Be Persistent to the End Lesson Passage: 2 Timothy 4:1-18 May 5, Focus on This Goal: To help adults live daily in their Christian walk

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1 Be Persistent to the End Lesson Passage: 2 Timothy 4:1-18 May 5, 2013 Lesson Passages: 1. Keep Proclaiming (2 Tim. 4:1-4) 2. Keep the Faith (2 Tim. 4:5-8) 3. Keep Helping (2 Tim. 4:9-15) 4. Keep Trusting (2 Tim. 4:16-18) Focus on This Goal: To help adults live daily in their Christian walk Scripture 1- Keep Proclaiming (2 Tim. 4:1-4) 1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. Verse 1- With the words, I solemnly charge (order) you. Paul gave Timothy a sacred (Godly) responsibility. He had sent similar orders to Timothy in the first letter. What was the basis for Paul s words? First, the apostle reminded Timothy of the reality of the Father and the Son (God and Christ Jesus). Second, Paul wrote about the reality of final judgment. None will escape. The living, are those who will still be alive at Christ s return. The dead are those who will have died physically, but nevertheless will be raised to face judgment. Third Paul mentioned the glorious and certain future that lies ahead for those who have accepted Christ as their savior. Jesus appearing means His second coming. His kingdom is the rule of Christ on the earth. He will rule the earth from

2 Jerusalem for one thousand years in His Millennial kingdom. Verse 2- Paul gave Timothy five short commands. The first command is basic; the others explain how to carry out the main command, which is to preach and teach the gospel message. Paul had used the verb proclaim in 1 Timothy 3:16 about the public presentation of Jesus life and glory, to the end that people will believe in Him and then grow in their faith. Of course, this is not a task left only to ordained ministers or professional preachers. Verse 3- Paul described the basis for his command in 4:1 and the content of his command in 4:2. Here he spoke to the need for the command. (He returned once more to the coming problem of false teachings and false teachers). Paul was concerned that even genuine Christians might be led astray. There is too often an itch to hear something new. To some believers, sound doctrine can start to seem old fashioned or maybe boring. Certain people s concern was for meeting their own desires, and there would be no shortage of finding teachers for themselves, rather than teachers who stuck to the plain meaning of Scripture. Verse 4- What happens when individuals get caught up in new teaching? First, they often turn away from truth, as in 2 Timothy 2:18. Second, they begin to believe in myths (the kind of religious teaching Paul spoke about earlier.) Myths are worthless teachings without a firm foundation in Scripture. Believers are to avoid such teachings like they would avoid a poisonous snake. Scripture 2- Keep the Faith (2 Tim. 4:5-8) 5 But as for you, be serious about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing. Verse 5 -Paul yet again compared Timothy with the false teachers by using the phrase, but as for you. The meaning of this new order was: be serious about everything, and also means continual action. Timothy was to keep staying alert to the possibility of false teachings. The literal meaning of the words, be serious is be sober. The term means to be alert and watchful. Opposition might come, but

3 Timothy was to face it well (endure hardship). His primary duty in proclaiming the message was to strengthen believers. Timothy was never to forget to share the good news with unbelievers. Although the word evangelize is frequently found in the New Testament, the noun evangelist is found only here, in Acts 21:8, and in Ephesians 4:11. Paul s command, fulfill your ministry, means paying total attention to completing all that God had called Timothy to do. The term ministry means Christian service in general. Verse 6- Paul knew that he had fulfilled his own ministry. He compared himself to a Jewish drink offering, in which wine was poured out alongside certain sacrifices made at the altar. Paul was pouring out his life in service to Christ. Verse 7- The three images in this verse all look back on Paul s ministry as completed but with the hope of a heavenly reward. The good fight compared ministry to a boxing or wrestling match. In 1 Timothy 6:12, the apostle had encouraged Timothy to fight the good fight. Now Paul noted that he had done so. By using the term, race, Paul compared ministry to a long-distance foot race. He had gone the distance and had kept on the course the Lord had given him. The third image suggested Paul had kept or guarded faithfully what God had entrusted to him. He had carried out his heavenly commission. Verse 8- Timothy knew firsthand how Paul had poured himself out in ministry. Now the apostle reminded Timothy of what he could understand only by faith: his future heavenly reward. Paul was totally confident that this reward was reserved for him. By using the phrase, crown of righteousness, Paul continued with the athletic word picture that he had used in the previous verse. Paul was facing death at the hand of an earthly, unrighteous judge. He took comfort that his final verdict would be completed by the Lord, the righteous Judge. By the day, Paul referred to the future day when humanity will be judged. Unlike ancient athletic games when only the winner won a reward, at the final judgment all those who have loved Jesus appearing will receive the wreath. To love Jesus return doesn t mean constantly discussing the end times, but rather living in a way suitable for those who are loyal to Jesus. Scripture 3- Keep Helping (2 Tim. 4:9-15) 9 Make every effort to come to me soon, 10 for Demas has deserted me, because 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

4 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. Verse 9- As we have seen throughout our study of 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul was very close to Timothy. As he came to the end of his earthly life, Paul was anxious for his young friend to join him. Thus, he made an important request. Timothy needed to come to Rome soon, because Paul s time was short. No one knows whether Timothy made it to Paul s side before the apostle was executed. Verse 10- Paul described three ministers that had left Rome. Demas, sadly, had deserted Paul and gone to Thessalonica, possibly his home. Earlier, Demas had been with Paul when the letters to the Colossians and to Philemon were composed. Paul didn t go into detail about what Demas had done to earn his unhappiness. Crescens is only mentioned here in the Bible. We do not know why he had gone to Galatia, although Paul did not criticize him. Titus will become better known to us when we study the lessons from the letter bearing his name. We do not know why he was now going to Dalmatia, a region located northwest of Macedonia and across the Adriatic Sea from Italy. Verse 11- Luke was the dearly loved physician. He was also the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Assuming Paul had health problems as he neared the end of his life, Luke s medical skill would have been a godsend. The positive reference to Mark is an unexpected surprise. Mark once had deserted Paul s missionary team and had become a source of conflict between Paul and Barnabas. We don t know the circumstances under which Paul and Mark had reconciled, but it is evidence of God s grace that Mark had now become useful... in the ministry. Mark was also the writer of the Gospel of Mark. Verse 12- Paul returned to the matter of naming ministers who had left Rome. Tychicus was a believer originally from the province where Ephesus was located. He had been the letter carrier for both Ephesians and Colossians. Paul had confidently sent him back to his home region with an unknown assignment. Possibly Tychicus was to be Timothy s replacement. Verse 13- Paul s mind turned from people to creature comforts. All humans have certain basic needs. Paul needed his cloak to keep him warm. No one today knows

5 why Carpus, an otherwise unknown Christian from the coastal town of Troas, held Paul s cloak. Paul also wanted reading material. Books in those days were made of long sheets that were rolled up as scrolls. Parchments were expensive, because the sheets were made of animal hide. Many Bible students suggest these were books of the Old Testament that Paul longed to study again. Verses The apostle also mentioned a certain man named Alexander who had harmed him. It s uncertain whether this was the same man Paul criticized in First Timothy 1:20. Moreover, Paul didn t point out the great harm he had suffered. But he was sure that Alexander would be judged by the Lord because of his works. Scripture 4- Keep Trusting (2 Tim. 4:16-18) 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 the proclamation might be fully made through me and all Gentiles might hear. 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. Verse 16- Paul s first defense probably was his preliminary hearing. It hadn t gone well, and Paul felt certain that at his final court appearance, he would be condemned and receive the death penalty. But what hurt him more was that he had been deserted by his Christian friends. Why they did it we can only guess. Paul s statement that no one stood by him surely didn t include Luke. In any case, Paul was willing to let the Lord decide about them. Paul stood up for them, by saying, (let it not be counted against them). Verse 17- Paul was loving and forgiving and he understood human weakness. The Lord, however stood with Paul, and in the end, this was much more important. The apostle was strengthened. Two results had come about. First, Paul successfully made a declaration of the real reason he stood before the court. He was sure that all the Gentiles present at the trial had heard the message of Christ. The second result of the Lord s strength was that he had been rescued from the lion s mouth. This was a word picture referring to extreme danger. Probably Paul meant that God had stepped in and kept him from being put to death before he had an opportunity to proclaim the truth before the court. In any event, Paul understood that he would die before long.

6 Verse 18- Despite very bad circumstances, Paul was filled with hope. He knew that the Lord would, in the end, rescue him. This must be understood as God s all powerful, spiritual protection rather than physical protection. For in the next breath, Paul spoke of what lay beyond death: being brought safely into His heavenly kingdom. Whatever forces of evil were lined up against Paul, nothing could keep him from the heavenly kingdom. Paul ended this letter by comparing the sadness of his earthly circumstances with the glory of his heavenly but invisible circumstances. We like Paul show we are living the godly Christian life when we recognize that the Lord will in His time rescue us from all evil. WAYNE CLEMONS, TEACHER Format duplicated and used by permission 2013 The Southern Baptist Convention