Study Number 7: Finishing Well

Transcription

1 2 TIMOTHY: GUARD THE GOOD DEPOSIT Study Number 7: Finishing Well 2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day NOTE FOR LEADERS This document is intended to be used as a discussion guide, rather than a curriculum. As small group leaders, please feel free to lead through the topic as most appropriate for your group. HOUSEKEEPING Things going on at the moment to remind your group of: EBC Prayer Night! Next Wednesday Night (Nov 5) At church 7:15pm for 7:30pm start.

2 REFLECT This is a time to generate some discussion around the ideas in the sermon. Some ideas include: Ask the group to debrief for those who missed the sermon on Sunday. What stood out? Do you have any questions? Were there any special moments of clarity where God spoke to you clearly? Why is this important and worth discussion? THE BIG IDEA This week we finish the book of 2 Timothy by focusing on the lives and legacies of three men: Paul, Mark and Demas. Paul, who is about to be executed, says this to his favourite disciple and adopted son Timothy: I am done. I m about to be beheaded, and so my race, my toil, what I was put here by God to do is accomplished. I get to go home. I m done. I have run my race. I have fought the fight. It s time for me to go home. Paul kept his eyes fixed on Jesus and ran the race to the very end. For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil 1:21). His was a life lived for the kingdom. In the life of Mark we see the gospel at work in his restoration and in his reconciliation with Paul. He was a man who was marked by his failure in abandoning Paul and Barnabas, but who through grace was freed from his guilt and shame. And Demas, having grown weary of the persecutions, abandoned Paul as Mark once did. He packed his bags and left Paul in prison because he valued his convenience and comfort more than the work of the kingdom and the life of Paul. He had fallen in love with the world and so when difficulty came his way, he revealed where his truly affections lay and saw to his own interests. In these three stories we see the importance of running the race to the very end, the power of grace in restoring and reconciling, and the danger of the world which would have us pursue things other than Christ and his coming kingdom. EXPLORE Let s dig a little deeper. Use the biblical text to discover what God reveals to us in his Word. RELEVANT SCRIPTURES 2 Timothy 4: For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing.

3 9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 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. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 19 Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters. 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all. Philippians 1: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! UNDERSTANDING 1. Paul s conviction that to live is Christ and to die is gain marked all of his life (Phil 1:21). What does to live is Christ mean? What about to die is gain? 2. Both Mark and Demas had abandoned Paul and the work of the gospel. What kind of things did these men forget or lose sight of that caused them to leave? 3. Demas had been a close partner and friend of Paul. What do you think are the symptoms of loving the world like Demas did (v.10)? 4. William Law said It (the world) is a more dangerous enemy by having lost its appearance of danger (see whole quote in helpful notes section). Do you agree with what he is saying? Why?

4 5. How are we to guard against this dangerous love for the world? (Leaders note: This question will naturally lead to the next question, about having more affection for Jesus than the world!) 6. What does it mean to love Jesus more than the world? APPLY Help your group identify how the truths from the Scriptures apply directly to their lives. Get group members to talk about the real life implications of the study. PRAY 1. To live is Christ and to die is gain. a. Is your life truly and deeply lived for Christ? b. Do you truly believe that to die is gain? 2. There was a time in Mark s life where he was marked by his failure. Paul s refusal to let him join him on their next mission trip would have caused him deep hurt, shame and guilt. What failures define you? What struggles keep you from walking in the confidence Christ has purchased for you? 3. Demas was a man whose affections for the world trumped his affections of Jesus and so when the hard day came, he left. How are you to fight for joy and affection for God? a. What stirs your affections for Jesus? b. What robs your affections for Jesus? 4. 2 Timothy is a book about what life is really about and what truly matters. It s about legacy. What legacy do you want to leave this world after you die? 5. Think back to the whole of 2 Timothy. What is the most significant thing that God has taught you? (Remember, we don t want to just be talking about what the bible says, we want to be listening to what it is that God is saying to us personally!) 6. Is God calling you to any practical application? What positive steps can you take? Is there any active repentance necessary? Close time in prayer. Thank Jesus for the truth of his gospel that will endure to the very end. Pray for each other that we would be straining together towards joy in God, hope in his coming kingdom and a life lived for Christ. Pray that God would fill us with more affection for him. HELPFUL NOTES 2 Tim 4:6-22 Titus was a close friend who aided Paul in two crises and pastored the church at Crete. Doctor Luke accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey and wrote the books of Acts and Luke. Tychicus was another of Paul s close companions; he carried Paul s letters to the Ephesians, the Colossians and Titus.

5 Erastus was Corinth s city treasurer whom Paul sent with Timothy into Macedonia. Priscilla and Aquila were fellow workers in Christ Jesus with whom he stayed in Corinth. Onesiphorus was Philemon s slave whom Paul had et and led to the Lord when he ran away to Rome. Although Mark had been a deserter on the first missionary journey, later he was restored. Trophimus had been one of Paul s companions during his third missionary journey, and Linus may have been the first bishop of Rom following the martyrdom of Peter and Paul. On the danger posed by love for the world, William Law wrote: "We must, therefore, be so far from considering the world as in a state of less enmity and opposition to Christianity than it was in the first times of the Gospel, that we must guard against it as a greater and more dangerous enemy now than it was in those times. (The World) is a greater enemy, because it has greater power over Christians by its favours, riches, honours, reward, and protection, than it had by the fire and fury of its persecutions. It is a more dangerous enemy by having lost its appearance of danger". (Note: quote has been slightly edited!) REFERENCE: Developed with the help of the following: John Stott Bible Studies: 2 Timothy Standing Firm in Truth. Bryson Smith. Matthias Media Interactive Bible Studies: 2 Timothy Run the Race. Kent Hughes & Bryan Chapell. Preaching the Word: 1-2 Timothy and Titus To Guard the Deposit. John Stott. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of 2 Timothy. ESV Study Bible, Crossway.