SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO VE INFLUENCED MY LIFE 2 nd Timothy 4:9-22 Outline

Transcription

1 1 SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO VE INFLUENCED MY LIFE 2 nd Timothy 4:9-22 Outline This sermon will be one about people, people Timothy knew and loved and people God has brought into my life to help shape it and mold it for the work He called me to as a Minister of the Gospel. I will preach from Paul s final letter, a letter he wrote to his colleague Timothy from prison in Rome. Paul had labored for over 30 years at this point, serving his Lord. I have served as an ordained minister in 2 churches for nearly 40 yrs. Paul got a bit of a late start since he began his professional career as a Pharisee, a persecutor of Christians. I was called to preach the Word in college and so started my professional career after finishing a 3 year Master s of Divinity program at Fuller Theological Seminary. I was 25 when I was ordained. Later, returned to Fuller and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree. Wrote my dissertation on our church. I will be 65 next month. Paul made it clear in vs. 17 that he knew the Lord stood with him!! Some of his friends deserted him, some had left for ministry and others for other reasons, but the Lord stood with him!! We learn :The Lord always stands with us, strengthens us and protects us! What great news!! In times of heartache and difficulty, in times where we feel abandoned and lonely, the Lord always stands with us, strengthens us and protects us!! He does so: 1. In our loneliness. (vs.9-12, 19-21) Identify and discuss Paul s friends.: Demas, Crescens, Titus, Luke, Mark, Tychichus. As move into vs.20 get the slide of Erastus from Corinth. Identify and discuss special people who ve influenced my life: parents, siblings, Thad Sigourney, Sally. When we moved to Jville: John Gates (story of bringing 6 pack to prayer time in a brown paper bag!), Gerald and Punkie Endeman, Randy Templeton, Bob Sylva, Wes Hartman. 2. In our need (vs.13) Mary Ann Byrne, Doug Burwell, Howard Cargill, Barbara Oakes, Jim Wolfe, Cal Pipal (wise men who I consulted for church problems), Kay Barry. Describe how these people have supported me in my need. 3. In our defense (vs ) Dr. Robert Munger, Cary Weisiger, Sara O Brien, Dave Urton,. These four people have supported me over the years with prayer! I imagine others of you have certainly prayed for me but these people have been either my intercessor like Sara or with me in prayer groups over the years. Explain.

2 2 SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO VE INFLUENCED MY LIFE 2 nd Timothy 4:9-22 SERMON This sermon will be about people, people the apostle Paul knew and people God brought into my life to help shape and mold it for the work He called me to do as a Minister of the Gospel. I will preach from Paul s final letter, a letter he wrote to his colleague Timothy from prison in Rome. Paul had faithfully labored for over 30 years when he wrote this final letter. I have served as an ordained minister in two churches for nearly 40 years. Paul got a late start since he began his professional career as a Pharisee, and a persecutor of Christians. I was called to preach the Word in college and started my ordained, ministerial career after finishing a 3 year Master of Divinity program at Fuller Theological Seminary. I still remember my ordination service on December 4, 1979 at my home church. The Pastor preached from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 1 where God called Jeremiah as a young man to serve him. I started serving at Carmichael Presbyterian church as an Assistant Pastor in September of That first pastoral call proved to be a very challenging and difficult one in many ways. The Senior Pastor gave me charge of three large youth groups, I led part of the Mission team and I was expected to do my share of weddings and funerals. I officiated at 54 weddings, 10 funerals and gave 64 sermons in that rather brief span of time. My work weeks were often hour ones. I rarely saw my family during those 5.5 years. We know from Paul s writings that he experienced great challenges and difficulties in his ministry and life. In 2 nd Corinthians, chapter 11 he described how he had been beaten, shipwrecked, stoned and had suffered through many sleepless nights; he d been hungry and thirsty, and carried a heavy burden for all the churches he had planted. Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy from prison in Rome. I love what Paul wrote to Timothy in 4:7, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. In many ways, ministry is a fight a battle between serving God on the one hand and being pummeled by Satan and his forces of darkness on the other. Paul wanted Timothy to know, however, that the Lord stood with him and strengthened him! Look in your text in vs.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. In spite of Paul s past difficulties and trials and his ordeal in prison, the Lord stood by him and strengthened him! Wow! That s great news for us, today. The Lord always stands with us, strengthens us and protects us! Think of this in personal terms: The Lord always stands with me, strengthens me and protects me! Regardless of the severity of your circumstances, your hardships and trials and sufferings, the Lord stands with you! He strengthens you and protects you!! I have had some very low moments in my ministerial career. I served on the Committee on Ministry in Sacramento presbytery for three years and we had some situations develop with several ministers and churches that made me very angry and disappointed in people and the church. At one point I was so distraught I thought about quitting the ministry. Also, during the height of our struggle in Jacksonville to build our main church facility, I considered quitting the ministry and doing something else. But throughout these struggles and heartaches, God faithfully stood with me, He gave me strength I did not have on my own and protected me from the Evil One! All praise and glory to God!! So, I know first-hand what Paul means. I too, like Paul have

3 3 felt the Lord s presence and strength in the midst of difficulties!! We observe in the text, the Lord stands with us: 1.In our loneliness. Look in your text in 4:9-12 Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Who were these men? Demas was a close associate of Paul. His name is coupled with Luke in Colossians and Philemon. We don t know the details of his love for the present world but we do know that he abandoned Paul and fled to Thessalonica, Greece. Crescens, whose name only appears here in the New Testament left for Galatia, a region in modern day Turkey, and Titus had gone to Dalmatia, a district near the Adriatic sea in what is today, Croatia. No reason is given for the departure of these two friends. Look down to 4:19-21 Greet Prisca and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorous. Erastus remained at Corith and I left Trophimus, who was ill at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. Prisca and Aquila hosted Paul while he stayed in Corinth. They worked in the same trade, as tentmakers. Paul later left Corinth for Ephesus and took Prisca and Aquila with him, where they remained. We read about Onesiphorous earlier in this letter, in 1:16. Paul mentioned that Onesiphorous had refreshed him. Erastus served as the city treasurer of Corinth. When Sally and I visited Corinth in 2010 we saw a stone with his name carved on it! Trophimus had accompanied Paul on his 3 rd missionary tour and was a native of Ephesus. Finally, Paul mentions the names of three men and one woman who appear to be Christians in Rome. Other than Luke, Paul was alone in prison. The loneliness bothered him!! Loneliness affects nearly all of us at one time or another.. Notice what Paul said in vs.16, At my first defense no one came to stand by me but all deserted me. After I graduated from seminary and received my first call to ministry I was examined by my home presbytery. I will never forget the nerves and trauma I experienced in that ordeal as a young, 25 year old man. What made it worse was that not one of the three ministers of my home church came to support me! I felt abandoned and lonely. Providentially, the chairman of the Candidates committee stood up for me during the time they discussed my poor performance in the examination. They put me in a room they thought was sound proof and it certainly was not!! I could hear the whole discussion! So, I have a sense of what Paul experienced when he felt abandoned by his friends. My wife, Sally and I have been married for 43 years. She has stood by my side and supported me in every way possible in ministry. We have had many joyful, wonderful times together and I praise God for her friendship and company throughout life and ministry. My life is much richer and deeper because of Sally. My parents and four siblings influenced my life in significant ways. I learned a lot about love and faith, financial responsibility, how to treat other people and many other lessons from my family. Thad Sigourney has been a good friend over the years. He was the first person with whom I ever shared my faith. Thad graciously declined my invitation to accept Christ but I continue to pray for him and his wife almost every day. When we moved to Jacksonville God provided a wonderful, much older friend in John Gates. John and his wife Shirley would often be the only ones to attend our early, Thursday

4 4 morning prayer time in the historic church. John s son worked for Henry Weinhard s brewery in Portland and John would occasionally bring me a six pack of Weinhards beer wrapped in a brown paper bag to our prayer meetings!! The Lord used John in powerful ways to help new people connect with our church. Gerald and Punkie Endman were so helpful to Sally and me as young parents with our kids. They would often watch our kids for us so we could go out for an evening In more recent years, Doug Burwell, Bob Sylva, Randy Templeton, Wes Hartman, Carl Casebeer and Bill Duncan have been great friends. Besides standing with us in our loneliness, the Lord stands with us: 2. In our need. Look again in the text in 4:13: When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books and above all the parchments. A cloak was an outer garment made of heavy material, circular in shape with a hole in the middle for the head. Paul needed it for the winter months which were fast approaching. He also needed books, probably made of papyrus rolls or his correspondence. The parchments were probably books of some kind. Many people in my life have stood with me in my need. Certainly, my parents provided a loving home and spiritual guidance in my younger years. The pastor of my home church, Deane Hendricks inspired me as a young man considering the vocational ministry. Two of my seminary professors, Dr. David Alan Hubbard and Dr. Robert Munger challenged me academically and spiritually. Their pictures are on the front of your bulletins. I took two Old Testament classes from Dr. Hubbard and his teaching gift, leadership and scholarship inspired me greatly! Dr. Hubbard became President of Fuller when he was only 35 years old! I learned the importance of prayer and calling from Dr. Munger. Dr Munger wrote the inspiring pamphlet, My Heart Christ s Home. I know many of you have read that wonderful pamphlet. I recall driving him to LAX one day and we had a lengthy discussion in the car about God s call on our lives. I shared with him that I felt guilty about not being called to the mission field. He explained that I should respond to God s call not my own sense of guilt. Eight years after I began my ministry in Jacksonville, Mary Ann Byrne moved to Jacksonville and started attending our church. Mary Ann quickly became involved in the leadership of the church as well as serving as a surrogate grandmother to our children. Mary Ann took an avid interest in all three of our children and our love for Mary Ann has deepened and grown over the years! Jim Wolfe and Cal Pipal and years ago, Roy Elmgren have been the source of incalculable wisdom for me. I consulted with these wise men when I encountered difficulties or challenges in the church which were far above my capability. They answered my questions with godly wisdom, insight and love. One of the most interesting people I have ever met was Howard Cargill, the man the church hired to direct our first fundraising campaign. The church needed to raise millions of dollars to construct this facility. We had a huge, daunting task! The church leadership decided we needed help with this great project, so I appointed 30 people to interview several different, Christian fundraising companies. The designated group selected Cargill and Associates. Howard Cargill was an aw-shucks, down to earth, Christian man, originally from Oklahoma. Howard always wore cowboy boots. He challenged many of us to step out of our comfort zone when it came to money and giving. He could talk someone into giving a gift far beyond their comfort zone. I have never, ever met anyone like him! I ll never forget the evening our leadership team met and Sally and I had to share publicly what we had decided to give to the campaign. It was

5 5 the most difficult public speech I have ever given. Many people on the leadership team shared what they were giving in the weeks that followed. No one liked doing this exercise! We had our Celebration Sunday event and 1.9 million dollars were pledged over three years to help build this facility. That amount represented nearly 5 times our annual operating budget in 2001! Howard had told us the campaign would be a time of spiritual growth and I had responded skeptically and cynically. But he wasn t kidding! Our church grew more in our stewardship than at any other time in my nearly 34 years with you. Over my long tenure I have worked with conscientious and loving secretaries who have helped me get organized and stay on task. Marlene Worden, Nell Mathern, Barbara Oakes, Nancy White, Kay Barry and Jonlyn Salade have provided tremendous support for me over the years! I am grateful to each of them. Finally, the Lord stands with us: 3.In our defense Paul wrote of people who harmed him and opposed him in vs.14-16: Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them..down to vs.17b So I was rescued from the Lion s mouth. 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. We don t know the exact identity of Alexander the coppersmith. The phrase, did me great harm is literally translated, informed many evil things against me. We don t know the nature of the great harm inflicted on Paul. The context of the first defense Paul mentions seems to refer to a recent event. His first defense probably means his the first hearing of his case in Rome. Roman law would have allowed Paul to employ an advocate and call witnesses. They could have stood by his side in court to either speak on his behalf or to advise him in the conduct of the case or just to be there with a ministry of presence. But, note Paul s comment in vs.17 as he considers his friend s abandoning him. 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. In spite of challenge, opposition, harm being inflicted on us, The Lord always stands with us, strengthens us and protects us! If you feel assaulted by the Evil One, ridiculed for your beliefs and have suffered harm because of your faith, know that the Lord always stands with you, strengthens you and protects you!! He is the same yesterday, today and forever, so what he did for Paul, he can and will do for you!! In my years of ministry here in Jacksonville, certain members have prayed for me regularly. They have prayed for my defense against the Evil One. Sara O Brien has been my intercessor for many, many years, praying for my family, ministry, health, struggles, etc. I was in a prayer group with Cary Weisiger for many years. We called it the SWAT team and it had two meanings: second Wednesday at two and spiritual warfare assault team. Cary s prayers for me and my family will never be forgotten. In more recent years, Dave Urton and I have met occasionally for prayer. We prayed for our kids, especially our sons. God has faithfully answered our prayers for them!! The Lord always stand with you, strengthens you and protects you! What a hopeful, powerful message to leave with you as I leave you as your Lead Pastor. Let us pray.