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ToBeLikeHim.com Return to Timothy Series Timothy Series Studies in 2nd Timothy 2nd Timothy Chapter 4 John Baugh "Preach
the Word" 1I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His
kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn
aside to myths. 5But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work
of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and
the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith; 8in the future 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. Personal
Concerns 9Make every effort to come to me soon; 10for Demas, having loved this
present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens
has gone to Galatia, Titus to 11Only Luke is with me Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for
he is useful to me for service. 12But Tychicus I have sent to 13When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will
repay him according to his deeds. 15Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed
our teaching. 16At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me;
may it not be counted against them. 17But 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. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring
me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.
Amen. 19Greet Prisca and Aquila,
and the household of Onesiphorus. 20Erastus remained at 21Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus
greets you, also Pudens and Linus
and Claudia and all the brethren. 22The Lord be with your spirit Grace
be with you. The
Last Known Words of Paul The
sobering thought that comes to my mind as I begin my description of this last
chapter of Second Timothy is that in these few remaining sentences (as I
count – a total of nineteen in the New American Standard Translation), this
incredible world traveling evangelist, church builder, faithful missionary
and apostle will complete his last known correspondence. These are certainly
not casual words and there is no reason to view them as such. Given his
situation, Paul surely must have intended to bring things to a close with
words of life completing importance. The reasonable question is, “What things
– what topics - are so important as to be restated and shared at the very
end?” Preach the Word: 1I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His
kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4and will turn away their ears
from the truth and will turn aside to myths. How
Could Paul Have Known The Situation of Today So Well? It
is difficult to read Paul’s words to Timothy here and not to think that he is
exactly describing the world we inhabit today. Although Paul placed pen to
paper almost 2000 years ago, his words fit in with today’s situation very
well. One of the incredible things about scripture is how relevant it is and
how well it fits in to the today of life. And
so Paul begins Chapter 4 of this letter by telling Timothy how important the
things are that he has been called to do. I am not aware of any way Paul
could be more serious than with his statement: ”I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His
kingdom: 2preach
the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with
great patience and instruction.” Most
people see their efforts for the Lord as being almost insignificant in the great
scheme of life and Timothy may have been no different. Considering everything
that Perhaps,
more importantly, he chose to remind Timothy in the presence of whom he would
be working and their importance. He tells Timothy he is working in the
presence of the one who created the universe and everything in it – the
eternal ruler who is in control of all events and every breath of every
living soul. Paul also reminds Timothy that he will carry out his work in the
sight of the only begotten (singularly unique) son of the father, who is
designated to be the judge over all men and women, who has exposed, examined
and knows the contents of every human heart, both believer and unbeliever, so
that at the accounting of judgment there will be nothing withheld from the
Lord of Lords and King of Kings. With
this understanding of importance, Paul tells Timothy to: ·
“Preach the Word” – This is the most
essential element of Christian witness to a dying world. The importance of
the word is stated time after time throughout scripture. It is what God gave
us so that we could see him. It is our instruction. It is what convicts us.
It is what brings us comfort and peace. It is the way we were given to
salvation. This exhortation is not written just to pastors.
It is an instruction that scripture places on all believers. In fact the word
“preach” as used here might be better translated as announce, proclaim, set
it forth, deliver the truth or make it known. Each of us should make the word
known around the world. In that way, we take the “Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven” of the Lord’s Prayer and put it into action, (as if we
really meant it when we prayed the words). Our job is not to argue the word. It is not to
use it to beat people up with the word. It is to live it, cherish it and
share it as we go from place to place and in every situation (Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven). Our hearts and our mouths should announce,
proclaim, set forth deliver and make known the word in whatever situation God
places us and at whatever opportunity he provides. ·
The statement “never be in a position where
you are not ready to preach” tells Timothy how he is to preach the word. If
Paul were a Scout Master and Timothy a Boy Scout, he would tell him to “Be
Prepared”. Paul uses the words, be ready. Obviously being ready indicates
some sort of preparation before hand and the Christian needs to be ready. We
get that way through time in the word, thought, practice and experience.
Those who are best at witnessing have witnessed before. They have some level
of past experience in sharing (in season and out of season). No effective witness begins with, “There is
something I want to share with you, if I can just remember it…” In season and out of season does not mean that we
are to force or witness on people regardless of their desire to hear it. It
means that we are to be ready at any moment not whether we are ready or not,
but that we must always be ready. ·
Use the word to reprove, rebuke and exhort –
there are a variety of ways to use the word, all of which are applicable and
valuable in the life of witness, ad so we use the word to reprove (admonish,
take to task), rebuke (call on the carpet), and exhort (cheer or encourage). ·
Do these things with great patience and (a
spirit of) instruction – The word is not a whip and not a tool for
punishment. We are to use it in a manner of patience and instruction, where
we present the word and rely on the Holy Spirit for conviction. The gospel is
logical and should appeal to the mind as right and correct – reasonable. No
psychological tricks, gimmicks or pressure tactics are needed to show the
relevance and application of grace, mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation and
healing to broken lives. The gospel naturally appeals to our emotions, but
conviction need not rely on emotional appeal. Our witness should be
straightforward and certain. Conviction should come as a realization of the
truth and application of that truth to the lives of those we seek to reach as
we proclaim the truth. Coming Times 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn
aside to myths. Paul
looks at scripture and our (the world’s) relationship to the soundness of
God’s Holy word and warns Timothy that At some point, men will turn away from
the things that God has placed before us. God’s doctrine (seeking righteousness,
loving justice, turning away from sin and hate and pursuing a life of service
to him and others) will cease to be desirable to men. Instead they will seek
to meet only their needs of self. Paul states this in terms of those who seek
to tickle their ears with the teachings of those who meet their own desires.
Obviously, the desires of these people (seeking to have their ears tickled)
are not the the desires (the will) of God. Paul
says that these people will no longer “endure” sound doctrine. Obviously
anyone who endures anything has already stopped seeking it out and enjoying
it. The fully righteous person who loves the Lord and seeks to do his will
daily (with a desire to grow in righteousness) never considers Gods doctrine
to be something that is endured. In his statement, Paul knows that these
people have grown even colder than those who simply endure God’s doctrine.
They have turned away from God, to the teachings of man and the reasoning of
the world. They have reached a point where they “accumulate” teachers who
will tell them the things they want to hear. In
turning away from sound teaching, they turn away from the things of God,
which are provided for us in order to support and maintain our spiritual
health and well being. Just as junk food will eventually kill the body, junk
teaching will eventually kill the soul. Paul
says that they will “turn their ears away from the truth”. Not only do they
no longer hear the truth (the healthy things God provides for maintenance of
spirit and soul and guidance of life toward wholeness and righteousness),
they take whatever steps are needed to avoid the truth and as Paul writes,
they turn aside (from the truth) to Myths (anything to provide the things
they want to hear). In the same way that children cannot live on candy bars
and sugar cookies the spirit and soul cannot exist on a diet of myth and
false teachings. Spiritual malnourishment eventually leads to spiritual
sickness a death of the spirit. Someone
said that accepting the truth of God’s holy word requires us to admit human
weakness and that people do not like to admit that they are weak. The worldly
human condition believes that we can make it on our own strength and that
submission to the authority of God (accepting the truth of scripture) and
placing our lives within his will is not needed and so the world rejects the
truth that God’s way is the only way to wholeness and well being. As Paul
writes, the world turns away from the truth and toward the things it wants to
hear. Reality eventually shows us that seeking the way of the world, relying
on our understanding and belief and surrounding ourselves with those who tickle
our ears with the attractive lies, speculative philosophies and theological
fantasies we want to hear will only lead us to spiritual harm, injury and
death. Passing the Torch 5But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work
of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and
the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith; 8in the future 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. As
to the question of Paul’s understanding of the gravity of his prison situation,
we can only speculate, but his words in this portion of his letter certainly
support his “passing the torch” to Timothy. All through this last letter, he
has challenged the young pastor toward a commitment to the ministry in Paul
was certain of his ministry. He had stated it very well several years earlier
in an address to the church in "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.” (Acts
20:24 NASB) Here
in his letter to Timothy he drops all pretenses (if he ever minced his words)
and plainly states his condition and hopes for Timothy. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work
of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5 NASB) Once
again, he challenges Timothy to do the work of an evangelist (Paul’s own
mission in life as he had stated in So
what work is that? For
Timothy’s time, evangelism was the most significant work of the church. As an
evangelist, he was announcing the Father’s plan for advancing his kingdom. He
was sharing the good news (Gospel) of the new covenant of the Father’s plan
to reach a lost world and to provide reconciliation (reunion) through his
son. As a teacher evangelist, Timothy was to build up the foundation that the
church of today sits upon. He was to share the good news and teach those who
would go out from “Take my place” There
can be little doubt why Paul is so serious, but if there is, he suddenly
writes very serious words to his son in the faith. 6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and
the time of my departure has come. Paul
states his condition in no uncertain terms. He is being poured out as an
offering to the Lord (“already being poured out”). In his mind he has come to
the understanding that the time for that to happen has come. There can be no
delay. He knows in his heart that the time for Timothy to take over the work
has arrived. Pastor
Ray Stedman describes the drink offering this way: “The
‘sacrifice’ is a reference to the drink offering which in the Jewish feasts
terminated the great Day of Atonement. At the end of all the offerings, a
drink offering, a jug of wine, was poured out upon the altar. Paul sees
himself in that way. Perhaps he knows that he is about to be beheaded. That
was the Roman method of execution for those who were Roman citizens. Others
were crucified, but citizens had the right to be beheaded if they were to be
executed. So Paul, according to tradition, was taken out and had his head
laid on a block and an executioner with an axe or a sword severed his head.
Paul saw the pouring out of his blood as a drink offering. He seems to
have no regrets at all about this. He does not view it as a disaster, a thing
to be feared. He sees it as a normal outcome of the kind of life he lived, a
sacrificial life so to be poured out as a sacrifice is a fitting conclusion …
I do not think Paul looked toward this with any dread whatsoever, but with
expectation and thankfulness that his death could be like his ministry, a
pouring out of himself on behalf of others.” To
see Paul as viewing his death as an offering to the Lord, poured out on
behalf of others is a huge testimony to his faith in the Lord. The time of my departure: Again,
from Ray Stedman, referencing the Revised Standard Translation “The time of
my loosing has come” The second
word Paul employs is one that is used of soldiers when they pull up their
tent-stakes and leave. The word is also used in Greek literature of a ship
that looses its moorings and sets out to sea. Surely that is the most
beautiful figure the apostle could employ: "The time of my loosing has come."
He will be set free from earthly ties to sail out on a new adventure in life.
What a wonderful view of death that is! There is no fear on the apostle's
part, no regrets over his termination as a sacrifice, but a sense of
adventure as he sails out into a new experience of life with Christ. "To
depart and to be with Christ ... is far better," he says in Philippians
{Phil 1:23}. Why Pass the Torch? In
his heart, Paul knows that the church is changing. The time of the Gospel
definition of Apostles is coming to an end and so he challenges Timothy to
take on the new role of Apostle, not as one who had walked with Jesus as the
twelve, or as one selected by Jesus as with Paul on the Road to Damascus, but
as one to be sent out to proclaim the good news to the world (Inwardly
motivated to go out). It is the same role each of us is challenged to fulfill
today. What is Paul’s State of 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith; 8in the future 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
has considered his performance and knows what his testimony will be when he
faces the Master. In his mind, the things of importance are clear. · He has
fought the good fight. He did it right. He chose the proper fight; the worthy
cause. In his mind, if he was to fight, it must be the worthy fight and in
fighting for Christ Jesus, he has chosen well. Notice that Paul did not say I
have fought a good fight. He said
the fought the good fight. He
selected well. · He has
finished the course. We do not know everything about the course Paul ran, but
we do know that he finished it. In his mind, whatever Christ Jesus placed
before him, Paul ran. In his mind. He completed the assigned course. · He kept
the Faith. He remained true, regardless of cost, he
remained faithful to his Lord. And
so he looks to the future. ·
There is laid up for him (already in place)
a crown of righteousness. He will receive whatever reward is reserved for
those deemed righteous. Having been made righteous by the blood of Christ, he
now awaits the crown he will receive at judgment. ·
The Lord (the righteous judge), having
judged him on that day, will award him for his faithfulness and effort.
Perhaps Paul is thinking of his scheduled appearance before Nero (the
unrighteous judge). Regardless, he knows his Lord as the only righteous
judge. ·
He will not be the only one who will receive
a reward at judgment. Others (who have loved his appearing) will also be
rewarded at judgment. The reward of righteousness will be a shared reward. Personal Concerns 9Make every effort to come to me soon; 10for Demas, having loved this
present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens
has gone to Galatia, Titus to 11Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you,
for he is useful to me for service. 12But Tychicus I have sent to 13When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. It
is easy to read verses 9 – 13 and imagine the loneliness of this old (65
years plus or minus) warrior for the Gospel as he sits in the cold dampness
of Mamertine prison awaiting his execution. For most of his life as a
missionary, Paul has traveled, preached and taught with the company of
several close associates. It is no longer that way in these closing days. His
fellow worker, Demas has deserted him, leaving him in his Roman Prison cell
for the worldly comforts of Thessalonica.
Perhaps he was frightened of the dangers to be encountered in Likewise,
Crescens has departed for Galitia
and Titus for And
so in his letter, he calls for Timothy to depart Only Luke is With Me I
can imagine no more touching statement of faithfulness to a friend than these
five words and what they must have meant to Paul, and to Dr. Luke (“the
beloved physician” Colossians 4:14). It would have been extremely difficult
for Luke to have remained in Pick up Mark and Bring
Him with You for He is Useful to Me for Service Paul’s
request for Timothy to find and bring John Mark with him is on the same level
of importance to me as is his mention of Luke staying at his side. From
Luke’s account of Paul’s first missionary journey in Acts 13 we learn that
John Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas and then deserted the team when they
reached Pamphylia. (Acts 13:13). NO reason is given
for his leaving, only that he returned to It
gives me great comfort to read that Paul eventually forgives the young
disciple and author of the Book of Mark (probably the Gospel according to
Peter). For whatever problems they may have had in the past, Paul asks for
Mark at this time of great need in his life. One of the modern translations
of 2 Timothy words this passage “He is a good man to have around the place”.
We have no way of knowing if Timothy and Mark reached Paul before his
execution, but I hope they did. When things are dark “good men” are wonderful
companions. My hope is that in the end, Luke, Timothy and John Mark were
there with Paul. Here
Paul mentions that he is sending Tychicus to A Cold and Lonely Old Man It
is easy to think of Paul as a strong warrior for Christ, willing to walk into
any fight or the most hostile of circumstances with no fear or regret and
that is the way I like to see him as I think of who
he was and what he did. There is another Paul though that we should remember.
When this letter was composed, Paul would have been in his 60’s. He had been
on the missionary trail for many years, traveling by foot all across the
known world of that time. Living outside when traveling, working as a
tentmaker to support his itinerant ministry and suffering from beatings,
stoning, nights sleeping on the ground and finally incarceration in Mamertine
Prison, a cold damp hole in the ground, across from the Tiber River and
subject to migration of water from the river through the walls, leaving the
cells damp and cold. Additionally, the top of the prison was little more than
a hole in the ground, allowing any rain fall to enter. Historians say that
the rule of Mamertine was that to enter as a prisoner was a death sentence in
itself; that before long, the sanitary and environmental conditions within
the prison would accomplish the executioner’s task for him. The
second Paul is the person who comes through in the requests Paul makes in
verse 13. 13When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. There
is little doubt that Paul knew he would be in trouble with the coming of
winter. He knew that he would need the cloak to help stay warm and dry.
Perhaps Paul was arrested in Difficult Memories 14Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will
repay him according to his deeds. 15Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed
our teaching. Paul
believes that he needs to warn Timothy about the potential harm that
Alexander the Coppersmith has caused. It could be that Alexander was the person
who turned Paul over to the Roman Authorities when he was arrested (perhaps
in Paul
does not tell Timothy to have anything to do with Alexander. There is no “get
even” bitterness in Paul’s heart. Instead he turns Alexander over to the
Lord. Paul’s Report of His
First Defense in Rome 16At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me;
may it not be counted against them. 17But 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. Sadly,
Paul’s first involvement with the Paul
then reports that so far, he has been rescued from the Lion’s mouth. This probably
indicates that Nero’s wrath has been postponed and that he has been saved
from Satan. Some believe that this statement indicates that Paul was grateful
that he was not thrown to the loins in the Coliseum after his initial
arraignment. However, if records are accurate, this favorite way of Nero for
dealing with Christians he wanted to get rid of was not implemented until about
three years later. It
is true that in cases where no one was willing to stand up for an accused
person, the court had the right to have the prisoner executed immediately and
Paul was grateful that this did not happen, delivering him (immediately) to the
mouth of the lion (Nero or Satan). Paul’s Prayer, Concerning
his Condition. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring
me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.
Amen. At
this point, Paul seems to not be praying for release from prison. He is
praying for deliverance to Heaven. If this statement is as it reads, Paul
knows that he will eventually lose his life to the Roman executioner and in
hi sprayer he deals with that. His hope at this point is that God will rescue
him from the evil deeds of the Roman’s who are holding him prisoner (mistreatment
by his jailers) and that he will be delivered safely to God’s heavenly
kingdom. For that he gives glory to God. Final Words to a Select
Few 19Greet Prisca and Aquila,
and the household of Onesiphorus. Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquila are the tentmakers Paul
first met in Paul
also sends greetings to the family of Onesiphorous,
the man who sought him out in Prison and refreshed him during his darkest
times. Apparently, his friend is still away from his family. 20Erastus remained at In
his letter to the Romans, Paul mentions that Erastus is the city treasurer of
In
21Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus
greets you, also Pudens and Linus
and Claudia and all the brethren. We
have no knowledge of who Eubulus is, only that he
is in Pudens, Linus and Claudia are
all Roman Christians who send greetings to the church in Conclusion of a Life Well
Lived We
do not know if Timothy and John Mark made it to If
Timothy had been able to make it to It
is interesting to note that within two or three years of executing Paul, Nero
had committed suicide and was no more. So, What Were Paul’s
Final Words? We
don’t know. All we have are his last words to Timothy. 22The Lord be with your spirit Grace
be with you. The
Lord be with your spirit – That is our hope. The
presence of the Lord is the foundation of Life for the believer; the rock
upon which everything else must be built. What we seek is the union of our
spirit with his Holy Spirit, giving us power when needed, peace when needed
and the assurance of his grace throughout our days. Grace
be with you – That is our need. Daily we seek to
live in his grace, giving us what we do not deserve, strengthening us and
feeding us to meet the needs of each day. Copyright © 2009, by ToBeLikeHim Ministries |