Christ Stood With Me-Tab
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
"A recent study found that nearly 58% of adults in the U.S. report feeling lonely on a regular basis. But here is the startling part: the highest levels of loneliness aren't found in nursing homes—they are found among young adults. We are the most 'connected' generation in human history, yet we are the most isolated. Today, we look at a man who was chained in a Roman dungeon, lacked things to read, and was concerned about being cold...yet was less 'alone' than many of us sitting in crowded rooms today."
As Paul concludes his message to Timothy, found in 2 Timothy 4 we find the following:
he longs for the fellowship of other believers,
he reflects on those who let him down,
and he refocuses his attention on the ONLY ONE who has always been there, standing alongside of Him through it all.
We too can find joy and peace in knowing that even though the Christian life might be filled with difficult problems, and difficult people, we can be encouraged by the fact that the Lord stands with us and one day He will bring us safely home!
Let’s dive into this passage together, beginning with verse 9 and notice...
Christ Stood With Him When Most Did Not (vv. 9-16)
Christ Stood With Him When Most Did Not (vv. 9-16)
Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Notice again verse 16...NO MAN STOOD WITH ME, BUT ALL MEN FORSOOK ME...Have you ever been in a situation like that? You may remember Elijah felt that way in the OT. There are times in life when we feel like everyone has forgotten about us, or everyone has fled from us. Paul felt that way. So he writes to Timothy and makes it clear that he wants Timothy with him and wants him to come quickly. There are a number of reasons for that, one of which being Paul needed FELLOWSHIP!
Not only do we find Paul wanted to see Timothy, but Paul also wanted to see Mark...
Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
This is very significant! In the book of Acts we find that Mark had abandoned Paul and Barnabas on one of the missionary journeys.
Although it took a long time for Mark to earn Paul’s trust, it’s obvious Mark has proved himself and been faithful and Paul is ready to give him another shot. Mark is on Paul’s “short list” of reliable friends.
I HOPE YOU HAVE A “SHORT LIST” OF RELIABLE, GODLY FRIENDS!
Application
Application
It’s important for us to understand God also created us for FELLOWSHIP. He did not create us to be “loners.” The very first book of our Bible tells us that “It is not good for man to be ALONE!”
Solomon understood this:
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In the NT Jesus chose 12 men to spend 3 years with him and when He sent them out, He didn’t send them out alone.
At times He sent them out 2 x 2, but He promised them the presence of Holy Spirit when He left the scene.
We are also reminded in Hebrews that we NEED ONE ANOTHER.
The CHURCH is the body of believers and we are to
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
God created us for FELLOWSHIP and COMMUNITY and if the Apostle Paul needed it then so do we! One of the things the LOCKDOWNS and QUARANTINES did was isolate people and this has, unfortunately led to some people continuing to isolate themselves and not come back to church. Of course I’m not talking about people who legitimately need to stay home because of being sick and shut it, but rather those who have found it convenient to stay at home when they could be here.
Watching church online is kind of like watching a fire on TV. It looks nice but it provides no WARMTH!
FELLOWSHIP IS A REQUIREMENT OF HEALTHY CHRISTIAN LIVING!
One of the reasons Paul desires Timothy’s fellowship is because he has been forsaken by a man named “Demas.” Notice his comments in 2 Timothy 4:10
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
Demas had been one of Paul’s companions and had been with Paul during another imprisonment.
Stanley Outlaw says that Paul was deeply hurt by Demas’ desertion.
Another commentator says that the word that Paul uses for “deserted” is a strong verb and it means “to utterly abandon and leave someone helpless in a dire situation.” What may be even more hurtful is the MOTIVE behind why Demas abandoned Paul…he did so because he fell back in love with the world.
This is why we have the stern warning found in 1 John 2:15-17
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Not only has Demas forsaken him, but notice what else he says in 2 Timothy 4:14-15
Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
While we are pretty confident we know who Demas was, we aren’t so sure about Alexander. Many people think that it’s the same “Alexander” that Paul mentions in 1 Timothy who had “made shipwreck of his faith”...
Others think it may have been an associate of Demetrius whom we learn about in Acts 19. Regardless of who this person was, Paul said that he had done him GREAT HARM. He had strongly opposed Paul’s message regarding the Good News of Jesus Christ—the atoning death and victorious resurrection.
It’s obvious that Alexander is continuing to stir the pot because he warns Timothy to “beware of him yourself.”
Finally, notice the comment in 2 Timothy 4:16
At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Paul felt all alone at his “first defense.” Most likely this refers to the public trial Paul had before his imprisonment. No one was in his corner. Everyone that could have stepped forward to speak on his behalf or in his defense DESERTED him.
So Paul had been DESERTED by a former ministry companion, DEMAS, who had fallen in love with the world.
Paul had been OPPOSED by a powerful businessman, Alexander.
And then EVERYONE that could have stepped up and spoke on his behalf at his trial was no where to be found!
May we all be reminded that
PEOPLE will fail us.
There have been so many people who have stopped coming to church, stopped serving the Lord, who have stopped doing what they should be doing and they BLAME SOMEONE ELSE.
Put yourself in Paul’s shoes. He didn’t let that stop him! He wasn’t serving Demas. He wasn’t serving Alexander. He was serving Jesus Christ!
If you let someone’s disappointing decisions or failures hinder you from serving Jesus, maybe it’s because YOU are placing too much emphasis on them and not enough emphasis on Your Savior...
The fact of the matter is you may have to stand by yourself as a Christian, BUT YOU WILL NEVER STAND ALONE.
Notice again what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:16
At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.
Notice 2 Timothy 4:17-18
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Christ Stood With Him For a Purpose (vv. 17-22)
Christ Stood With Him For a Purpose (vv. 17-22)
Even though Paul couldn’t count on Demas, or Alexander, or even Mark at times, he could ALWAYS count on the Lord and SO CAN YOU!
Others deserted him, but the Lord stood by him.
Others opposed him, but the Lord strengthened him.
Others imprisoned him, but the Lord rescued him.
Others would end his physical life, but the Lord gave him spiritual life.
Others would do him harm, but the Lord would bring him safely into the heavenly kingdom!
What a contrast and what a difference.
I think back through Scripture and am reminded of God STANDING with His people!
The Lord stood by Noah and his family while the entire world went crazy.
The Lord stood by Abraham when he had to make the most difficult decision of his life.
The Lord stood by David when Goliath mocked God and the Israelites
The Lord stood by Daniel when he chose to pray and was thrown in the Lion’s Den
The Lord stood by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were thrown in the burning, fiery furnace...the 4th man in the fire
Now the Lord is standing by Paul as he is facing abandonment and execution
AND I HAVE FOUND THROUGHOUT MY LIFE THAT THE LORD HAS STOOD BY ME TOO! EVEN WHEN I HAVE BEEN UNFAITHFUL AND EVEN WHEN I FAILED HIM MISERABLY AND EVEN WHEN I FELT LIKE I DIDN’T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO STAND, THERE HE WAS STANDING BY ME!
CHRISTIAN FRIEND CAN’T YOU TESTIFY THAT THE LORD HAS STOOD WITH YOU!
Job said our life is short and full of trouble. This is so true. But I’m so thankful that during the trouble, the Lord stands by us.
When we receive a difficult diagnosis, the Lord stands by us.
When others abandon us, the Lord stands by us.
When people unfriend us, the Lord stands by us.
When our children rebel, the Lord stands by us.
When our parents get cancer or dementia, the Lord stands by us.
When we look into the lifeless face of our loved ones as we walk by the casket, the Lord stands by us.
When we have to say goodbye to someone we love, the Lord stands by us.
When things happen that we don’t understand, the Lord stands by us.
What was the PURPOSE? The Lord stood with him and strengthened him SO THAT THE MESSAGE MIGHT BE PREACHED FULL THROUGH ME, AND THAT ALL THE GENTILES MIGHT HEAR!
God can TURN OUR TEST into a TESTIMONY! When we realize that Christ stands with us, not matter what we face and no matter what we go through, we can also realize that others are watching us and seeing God’s faithfulness through it all! This gives us a platform from which to share the GOOD NEWS about who God is, what Christ has done, what He has brought us through and how He can do the same for them!
YES HE HAS STOOD THERE WITH US, THROUGH THE THICK AND THIN, THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS AND THE VALLEYS, THROUGH THE GOOD AND THE BAD AND THE GOOD NEWS IS...
The Lord WILL STAND WITH US Until the Very End (vv. 6-8)
The Lord WILL STAND WITH US Until the Very End (vv. 6-8)
Lets go back now to the beginning of this section and remind ourselves of what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:6-8
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Paul realizes he is writing his last words to Timothy. He understands that in short time he will executed for his faith and his faithful proclamation of the Gospel. As a result he says that he is “already being poured out as a drink offering.”
In the OT drink offerings would accompany various sacrifices that were made and they would be completely poured out on the altar before God. Stanley Outlaw said:
It spoke of complete submission to the will of God on the part of the one who offered it.
Paul also noted that the “time of his departure” was at hand. Paul paints a beautiful word picture of his impending death. The word “departure” is the idea of “unloosing” something. Often it was used to refer to a “ship” being loosed from the dock or a campsite being taken down and moved.
In a sense Paul was saying, ““It’s almost time for my ship to set sail. It’s almost time to take up camp and move to my eternal home!”
For the believer that’s exactly what death is! We are like a ship that’s been docked in the harbor of this world, yet we were made for the sea of Heaven and soon and very soon we are going to set sail!
We are like a soldier that’s been encamped in enemy territory and we’ve finally got our orders that the war is over and we can come home!
How could Paul have this CONFIDENCE? Because He knew CHRIST WAS STANDING WITH HIM UNTIL THE VERY END! He believed the promise of Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
As Paul reflects upon his life as a believer he confesses that he has FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT and that he has KEPT THE FAITH! Paul had been a WARRIOR for God and for the Gospel!
He finished his race and he kept the faith! As a result, he knew that the ONE who had been standing with him all this time was not only going to welcome him home but was going to reward him with a CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!
As a result of God’s faithfulness and Paul’s saving faith in Christ, he is assured there is something greater waiting for him on the other side. He said “THERE IS laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” He doesn’t say there “might be” or there “could be” but THERE IS!
He is looking forward to the day, and he realizes it will not be much longer, that the Lord, the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE will hand to him this crown. On that day, when he stands face to face with his Lord and Savior, it will have been worth all of the suffering, all of the trials, all of the pain, all of the persecution, all of the stoning, all of the shipwrecks, all of the stoning and beatings…it will have been worth EVERY MILE!
God is faithful. God is faithful when we cannot feel Him, sense Him, see Him, hear Him…He is faithful.
No Matter WHO Abandons YOU in This Life YOU can Rest in the Promise that GOD will NEVER FORSAKE HIS CHILDREN!
No Matter WHO Abandons YOU in This Life YOU can Rest in the Promise that GOD will NEVER FORSAKE HIS CHILDREN!
NO Matter WHAT You are Going Through You Can Know that CHRIST is Going to WORK EVERYTHING Together for YOUR Good and His Glory
NO Matter WHAT You are Going Through You Can Know that CHRIST is Going to WORK EVERYTHING Together for YOUR Good and His Glory
No Matter WHEN He Calls YOU Home or What You May Experience on the Way There HE WILL BE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!
No Matter WHEN He Calls YOU Home or What You May Experience on the Way There HE WILL BE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!
DO YOU HAVE A SAVIOR LIKE THAT?
I have read this text many times, but it means more to me today, since Sept 30, 2022 than it ever has before.
Sept 30, 2022 was the darkest day of my and my wife’s life. 12 days earlier our first grandchild was born and we were on top of the world.
But on that day, our daughter who had struggled with a meth addiction for many years, and a fentanyl addiction for around 6 months was found slumped over in her bed and passed away.
I was on the phone when my wife found her and I can still hear the screams that came over the telephone as she yelled, “she’s dead, she’s dead.”
I rushed home to find the EMT’s trying to revive here, but all hope was gone. After they left I walked into her bedroom and held her for the last time...later that day I had the agonizing responsibility of calling my friends and family here in NC to give them the tragic news. As I sat on the front porch of my home I felt like a puddle. I felt like my life was over. I felt like my ministry was over.
The only way I can stand before you today and share this message is because I DO NOT STAND ALONE.
Every moment of every day CHRIST HAS STOOD WITH ME. When I didn’t stand with Him in my confusion, in my struggle, in my frustration...HE HAS STUCK BY ME CLOSER THAN ANY BROTHER.
My wife and I didn’t survive Sept 30 because we were strong...actually the opposite is true. We survived BECAUSE OF HIS STRENGTH NOT OURS.
And the same Savior who stood by me on that front porch, is the same Savior who stood by Paul while he was in prison. He is the same Savior who is ready, willing, and able to stand with YOU right now.
I don’t know what you will face when you leave here. I don’t know the week ahead of you. But if YOU know Jesus as YOUR Lord and Savior YOU WILL NOT walk out of these doors alone.
You don’t have to muster up the strength to stand. Just lean on the everlasting arms. He’s promised to stand by YOU and He’s promised to take YOU home...
DO YOU HAVE A SAVIOR LIKE THAT?
SALVATION
REDEDICATION
BAPTISM
