.
Crescens has gone there.
To the region of Dalmatia,
that's kind of over here
across the Adriatic Sea.
Titus has gone there.
Titus was previously stationed
on the island of Crete right here.
Paul says,
I sent Tychicus to Ephesus
over here.
And that's where he's also calling Timothy
to come from
to where he is in Rome.
Paul's also keeping track
of some of the men
that he left in different places
on the way to Rome.
He talks about
Trophimus in Miletus,
which is kind of around there.
And he also talks
a little down further
in verse 20
about how he left
Erastus
in Corinth,
which is on the Greek peninsula here.
So Paul is actively coordinating
the spread of the gospel.
He's actively working
to build up churches
all around the Mediterranean world
through other people,
through men such as these
who are listed here.
Who are some of these people?
We might wonder.
Who's Demas?
Demas is mentioned
in two of Paul's other letters.
One of them is
Colossians 4.14.
And Demas,
we see there,
was with Paul
when Paul wrote
the letter to the church
at Colossae.
And he's mentioned
right alongside Luke,
Luke,
the dear friend
and doctor Luke,
the guy who wrote
the gospel of Luke.
Demas is also mentioned
in Paul's letter
to Philemon.
And there he's mentioned
right alongside
a bunch of other guys.
Luke is there again
and Mark
as a co-laborer,
a co-worker
of Paul's.
So Demas has been
working at Paul's side
with him
in the cause of Christ,
spreading the gospel,
strengthening the churches.
But now,
what does Paul say
about Demas here?
Demas,
because he loved
this world,
has deserted me.
This must have been
painful for Paul.
A dear friend,
a co-worker
in the cause of Christ
has abandoned me.
And Paul says
the reason is
because he loved
this world.
Right now,
Paul's being looked at,
treated as a criminal.
He's suffering persecution
and it seems,
it would seem,
Demas is not willing
to suffer with Paul
and begins to distance
himself from Paul.
And Paul identifies
the problem here.
He says
that it's a heart issue.
He loves
this world.
And Paul doesn't really
flesh that out anymore,
but it seems clear
the way he says it,
that this is a bad thing.
This is perhaps
a misplaced love.
Perhaps it's a desire
to be approved
by the people around him.
A love for their approval.
Or perhaps it's a love
just for the life
that he could have
in the world
so long as he's not
locked up in a jail cell
with Paul.
Whatever the case,
it seems that it's a matter
of where his allegiance
and his loyalty lies.
Paul says,
he's abandoned me
because it lies
in the wrong place.
He has loved this world.
How painful it must have been
to just watch Demas
turn and walk away.
So Timothy,
come quickly,
for he has abandoned me.
I was counting on him,
this is maybe implied,
I was counting on Demas
for some important work
in this stuff
that we've got going
in the cause of Christ,
but since he's left
and no one else is with me
but Luke,
I need you to come.
Now we may wonder
at this point,
does this mean that Demas
has lost his salvation?
Or does this mean
that he was just a pretender
all along?
What's going to be
the end of the story
for Demas?
Is he a Christian
that just blew it here
and gave into fear?
Or is he one of those
who fall away
when persecution comes
because the gospel
never took root deeply
in his heart?
But it doesn't say here
or anywhere else
in the Bible
how Demas' story ends.
Is he like Judas
who walked with Jesus
three years
and then betrayed Jesus
at the moment
of greatest persecution?
Or is he like Peter
and the other eleven
who walked with Jesus
and then fled
in the garden
and in Peter's case
denied the Lord
when things got tough
but then
was later restored?
We don't know.
All we know
is that a dear friend
and co-worker of Paul's
has deserted him
and there's a deep
spiritual problem
of the heart
at the root.
But
all is not despair
and betrayal here.
Demas is one
who has deserted Paul
but there's another man
mentioned here
who stands in stark
contrast to Demas.
Mark.
Paul says
get Mark
and bring him
with you
because he is helpful
to me
in my ministry.
This is a beautiful
statement
because
who was Mark?
Mark was the guy
who years earlier
was one of Paul's
co-workers
on one of his
missionary journeys
but then deserted
Paul
and did not finish
the trip.
This is what we read
about Mark
in the book of Acts.
Chapter 15
verse 36
Paul said to Barnabas
let's go back
and visit the believers
in all the towns
where we preach
the word of the Lord
and see how they're doing.
Barnabas wanted
to take John
also called Mark
with them
but Paul
did not think
it wise to take him
because he had deserted
them in Pamphylia
and had not continued
with them
in the work.
They had such
a sharp disagreement
that they parted company.
Barnabas took Mark
and sailed for Cyprus
but Paul chose Silas
and left
commended
by the believers
to the grace
of the Lord.
This was back
years before
this letter
was written.
Mark
for whatever reason
it doesn't say
he just deserted Paul
just left
in the middle
of the trip
and because of that
Paul was unwilling
to take him
on another one.
Just no
not going to do it
and Barnabas
reasoned with him
but Paul would not
he wouldn't have it.
The trust
it seems
had been broken
and the disagreement
was so significant
that Paul and Barnabas
decided not even
to go together
on a trip
at this point
but to go their
separate ways.
But now
look at what Paul
says about Mark
here
at the end of
his life
years later.
Get Mark
bring him with you
because he is
helpful to me
in my ministry.
this is awesome.
Demas has deserted
yes
but Mark
who was once
a deserter
has since become
dependable
and helpful
working faithfully
in the cause
of Christ.
And so
Timothy
get him
bring him
with you
when you come
I've worked
for him
to do
too.
So it's not
all despair
and pain
and betrayal.
Mark
and others
listed here
are living
courageously
and are loving
Christ
more than
the world
more than
their own
lives
and they're
continuing
to serve him
all over the
place.
Men like
Crescens
and Titus
and Luke
and Tychicus
this is probably
an encouraging
reminder to
Timothy
that as hard
as it seems
right now
in Ephesus
he's not
alone.
Others
are risking
their lives
right now
in the cause
of the gospel.
Think about
Crescens
he's in Galatia
right now.
There's all
kinds of
stuff going
on there.
This is the
only place
Crescens
is even
mentioned
in the
Bible
but
it's an
honorable
mention.
Timothy
know that
Titus
he's in
Dalmatia
right now
he's serving
the Lord
there.
He was
on Crete
before
and that
was a
tough
assignment
there
we heard
about that
when we
went through
the book
of Titus
but now
he's in
Dalmatia.
Luke
is with
me
the guy
who wrote
the book
of Luke
the gospel
of Luke
and the
book of
Acts
Tychicus
and it
just goes
on.
All of
these
are
continuing
to serve
and proclaim
the name
of Jesus
Timothy
despite the
opposition
that's arising.
I love
this.
Paul
he just
goes right
on.
He's
actively
coordinating
the spread
of the
gospel.
He's
building up
the churches
all over
the Mediterranean
world
through
these other
people
and he
wants to
continue
doing this
good work
through
Timothy.
So
Timothy
come
I have
an assignment
for you.
Oh and
when you
come
bring the
cloak
that I
left with
Carpus
at Troas
and my
scrolls
especially
the
parchments.
I love
this.
It would be
nice to have
my cloak
here in
jail
but never
mind that
make sure
to bring
the parchments
especially
the parchments.
Even in
jail
Paul is
continuing
to work
he's
continuing
to study
and a
huge part
of his
work
is writing
letters
like this
to people
like Timothy
and to
churches
bring my
parchments
especially
the parchments.
In
verse 14
and 15
Paul warns
Timothy
about a
certain
Alexander
the
metal
worker.
It's not
certain
exactly
whether
this is
the same
Alexander
from the
riot
that took
place
in
Ephesus
that we
read about
in the
book of
Acts.
Probably
more likely
though it
is the
same
Alexander
that we
heard about
in Paul's
first letter
to Timothy.
Back in
that first
letter
1 Timothy
1 19
and 20
he referred
to a
man named
Alexander
who had
shipwrecked
his
faith
getting
into
false
teaching
and
blaspheming
Paul says
he did
me a
great deal
of harm.
He doesn't
say what
it was
just said
it was a
great deal
of it
and you
know we
almost might
expect the
next words
of Paul
to be
may the
Lord
repay him
for what
he has
done to
me.
But if we
read this
carefully we
notice that
this is not
a vindictive
statement.
This is not
a curse.
He's not
saying I
hope God
makes him
pay.
Rather it's
a statement
of the
sober
reality that
God will
deal with
Alexander.
The Lord
will repay
him for
what he
has done.
I think
it's a
tone of
sadness as
Paul remembers
the great
evil that
was done
to him
by this
man.
Paul says
watch out
for Alexander.
He strongly
opposed our
message.
He strongly
opposed the
message of
Christ Jesus.
Next
Paul tells
us a little
bit about
his situation.
We read in
verse 16.
He says
at my
first
defense no
one came
to my
support but
everyone deserted
me.
May it not
be held
against them.
So Paul has
already had
one trial,
one appearance
before the
court and
no one,
not a
single person
says Paul
came to
support me
or to
stand with
me.
We don't
know if
Luke was
in Rome
during his
first defense
or only
just arrived
now to
help him
write this
letter and
care for
his needs
but this
must have
felt so
hard for
Paul.
He knew
of believers
in the
area.
There was
a church
in Rome.
There were
dear friends
and brothers
and co-workers
all over
who were
keeping tabs
on Paul
and what was
happening with
him in Rome
but no one
came to
stand with
me at
my trial.
everyone
deserted
me.
It would
seem that
those claiming
the name of
Christ around
Paul and
the church
in Rome
abandoned
him in
this moment
but is
Paul bitter
about this?
Not in
the least.
He says
may it
not be
held against
them.
He
recognizes
the
weakness
and the
failure
that we
are all
prone to
and some
of them
may not
have been
true believers
in the
first place
and this
is just
exposing that
and others
of them
are but
have given
in to
fear and
cowardice
just like
Peter did
on the
night when
Jesus was
tried.
May it
not be
held against
them.
Sounds like
Jesus' words
on the cross.
Father,
forgive them.
yet
even though
no one
came
and everyone
deserted
him
Paul says
I was not
alone
at the
trial.
Look at
verse 17.
He says
but the
Lord stood
at my
side
and gave
me
strength
so that
through me
the message
might be
fully
proclaimed
and all
the
Gentiles
might hear
it.
I love
this.
Make no
mistake
I wasn't
alone
at my
defense
somebody
was there
somebody
stood
with me
the
Lord
Jesus
himself
stood
at my
side
he
supported
me
he
gave
me
strength
to do
what
strength
to make
a clever
defense
so that
I could
win the
favor
of the
court
and get
off the
hook
and be
released
from
jail
no
he
gave
me
strength
so that
through
me
the
message
might
be
fully
proclaimed
and all
the
Gentiles
might hear
it
so that
the
proclamation
with
fullness
might be
heard
by all
the
Gentiles
what
was
Paul's
aim
at the
trial
that
could
decide
whether
he
would
live
or
die
his
aim
was
to
fully
proclaim
the
gospel
of
Christ
Jesus
so that
the
nations
would
hear
it
this
is
amazing
and
Paul
tells
of the
outcome
of this
first
trial
he
says
I
was
delivered
from
the
lion's
mouth
probably
an
allusion
to
the
prophet
Daniel
who
was
cast
into
the
lion's
den
centuries
earlier
Daniel
was
told
to
stop
praying
to
the
Lord
a
command
was
issued
a
decree
was
issued
that's
now
illegal
this
is
kind
of
a
similar
situation
Paul
is
being
told
all
over
the
place
stop
preaching
the
message
of
Jesus
and
he's
just
continuing
on
with
it
well
now
he's
in
the
thick
of
the
moment
in
the
lion's
den
and
this
first
trial
could
have
been
it
many
probably
thought
it
would
have
been
and
yet
he
says
I
was
delivered
from
the
lion's
mouth
God
saved
me
he
spared
me
he
rescued
me
from
almost
certain
death
yet
again
and
then
Paul
goes
on
to
declare
with
such
confidence
he
says
the
Lord
will
rescue
me
from
every
evil
attack
and
will
bring
me
safely
to
his
heavenly
kingdom
this
is
amazing
Paul's
basically
saying
no
matter
who
tries
to
hurt
me
no
matter
who
tries
to
get
me
killed
they
will
never
succeed
yeah
they
might
kill
me
yeah
they
might
hurt
me
but
in
the
end
this
is
what
I'm
looking
forward
to
I
will
die
at
some
point
yes
he's
already
said
that
in
the
letter
Paul
looks
that
certain
future
reality
in the
face
and he
says
this
the
Lord's
going
to
rescue
me
from
every
evil
attack
and
bring
me
safely
to
his
heavenly
kingdom
even
death
itself
he's
going
to
rescue
me
from
that
and
take
me
into
his
kingdom
his
heavenly
kingdom
I love
this
chал
amazing
ican
kingdom
he is
the
steel
king
and
wehr
side to his heavenly kingdom. I love this. I mean, this is so inspiring. This is so encouraging.
Here's a man on death row, his crime, proclaiming Jesus Christ and what happened with him and what
he said and did all over the world. He has traded every comfort, every pleasure, everything this
world has to offer in order to proclaim Jesus Christ. And he's ready to trade his life itself
for this because he is that sure that Jesus will deliver him from all of it and bring him safely
into the coming kingdom of heaven. Wow.
After calling for the Lord Jesus to be glorified forever and ever, Paul ends the letter in this way.
Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. These were dear friends and
co-workers of Paul in the cause of the gospel and they're mentioned elsewhere and commended for
things done in the service of Christ. Erastus stayed in Corinth and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.
You hear this? Paul just goes right on back to coordinating and keeping tabs on the men who
are out in the field serving Jesus. Do your best to get here before winter, Timothy.
Eubulus greets you and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.
None of these names are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible but the names seem to fit where Paul is.
They're Roman names. Even though no one came to Paul's defense, there is a church here in Rome who
Paul is connected with and perhaps has renewed their connection after the trial ended. Those people
say hi, Timothy.
And then he ends in this way. He says, the Lord be with your spirit.
Grace be with you all.
It might be tempting to just kind of skip over this final blessing. Wow, that sounds nice. That's good.
But consider what Paul has said in this letter up until now to Timothy.
Back in chapter 1, he urged Timothy not to give in to a spirit of fear,
but to allow the spirit of God inside of him to give him power and love and self-discipline.
Perhaps the greatest plea of this whole letter is for Timothy himself to be faithful and to serve Christ to the end,
no matter how difficult it gets, no matter who turns away or abandons him.
And then we just heard Paul tell the story of how at his first trial, no one showed up to stand with him,
but the Lord Jesus was with him.
And now he says to Timothy, may the Lord be with your spirit.
We can't do it.
We can't do this life for Jesus alone.
We can't do it in our own strength,
in our own resources.
But with the Lord Jesus in us
and with us,
with his spirit in us,
with our spirit,
we can.
We can fight the good fight.
We can get back up and keep running the race.
to the end.
We can hold on to the faith.
Even if everyone around us seems to be drifting or turning away.
The Lord be with your spirit, Timothy.
And grace be with you all.
In the background of this letter to Timothy is the church.
Are the Christians of the churches in Timothy's region,
and it's Christians plural,
you all.
We all need God's generous favor
to live in this world
as followers of Jesus.
May the Lord Jesus supply
what all of you need
from him.
What an end to this letter.
What an end to Paul's earthly life.
What would you do
with the last, say, six months of your life?
That was the question I asked at the beginning.
We know what Paul did.
Even from his jail cell,
he kept serving Jesus with everything he had.
He kept calling men to come
and sending them out.
And he kept proclaiming the gospel.
He kept seeking to shepherd the churches.
He kept writing letters like this one
to people like Timothy
and to churches wherever he could.
Even at his trial,
he took it as an opportunity
to proclaim Jesus Christ,
to go on record to the whole empire.
This is who Jesus is.
This is why I'm on trial.
I want all the nations to know about him.
He cared more about that
than whether his trial would seal his death.
It's a breathtaking example
of what it looks like
to run the race of life for Jesus well,
all the way to the end.
To be faithful to the end.
And so we should let Paul encourage us
with these words to do the same.
That's why he's writing this letter to Timothy.
It's about encouraging Timothy
and the Christians around him
to follow his example
and fight the good fight
and run the race to the end
and keep the faith no matter what.
We too have a heavenly kingdom
to look forward to,
the kingdom of Jesus.
We too have the crown of righteousness
to look forward to,
which the Lord will award
to all who have loved his appearing,
to all who are longing for him to return.
So let's fight.
Let's run this race.
Let's keep the faith right to the end.
In just a little while,
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.
Let's pray.
Father in heaven,
thank you for the deep encouragement
of these words,
and I pray that they would sink
right into our souls.
Lord, you know all the tough stuff
that we face day in and day out,
week after week,
and I pray that all of the feeling
of overwhelm and anxiety
or fear or whatever
would just melt away
because you will carry us through.
You give us,
you are with us.
You are with us,
deep inside of us,
leading us.
And I pray that we would bring
great glory to your name,
each one of us individually
and as a church together
in this community.
May we bring glory to your name
for how we lived,
for how we fought and ran
and held on
to this precious hope and truth
that you have revealed to us.
Thank you for Jesus.
We look forward to your kingdom.
In his name we pray.
Amen.