Well, here we are at the end of our series in 1 and 2 Timothy. Paul is concluding this second letter to a young pastor whom he mentored and instructed on how he should lead the local church.
Oftentimes, these letters in the Bible end with a lot of names and farewells, which is certainly the case with 2 Timothy as well. While that is true, it is also true that there is a lot we can learn from this passage.
So, let’s read the passage, then see what the Lord may have for us.
Look in your Bibles at 2 Timothy 4:9-22:
9 Make every effort to come to me soon, 10 because Demas has deserted me, since he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. 15 Watch out for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words.
16 At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that I might fully preach the word 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 work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus has remained at Corinth; I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. 21 Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us as we study this passage.
(prayer)
We can communicate a lot in a farewell message, can’t we?
If someone says, “I’ll see you after a while, if I make it out alive.” That tells you something about what the person is going through, right? Or, if someone says, “I’m going to a meeting. If I’m not back in an hour, please check on me.” You know how they feel about that meeting.
Or, your parent says to you, “I’m going to cook dinner, when I get back in here, this room better be cleaned” You should use wisdom in that situation and get that room cleaned.
Well, in Paul’s farewell words, we can hear several realities communicated. Specifically, we hear of four actions that the Lord accomplishes in our lives, so let’s see what we can learn.
First, we learn that . . .
I. The Lord provides
One of the main realities we see in this passage regarding provision is that the Lord provides through His people.
Paul says to Timothy in verse 9, “Make every effort to come to me soon.”
He says in verse 11, “Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry.”
In verse 13, he gives Timothy a list of things that he needs him to bring on his visit.
He says in verse 21, “Make every effort to come before winter.”
Paul desires to see Timothy because Timothy encourages his soul.
Paul goes on to list several other friends who are with him or who have visited him at different times.
Even though life is challenging for Paul, even though He has gone through tremendous pain and heartache, God is providing for and blessing Paul through the godly friends who are in his life.
Paul also speaks about when he felt lonely and deserted by everyone else.
Paul says in verse 16, “At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me.”
But what does he say in verse 17? Paul says, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that I might fully preach the word and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
Paul says that God provided for him! God provided strength!
Not only did God provide for Paul in this moment, but He also provided the preaching of the gospel for the Gentiles!
The Gentiles needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, and God provided that through Paul.
Church, whether it’s through the provision of godly friends, provision of strength, provision of the gospel, or something altogether different, we can trust that the Lord will provide!
Paul said elsewhere in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Church, we must understand, as Paul understood, that God does not always give us everything that we want, but He will give us everything we need, which sometimes includes what we need most of all, which is a rescue from this world and entrance into our heavenly home with Him (more on that later).
We must remember: the Lord provides.
Second, we see that . . .
II. The Lord repays
Paul has been wronged by some people. And, as we’ve learned by now, he wasn’t afraid to call them out by name.
Some of you have been wronged by some people as well.
Sometimes you may want to fight! You may want to take legal action! You may want to get tough and feisty!
Remember this: the Lord will repay all wrongs. He will satisfy all injustices. He is the only perfect Judge.
Paul says in verse 14, “Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works.”
I don’t know much about this Alexander fellow, but I know quite a bit about the God of the Universe. I know that He is everywhere. I know that He is all-knowing. I know that He is all-powerful. I know that He is good. And, I know that He is just.
Deuteronomy 32:35 says, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay.”
Listen, church: I know that some of you have been hurt, deeply. I know that people have wronged you. I know that sometimes you want to see justice served against those who hurt you. Be encouraged, the Lord will repay. The Lord will make all things right.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord repays. Trust Him. Lean on Him. He is good.
Next, we see that . . .
III. The Lord rescues
We already saw in verse 17 where Paul says, “So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
Paul may have very well been referring to the power of the devil on the earth, or perhaps to the power of the Roman empire. Nevertheless, he says that he was rescued.
Then, Paul goes on in verse 18 to say, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.”
What a beautiful verse, right?
Paul has already said that he believes his time on this earth is coming to an end, and he speaks of the Lord’s rescue.
The irony here is that Paul is not speaking about some mere temporary rescue. Paul is referring to an eternal rescue.
Can God rescue us from temporary trouble? You better believe it!
God rescued Joseph from his brothers; He rescued Isaac from being sacrificed; He rescued Daniel from the lions’ den; he rescued Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael from the fiery furnace; He rescued His people from Egyptian bondage; He rescued Peter and John from the Jewish court; He rescued Paul and Silas from prison; and God can certainly rescue you from temporary trouble.
However, the greater rescue that God gives to us is an eternal rescue!
God will not only help us be spared from pain, He will take away pain altogether! God will not only see us through a sinful situation, He will set us free from our sin and the sins of others forever! God will not only stop evil from affecting you, He will eliminate evil for all eternity!
Church, as Paul says in verse 18, the Lord will bring you “safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.”
We may experience temporary rescue while on this earth, but more than that is the eternal rescue when Jesus welcomes us into heaven. That rescue is what Paul was anticipating. That rescue is what we truly need.
The Lord is the greatest rescuer of all time! When you call upon the name of the Lord, you are saved; and you will be rescued, for all eternity.
Not only does the Lord rescue, . . .
IV. The Lord encourages
Paul is writing this letter to Timothy so that he will be an encouragement to him, and Timothy himself is an encouragement to Paul, which is why he is asking him to come see him.
So, as I mentioned earlier, the Lord uses others in our lives to strengthen us and encourage us.
Stop for a moment and think about whom the Lord uses in your life to encourage you.
I’m so grateful that the Lord encourages me through other people. I’m grateful that the Lord encourages me through His Word, the Bible. I’m so grateful that the Lord encourages me Himself through His Spirit.
We need encouragement, and the Lord is the best encourager.
Speaking of encouragement, listen to Paul’s final words in this letter (by the way, some historians say these may be the final recorded words of the apostle Paul). Look at verse 22: The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.
Church, we need the Lord to be with us: mind, body, and spirit. When the Lord is with our spirit, and God’s grace is with us, we experience a lot of beautiful and miraculous things, including the encouragement of God.
Brothers and sisters, may the Lord be with your spirit. May you experience the grace of God.
Let this bottom line summarize all that we are learning from the Lord:
Bottom Line: The wonderful work of the Lord sustained Paul, and it can sustain you.
God will provide for you, God will repay what needs to be repaid, God will rescue you, and God will encourage you.
The Lord does wonderful work! He was there for Paul, and He is there for you as well.
Challenge yourself this week in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge #1 – Seek to be an encouragement to a fellow Christian.
Paul wrote about all of these people, he wrote good things about some, and he wrote not so good things about others. Some were discouraging to Paul and some were encouraging.
Did you know that the mighty God of the universe can do something special in someone else’s life through you? He can use you to encourage others.
So, make a commitment to be an encouragement to a fellow Christian this week.
Weekly Challenge #2 – Thank the Lord for His faithfulness.
Paul recognized that God was faithful. Has God been faithful to you?
Take some time and thank God for His faithfulness this week.
The most wonderful way that God has demonstrated His faithfulness was in the sending of Jesus to take away our sins.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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