1 Keep Calm and Carry On The Lord is with You 2 Timothy 4:9-22 Reality SB Ryan Hillner 3.6.16 Re-Cap Paul has been instructing timothy in the way he ought to walk & live in the midst of his wicked and perverse surrounds. More than that he is pouring into this young pastor and giving him instructions, exhortations and charges of things he should do and ways he should ask in order to be faithful to God in his calling as a pastor or minister. If there was one overarching hope that Paul had for Timothy it was that he too, like Paul would o 2 Tim 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; Today we finish studying Paul s final letter written, an intimate letter written to his son in the Faith. Full of truths for us from God. 2 Timothy 4:9-22 9 Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 12 But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. 16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will [e] bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to [f] Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. 21 Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren. 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Pray Paul s Ending & Personal Concerns Content: Pretty classic and funny some
Very direct and specific 2 Explain Briefly walk thru o Kind of sporadic o All this stuff he wants to get across o Updates, warnings of people, personal issues Final little instructions and wants Concerned about Timothy and others that he hasn t seen Funniest Don t forget my jackets and parchments That one jacket need that thing He left them in Troas Here s where I want to jump for a few minutes back in time On Paul s third missionary Journey we are told about Paul s stop here Paul s missionary journeys Took 3, really 4 if you count his trip to Rome Purpose (spread the gospel) Speak and equip pastors and leaders o Encountered persecution, imprisoned, etc. o Wrote his letters on the journeys or while in prison Paul s 3 rd missionary journey is laid out in Acts Chapters 18-21 One of the most significant things for us this morning, is Timothy is with him on this missionary adventure. Roughly from 53-57AD (4-5 Year period) Let s look at a timeline/brief summary of what happened. (Acts 18:23-21:16) Between his second and third journeys, Paul spent some time working with the church in Syrian Antioch (Acts 18:22-23). From there, Paul set off on the third journey. First he visited the churches again in Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23). Paul next returned to Ephesus where his work caused an uproar (Acts 19:1-41). Paul then revisited Macedonia and Greece, afterward going to Troas and then to Miletus (Acts 20:1-38). From Miletus Paul sailed to Caesarea and then went to Jerusalem (Acts 21:1-17).
Show Map 3 Here s what s significant Paul says he left his cloak and parchments in Troas o Troas is on the way back we see this in the first few verses of Acts 20 o Paul was preaching, the young boy Eutichus fell asleep and fell out the window and died. I know I can go long, but I think Paul must have been just putting people to sleep Paul though, goes and heals this boy This is where Paul left his jacket and coat o Maybe when all this was happening There s more Paul travels down the coast, gets back on the boat, sails away Off the coast about 30 miles south in a place called Miletus He bypasses Ephesus, cause he s in a hurry. Has the elders of the church of Ephesus come to him These were those he had put in place to govern the church there. But wait, where s timothy
4 We lost him we know from Acts 20:4-5 he was Paul in Troas... o Then the language would seem, a bit vague, but that Timothy was still there and with them o And evidence would suggest that Timothy most likely was still on the boat, when the Ephesian elders came out Here s why this is significant o Timothy would go on to be on of those elders and lead them. o He would lead and pastor the church at Ephesus Here s what crazy Paul teaches them one last thing before he sets sail to Jerusalem to await his fate This is farewell address to the Ephesian elders o And I can t say for certain, but I think Timothy was on that boat hearing this What Paul says in Acts 20:17-38 will blow your mind If you have been with us this past 7 weeks, you ll have understood the themes, the content and the context of this letter (2 Timothy) that Paul is writing This exhortation is probably the best summary of the book of 2 Timothy and of Paul s life we have or you could write o There is a good chance as Timothy is reading this letter from Paul Timothy would have quickly jumped back to that night on the deck of the boat, some 10 years later as Paul was instructing himself and the elders Let s read it! Acts 20:17-38 17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them, You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in [k] Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me [l] through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and [m] from house to house, 21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the [n] Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I [o] testify to you this day that I am [p] innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you [q] overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He [r] purchased [s] with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day
5 for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have coveted no one s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 36 When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And [t] they began to weep aloud and [u] embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 [v] grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship. Do you see some of the common themes here as to 2 Timothy? Same wordage?? Same charges?? 1. Know & Cling to The Word 2. Be Unashamed or don t shrink back from declaring the Gospel 3. Finish the course & Keep the faith Timothy would see Paul again After Jerusalem, Paul would go to Rome o Be imprisoned there twice o Timothy visited him the first time. This letter (2 nd timothy) is being written in his second imprisonment But the take away is: These same charges were true then, and are true now And Paul a decade before his death, was following Jesus and he still is with the same fervor o Let this speak to us o Let God s word stir our hearts But Paul in his farewell to Timothy This time for the last time. Spoke some powerful truths and gave insight of how Paul made it thru all of this Verses 16-18. 16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will [e] bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to [f] Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. As a Testimony of Paul s own life and time with Jesus Paul s final charge, exhortation and reminder
Is that 6 Jesus, is with you Timothy! Thru it all, with whatever you may go thru With however alone you may feel, God is with you!!! I m leaving now. God will never leave you. I have been pointing you all these years to the Great I Am The God that will never leave or forsake you God has called you Timothy, and God will not abandon you But is faithful to complete the word he started in you (Philippians 1:6) o Paul wrote that with Timothy!!! We have to remember That Timothy has ether been with or next to or helped Paul write several of these letters o These truths are welling up inside of him And even those that are close to you know, and are serving alongside you May leave you Most everyone has left me o All have ran and abandoned me o Vs. 10 today (Demas has deserted me) o Crescens and Titus are also gone o Vs. 15; no one supported Paul But Timothy, my God has always been there for me o In everything and in all ways God has stood with me Church!! Oh how this same truth is for us And oh how comforting it is No joke, I began weeping as I wrote read these truths and write these words down o So ministers to me Brothers ands sisters Do not forget, that Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us!! After Jesus died, rose again and was about to ascend to the Father But before he did, he said its better I go so that I can send you my helper The Holy Spirit o 3 rd person of the trinity
The Holy Spirt is God 7 The Holy Spirit dwells in us Our body is now a temple of the Holy Spirt (2 Corinthians 6) The same spirit that Raised Christ from eth dead, dwells in us (Romans) These same truths for Timothy & Paul are for us We love & serve the Same God What we see in scripture is what we call God s Omnipresence We see this as a characteristic of God or a part of his nature Just as God is unlimited or infinite with respect to time, so God is unlimited with respect to space. God s omnipresence could be defines as: o God does not have size or spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with his whole being. 1 Omnipresence means that God is all-present. God is close to (for that is what the word means close to, near to, here ) everywhere. He is near to everything and everyone. He is here; He is next to you wherever you may be. And if you send up the furious question, Oh God, where art Thou? the answer comes back, I am where you are; I am here; I am next to you; I am close to everywhere. That s what the Bible says. 2 God, being spirit, is right here. And He ll never be any farther away, and He can t get any nearer than He is right now. A.W. Tozer When I was 21 years old, I went to Thailand for 6 weeks to serve with Ron Miller One week in, Ron s mom passed away and he left for the states I was left alone, no one else spoke English and at very same time, I was praying about if God was calling me into ministry o The loneliness that I felt was palpable o I can remember some of those moments very vividly My Friend, served as high school leaders here, Zoe Now wife Sent me Psalm 139 1 Grudem, Wayne A.; Grudem, Wayne A. (2009-05-18). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Making Sense of Series) (p. 174). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 2 Tozer, A. W. (2007-02-14). The Attributes of God Volume 1: A Journey into the Father's Heart (Kindle Location 1556). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Palm 139:1-18 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know [a] when I sit down and [b] when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You [c] scrutinize my [d] path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 [e] Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in [f] Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness will [g] overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night, 12 Even the darkness is not dark [h] to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. 13 For You formed my [I] inward parts; You wove me in my mother s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for [j] I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My [k] frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. 8 Take Away: Our God is near to us And his nearness is our Good Psalm 73:28
o But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord [a]god my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. 9 It should change most everything The way we live Accountability The way we feel Comfort & Safety o Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken The way we share Boldness o The Book of Acts (Filling of the Holy Spirit) The way we pray He hears us The way we worship He is here with us The Cross has brought us near to God thru Jesus Christ Ephesians 2:1-10, 13 (NIV) o 1-10 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh [a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. o 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. One day we will be in his presence (The fullness of it) Free from Sin Free from distractions Free from everything that would make us feel distinct Free from any hindrance Church, there his hope!! But for now, walk in the truth and promise of the nearness of our God!