Faithful to the End - 2 Timothy 4:9-22
Notes
Transcript
9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
Let’s pray
I have a problem… I have a tendency to start home projects, but I am slow to finish them. In fact, I have two bookshelves that I started to build in my garage.
I started the project well!
I had great intentions to get the bookshelves done and I was motivated to get them built
I have spent hours, planning, measuring, cutting, and assembling these shelves… I’m probably 80% through the project, but I got hung up on one step of the partially assembled shelves.
I started the project in November, and haven’t made any progress since December.
You see, it doesn’t matter how well I start a project, if at the end of the day, I never finish it.
So it is for each of us in this life as we follow Jesus. It doesn’t matter how well we start in the faith if we do not keep the faith.
Let me remind you of what we heard in the preceeding verses last week.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up 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 loved his appearing.
Paul’s having fought the good fight, his not simply starting the race but finishing the race, and his having kept the faith (not just him having believed in Jesus in the past, but him continuing to fight for faith in his present situation), are directly linked to Paul receiving the crown of righteousness in the future.
And this isn’t just true for Paul, but it is also true for all who love Jesus’ appearing. This is good news isn’t it? Paul put his hope in his reward, and we are to hope for this reward as well. And so in our hope, we are to strive to fight the good fight, to finish the race, and to keep the faith.
But after this glorious good news of the crown of righteousness that will be given to all who love Jesus‘ appearing, Paul’s tone suddenly shifts in v 9
9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
In contrast to to Paul who kept the faith, and in contrast to all those who have loved Jesus’ appearing, we hear about Demas who did not keep the faith because of his love with the present world.
We will hear more about Demas in a moment, but it’s as not just Demas who has left Paul, but also Crescens and Titus have left Paul. While we don’t get the sense that Crescens or Titus left Paul because of the love for the world, it seems as though their absence has had a real effect on Paul.
If you know the sting of being abandoned, you might get a sense of what Paul is feeling. But to add to his pain, Paul wasn’t just abandoned. Rather he was abandoned during one of his darkest hours and he was left all alone.
So Paul asks Timothy to come to him in his Roman prison cell soon…
This desire for Paul to see Timothy should be familiar to us though, because this isn’t the first time Paul has mentioned wanting to see Timothy. Remember at the very beginning of this letter, Paul wrote to Timothy saying,
4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.
Paul longs to see Timothy. In fact, this is the overarching theme of this letter that starts and ends the letter. But Paul knows from his he was deserted that there were many who were ashamed of him and his testimony. And Timothy might share that shame as well. So shortly telling Timothy that he wants to see him Paul writes in v 8
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
Though Paul wants to see Timothy, he will far too familiar with watching those who were once in the faith abandon him just as things get tough.
So while the bookends to this letter is a desire to see Timothy, the primary theme that is woven throughout this letter is the them of enduring in the faith to the very end. Paul knows that like Demas, Timothy may feel ashamed of the gospel because of Pauls imprisonment. But Paul doesn’t want Timothy to be ashamed, but instead Paul wants Timothy to be faithful to the gospel!
1. Beginning in the faith will not lead to salvation if you are not faithful to the end.
1. Beginning in the faith will not lead to salvation if you are not faithful to the end.
We are going to spend some time on this subject this morning as this is the main thrust of this entire book.
We have been reciting this for months now, and hopefully it has stuck with you
The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
This here is not just an idea for Paul. This trustworthy saying is reality for him as he is about to die with Christ. This trustworthy saying is motivating him to endure and strive to the end of his life. But this saying is also a reality as he is watching as Demas denies Christs. But in no way does the faithlessness of men negate the faithfulness of God, for Paul closes with this triumphant truth;
17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
But remember, if we deny Jesus, he will deny us.
And so it is with Demas
10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
Who was Demas, do you know?
You see, Demas wasn’t one of Paul’s enemies.
In v 14 we hear about Alexander the Coppersmith who opposed the gospel message that Paul and Timothy preached - Alexander did great harm to Paul because of the gospel that he preached. But Demas wasn’t like Alexander, so we shouldn’t think him to be in direct opposition to the gospel.
Back in 2 Tim 2.17 we learned about Hymenaeus or Philetus, two false teachers who twisted the message of the gospel. But Demas wasn’t like them either, for he isn’t said to not hold to the sound doctrine.
You see Demas neither opposed the gospel, nor did he twist the gospel. Rather, he simply loved the present world more than he loved the gospel.
Paul said, Demas, in love with the present world, has deserted me...
But we should recognize that this wasn’t how Demas started. You see and one point, we can hear that at one point Demas loved the gospel. This is because Demas was one of Paul’s ministry associates who traveled with him as he preached the gospel. We hear of him in a couple of Paul’s letters.
In his closing remarks to Philemon, Demas is reported to be with Paul.
24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
Demas was a partner in ministry with Paul. Demas was Paul’s friend and brother in Christ. Paul and Demas must have done ministry together for years before this letter was written to Timothy.
But when Paul wrote to Tim he said,
2 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)
10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.
Even though Demas wasn’t opposed to the gospel… and even though he wasn’t preaching a false gospel… he had a love for the present world and he preferred his life over sharing in death with Christ.
And as we read this, we shouldn’t assume that Demas went full pagan on Paul…
Calvin writes,
“And yet we must not suppose that [Demas] altogether denied Christ, or gave himself up either to ungodliness or to the allurements of the world; but he merely preferred his private convenience, or his safety, to the life of Paul.”
But if Demas’ love for the world seems like a small sin, consider the words of our Lord
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
The harm, is if you love money, and live just to make money, then it is impossible for you to serve God.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
While we certainly should honor our father and mother, and while we are to love all people, and yes we are to love our family… husbands love your wives and Christ loved the church… this love should never outweigh our love for the Lord.
25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
What’s wrong with loving this world? John makes it clear.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Remember again
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
Beginning in the faith will not lead to salvation if you are not faithful to the end. And if you love this world, you will no sooner enter into the kingdom of God than a Camel will get through the eye of a needle.
If we do not see the harm in loving our life and the things in this world, it is owing to the fact that we do not see rightly how much of our affection God belongs to God. God does not want our half hearted devotion. But instead he gives us this command.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
How much of our love is God after? All of it…
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
And again
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Do you understand what these Scriptures mean?
A husbands love for his wife might help us understand.
I am jealous for my wife’s love, and there is no room for another man in our marriage. And if another guy starts flirting at my wife, then we are going to have some problems. This is because I will not share my wife’s love with another man.
So too, God commanded Israel
Exodus 34:13–14 (ESV)
13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)
God is commited to his glory, and he will not share it with anyone or anything else. He calls for, and is worthy of, our single minded love and devotion.
And even though we might not have graven images with alters and pillars, God still calls us to destroy all that might distract us from loving him.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
And again
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Let me ease up for a moment. Some of you might be confused as if I am contradicting the gospel. You might think that I am preaching about a law that contradicts the good news of salvation by grace alone and faith alone. If you think that I am saying that salvation requires faith + works then you are misunderstanding what I am saying. To be abundantly clear, our works do not contribute anything to our salvation.
We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
Jesus’ finished work on the cross frees us from the penalty of sin. This is called justification. But there is another effect that the gospel has on those who have been born again. It’s called sanctification.
Justification is the removal of the penalty of sin that happens in one moment when a person is saved
And sanctification is the removal of the power of sin over the lifetime of a Christian… when I say the power of sin is removed, I mean to say that we love the world less and love Christ more!
Now to be clear, we will never be sinless on this side of eternity. But if we are saved, we will make progress in our sanctification as the power of sin and our love for the world loses its grip on our hearts.
This is why James was able to say
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But Demas has left his first love because he is in love with this present world was greater than his love for Jesus.
Demas isn’t the only one who has left the faith because of his love of the world.
There are many of us who loved the Lord…
At one point, you may have recieved the gospel with joy, and your love for the Lord grew… but the gospel never took root in your heart. And when the sun came out, your love dried for Jesus dried up. Or perhaps for others because of weeds that have choked the gospel seed… those weeds are the love the the world…and our love for lesser things have caused us to no longer love Jesus.
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
Friends, so many of you started so well… but you’ve let sin take root in your life… even a little bit of sin…
Maybe it’s bitterness
or apathy
perhaps it a love for simple comforts and pleasures that have keep you from serving in sacrificial ways
Or maybe you just don’t share the gospel because you are afraid of being rejected
But if we are honest, at the heart of it all of these sins lies one problem. We just love the world more than we love Jesus.
But there is a way for us to fight this sin. If our love is cold towards the Lord, it is owing to the fact that we do not recognize the beauty of Jesus or the riches of his kingdom. So the way we fight against lovelessness towards Christ is by getting a glimpse of his infinite worth.
Consider the parable of the hidden treasure,
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Why did the man sell all that he had? Was it because it lacked value to him? Or was it because he no longer wanted those things? No and no… rather the reason he sold it all, was because he found a treasure that had a value far surpassed all that he had. And so he sold everything, not reluctantly, nor indecisively, but he did so with joy!
Demas loved the world, because he didn’t realize that there was a greater treasure found in Christ than all the world had to offer.
But Paul found this treasure, and this is why forsook everything, even his life, so that he could receive Christ
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
If you recognize the beauty of Jesus, but have regret for denying him, don’t be discouraged, for there is good news for even those who have denied Jesus.
Listen to Paul in this list of instructions.
10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
It’s easy to miss a glorious reality that is being put on display in these verse. To many we just see some a list of names that make our palms sweat if we have to read this out loud during community groups… some of the names are more and less familiar than others. Of course we have Luke, the physician who was another ministry partner of Paul’s. This is the same Luke that wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.
And then Paul says, Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
If you don’t remember who Mark is, let me remind you.
36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
Who is Mark?… Mark was another one of Paul’s partners in ministry who deserted him years before he wrote this letter to Timothy.
Notice what has happened. Mark, who like Demas, has deserted Paul in the past, has been restored to doing ministry with Paul.
2. There is grace for those who have wandered from the faith.
2. There is grace for those who have wandered from the faith.
I am constantly amazed by God’s grace.
I stressed the first point so that we might be able to rejoice to hear that there is grace for us who have wandered from our first love, if we would repent and return to Jesus Christ.
Paul’s imprisonment and sufferings described at the end of 2 Tim have all kinds of parallels with Jesus’ passion, and we won’t go through them all this morning. But let me remind you of one of them.
Remember that Jesus, on the night that he was betrayed, he was abandoned by all his disciples. Even Peter denied Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times.
And for all intensive purposes, Peter too should have been denied by Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:12 (ESV)
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
Peter deserved to die… But Peter didn’t die did he? Instead, he received mercy and grace from Jesus after his resurrection.
And it’s not just Peter who recieved this grace, but so did the other ten disciples who abandoned Jesus during his darkest hour.
So too, John Mark was a recipient of grace even after he had denied Christ.
there is plenty of grace for you and me as well, if we would repent and turn from our sins and embrace Jesus Christ as our greatest treasurer.
But grace does more than simply pardoning sin and giving us righteousness. Grace is the very means of remaining faithful to the end.
3. We must be strengthened by grace in order to remain faithful to the end.
3. We must be strengthened by grace in order to remain faithful to the end.
Working hard, and remaining faithful is not a contradiction to the gospel of grace. Rather working hard and remaining faithful is a result of the gospel of grace.
Paul had no problem with talking about grace and work together.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
and once more…
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
The grace that gave Paul the ability to work hard in 1 Cor 15 is the same grace that Timothy would need to be strengthened by so that he would endure to do fruitful labor for the Lord.
So let‘s not get uncomfortable with the idea that we need to work hard by grace, but instead we should join Paul in this effort.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Let‘s think this way… let’s live like Paul and press on towards the goal. And when we make strides forward, recognize that it is all be owing to God’s grace.
But to clarify, we don’t press on by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps… pressing on isn’t just “do better” self talk… Pressing on isn’t new form of law keeping.... This isn’t a Pharisee 2.0.
As we press on, we do so by utilizing many means of grace that the Lord has given us. These means of grace are practices that put us in the path to receive God’s grace and strength. Paul utilized these means of grace as he finished his race. We can get a few hints from Paul’s closing remarks as to what means Paul sought even when he was isolated and in prison.
First, Paul surrounded himself with good friends.
This might sound cheesy… but this is serious… Good friends are a means of grace so that we might remain faithful to the end.
Listen to how Paul surrounded himself with good godly friends.
11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.
Paul isn’t sending and calling for all these guys because he has nothing better to do than send Tim, Mark and Tychicus all around the world.... Paul is setting himself up to finish well.
Paul needs his friends to come to him. Godly friends are a gift of God for our good. They are a wonderful means of grace. Remember, Paul longed to see Timothy.
As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.
Our need for good friends is not a sappy sentiment. When I am discouraged, and when I feel like giving up, I am so thankful for godly friends who will help steady my weary hands. Listen to the way the Scriptures describe Christian fellowship.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
17 Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Listen to the commands of the Scripture obey them so that you might be found faithful when the Lord returns. Do not be deceived into thinking that you can live the Christian life in isolation from other saints.
Paul didn’t live in isolation even when he was in prison. If the apostle needed good friends, who are we to think that we don’t?
Second, Paul sought to be strengthened by good books.
13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.
Does it surprise you to hear that the dying apostle wanted to read? Well, don’t be surprised, for books have been a means of grace for Christian edification since the beginning of the church.
Listen to Spurgeon on this subject
The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes (Chapter 4)
Even an apostle must read. He is inspired, and yet he needs books. He had seen the Lord, and yet he needs books. The apostle says to Timothy, and so he says to every Christian leader, “Give yourself to reading.” ... What is true of ministry leaders is true for all Christians. We need to read. We must study as much as possible sound theological works and expositions of the Bible. We are persuaded that the best way to spend leisure time is to be either reading or praying. We may get much instruction from books that afterward we may use as a true weapon in our Lord and Master’s service.
Friends, give yourself to reading good books. Good books are means of grace that give strength to the weak.
Paul was striving to the end. And to do so, he longed for good friends, good books.
But these means of grace, as sweet as they are, may fail us. They certainly failed for Paul.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!
Do not be surprised when men fail you. Remember, we are totally depraved. Our hope does not rest in the faithfulness of sinful men. Rather our hope rests in the faithfulness of God.
17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
These verses certainly deserve more attention than we can will give them this morning. But how was it possible for Paul to remain faithful to the end? Paul’s faithfulness to God was entirely dependent on God’s faithfulness to him.
Even though men are faithless, God is faithful to the end.
Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Paul was strengthened by grace. The Lord will give us grace as well, for our God will remain faithful to the end, for he alone will never leave us or forsake us.
To him be the glory forever and ever.