Paul’s Personal Struggles- 2 Timothy 4:9–22

We come to the last portion of this second letter Paul wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy.

Throughout this epistle (or, letter), Paul has been pointing Timothy to the coming of Jesus Christ to help Timothy endure the suffering. He wants Timothy to follow in his own footsteps and remain steadfast for the Lord.

Paul has also been pointing Timothy to the sufficiency of Christ. Christ is the one who saved them (and us), and it is through Christ that Paul, and hopefully Timothy, and hopefully all of us, will endure suffering with steadfastness.

Interwoven in this letter, though, are mentions of Paul’s personal struggles. They came to a highpoint at the end of this letter, and provide for us a window into Paul’s heart as well as an opportunity to reflect upon those relationships we have in our lives.

When evaluating our struggles, and in general our relationships, we can ask ourselves?

Do our relationships help or hinder our walk with the Lord?

If our relationships help our walk with the Lord, then they are good.

If our relationships hinder our walk with the Lord, then they are harmful.

The problem is that sometimes it is difficult to determine how our relationships affect our walk with the Lord. A further problem comes when we have to maintain certain relationships, regardless of how they affect our walk with the Lord (i.e., family, work, and even church!). And an even further problem comes with the fact that we are called to take the Gospel to people who are, by their very nature, opposed to God.

In this passage, we are going to discern some ways we can navigate struggles and blessings in our personal lives.

I. Relationships that Hurt- 4:10–11, 14–16

We will start with the bad and move to the good and end with the best. We all have relationships that hurt, and Paul was certainly no stranger to them. There are two individuals and one group that harmed Paul.

A. Demas- Col. 4:14; Phil. 24, 2 Tim. 4:10

Demas is a man who began ministering with Paul. The Scripture references mention Demas in a positive light. He served the Lord with Paul. But Demas was “in love with this present world.”

Contrast the future-oriented vision Paul is casting for Timothy (the day of the LORD) with Demas’ present mindedness, and it is no wonder “he deserted” Paul.

If your focus is on this life only, you will never be able to endure with steadfastness the suffering the comes with following Jesus.

This must have been discouraging for the apostle, and certainly contributed to his struggles.

B. Alexander the Coppersmith- 2 Tim. 4:14–15

Alexander may have been connected with Paul prior to this letter (cf. 1 Tim. 1:20, where it appears Alexander was disciplined out of the church of Ephesus), but we cannot be sure.

Regardless, Alexander did Paul “great harm,” or “much harm.” The word used by Paul indicates a witness against, as in a court of law. It would seem, then, that Alexander spoke against the apostle in court.

This must have been debilitating to the apostle. Besides this two individuals, there was one group “all deserted me.”

C. “All deserted me”- 2 Tim. 4:16

When he appeared for his defense trial, no one stood with Paul. The completely changed man, overwhelmed by the grace and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus, was still a man, and I imagine this cut the apostle deep.

These two individuals and one group harmed Paul’s relationship with the Lord. Demas because he forsook the Lord Jesus. Alexander the coppersmith because he caused him great harm. And “all” who deserted him and left him alone.

Do you have relationships like these? Do you have individuals in your life who seemed to follow Jesus, only to turn away from him?

Does this not discourage you? Does it not cause you, perhaps, to doubt your own following of the Lord Jesus?

Or, have you ever stood up for truth and found those whom you thought would stand with you suddenly disappear? Does this not also discourage us from following the Lord?

*Relationships that hurt draw us away from the Lord, directly through persecution or indirectly through discouragement.

Not only should we watch out for those relationships in our lives, we should be extremely careful that our lives do not hurt others’ relationships with Jesus. Our criticisms, complaints, lack of passion, attendance, and giving hurts others. In all our relationships we should let others see Jesus in us.

But Paul also enjoyed many relationships that helped.

II. Relationships that Help- 4:9, 10–12, 19–22

One truth that stands out in Paul’s letters and the book of Acts is the abundance of people involved in his ministry. Paul was not and never was a one-man-show.

Ministry, the spreading of the Gospel and the building of the church is not and never will be a one-man-show. In this point there are three individuals I want to focus on, and then lop the rest of them under the heading “everyone else.”

A. Timothy- 4:9, 21

As you read the first mention of Timothy in the Bible, you are presented with a remarkable young man. Acts 16:1–3 “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

In this letter Paul...

has thanked God for Timothy (1:3–4)

speaks highly of his faith (1:5)

he calls him his child (2:1)

Paul was helped tremendously by this young man, not only in the Gospel work but more so in Paul’s own walk with the Lord.

B. Luke- 4:11a; Col. 4:14; Phil. 24

“Luke alone is with me...” Luke apparently joins Paul in his second missionary journey (Acts 15:36–18:22), as we see a change in terminology from “he” or “him” to “we” and “us.”

This Gentile doctor was a gifted writer used by the Lord to record two of our books in sacred Scripture (Luke-Acts). Besides helping Paul medically (we assume), Luke was a fellow and faithful worker in the Gospel ministry. He helped Paul’s walk with the Lord.

C. John Mark- 4:11b, cf. Acts 13:13

John Mark, or Mark (the author of the Gospel of Mark) had an interesting beginning. In Acts chapter 13 John Mark travels with Paul and Barnabas (John Mark’s uncle), and for some reason he leaves the two (13:13). This would eventually lead to conflict between Barnabas and Saul (cf. 15:36–41).

John Mark sinned by leaving the apostle and Barnabas. But Barnabas took his nephew and helped him grow. As a result, the the churches were strengthened!

Now, as Paul nears the end of his life, he sees that the Lord has helped John Mark grow. He now calls him “very useful to me for ministry,” or “profitable to me for the ministry.”

Let this be a reminder that, when we sin and discourage one another, we are eagerly praying and striving for one another’s spiritual growth. John Mark helped Paul with his walk with the Lord.

D. Everyone Else

Paul goes on to list many more people, Prisca, Aquila, the household of Onesiphorus, Erastus, Trophimus, Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and “all the brothers.”

Paul is not a one-man-show, and neither are you. We need each other. Ephesians 4:15–16 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

*Relationships that help point us to the Lord, directly through ministry or indirectly through faithfulness.

Human relationships can harm or help our walk with the Lord. One comment needs to be made about those with whom we must maintain contact (i.e., family, friends, church members, and the lost).

We need to PREP for these:

Prepare for those interactions spiritually (prayer, Scripture, counsel)

Realize your dependency on Christ (“Without me, you can do nothing,” John 15:5)

Engage as is necessary (1 Cor. 5:9–10)

Pray for spiritual fruit (1 Cor. 3:5–9)

III. The Relationship that Saves and Sanctifies- 4:13, 17–18

We will not dwell on this point long, but if our relationships are to help us in our walk with the Lord at all, we must be saved and being sanctified through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul maintains a God-focused life.

In the midst of the “great harm” he endured by Alexander the coppersmith, he focused on the sure coming of the Lord Jesus in judgment.

In the midst of desertion by “all,” Paul knew the Lord was with him (and is He not with us all, Matt. 28:18–20; Heb 13:5).

In the trials of this life, Paul kept his eyes on the last judgment, knowing that “the Lord will rescue [him] from every evil deed and bring [him] safely into his heavenly kingdom.”

*The relationship that saves and sanctifies is the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ

Conclusion:

Do you have that relationship with the Lord Jesus?

Do you find yourself held back, spiritually, by relationships that hurt your walk with the Lord?

Do you maximize those relationships with people that help your walk with the Lord?