2nd Timothy Chapter 4 -- John Karmelich
1.
It is always bittersweet
for me to start typing the last lesson of any set of these studies.
a)
I heard a statement
about writing that I like:
i)
“It
is not so much writing I enjoy, as much as ‘having written’”.
ii)
It
is the idea of enjoying a finishing work and seeing what is done with it.
iii)
“Writing
is the closest experience a man can have to giving birth. It is laboring hard and long over a project
for a long time, and then seeing the results grow.” Dennis Praeger
a)
Tying
this thought to 2nd Timothy, I think of the joys of Paul’s life is
to watch his “sons in the faith” grow in their ministerial calling.
(1)
For
years Paul has worked with him as a beloved son.
(2)
Paul
wants Timothy to be a leader in the next generation of pastors.
(3)
This
last section not only gives the final commands and sections, but also a longing
for Paul to visibly see Timothy again.
It is the feeling any parent would have near the end of their life.
b)
Remember
that this letter is not only Paul’s final words to Timothy, but his final
written words, period.
i)
Paul
was near the end of his life, and Paul knew it.
ii)
This
is the last recorded words we have of Paul, chronologically in his life.
2.
I
divide Chapter 4 into four separate little sections.
a)
The
1st is Paul’s last set of “charges” to Timothy. (Verses 1-5)
b)
The
2nd is Paul reflecting on his own life. (Verses 6-8)
c)
The
3rd is Paul discussing other people who had an affect upon his
ministry. (Verses 9-20)
d)
The
4th is Paul’s closing remarks and final remarks to Timothy. (Verses 21-22)
3.
One
of the overriding themes of Paul’s letters to Timothy is the “commands”.
a)
Think
of it like a commanding officer giving orders to soldiers underneath his
authority.
b)
Many
of the verbs used in this letter are strong command type of statements.
i)
These
verbs are commands to “keep doing them continually”
as opposed to just doing them once, and then moving on to something else.
ii)
That
is an important idea as one reads these letters.
a)
Study
the verbs, and reflect upon your own life.
b)
Remember
that you are not just reading a letter from a senior pastor
to a junior pastor on how to run things.
(1)
Anyone
who has committed their life to Christ is in the full-time ministry
whether they realize it or not.
(2)
If
one has “turned their live over” to Jesus, it is not a part-time, Sunday
morning-only obligation.
(3)
It
is a full-time commitment of wanting and desiring to do the things that please
God.
(a)
A
secular occupation or a stay-at-home person is just as much in the ministry as
a “professional” minister.
(b)
It
simply means to live one’s life as if you are under the watchful eye of Jesus,
every moment of every day, as we happen to be.
Which, by the way leads wonderfully into the first verse of Chapter 4. J
4.
Chapter
4, Verse 1: In the presence of God and
of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his
appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be
prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great
patience and careful instruction.
a)
Both
Verses 1 and 2 are one sentence so I wanted to discuss them together.
b)
Let’s
suppose I was “over” you in some sort of authority role.
i)
I
would first give you a command to perform a function.
ii)
If
I felt like it, I would then explain why I was giving you that command.
iii)
Here
in Verses 1 & 2, that order is reversed:
a)
In
Verse 1, Paul explains why Timothy is to obey a particular “command”.
b)
In
Verse 2, Paul explains what that particular command is.
c)
The
specific command is to “Preach the Word”.
(1)
I’ll
discuss that more in a minute, but first let’s tackle Verse 1.
c)
Verse
1 starts with “In
the presence of God and of Christ Jesus”
i)
We
tend to forget God the Father, and God and Son watch everything we do.
a)
Well
let me expand upon that. When we are
doing things that please God, our egos remind us that God is watching. It is when we are doing things that are not
pleasing to God is when we tend to forget God is watching. J
ii)
Remember
that God is perfect. A perfect God
knows all things and cannot learn.
a)
That
means God is quite aware of all of your sins.
b)
That
also means that God called you into salvation with prior knowledge of
all the terrible things you (and me!) have done since being saved.
c)
That
alone should drive us to our knees in gratitude to God.
iii)
The
idea behind this charge is to be aware of God’s presence.
iv)
Let’s
face it; we mess up when we are not conscious of God’s presence.
a)
It
doesn’t mean to go around worrying about God zapping us for every mistake that
we do.
b)
It
is to be aware that God desires and wants to work through us.
c)
We
are God’s representatives to the world.
d)
By
letting God work though us that we can be the type of person God desires us to
be.
e)
This
ties to when Paul commanded Timothy in this letter to “stir up” the spiritual
gifts that are in him (See 2nd Timothy 1:6).
(1)
I
look at that command as “proper spiritual nutrition”.
(a)
If
we eat nothing but junk food, we become physically unproductive as our body is
not getting good nutrition.
(b)
The
same goes for our spiritual habits. If
we ignore our daily time in God’s word and prayer, we can still function, but
not as spiritually healthy as we should be.
(2)
Getting
back to being “conscious of God’s presence” is not to think about God every
moment of every day.
(a)
I
believe it is about having good spiritual habits so that God can use us on a
daily basis.
v)
This
whole concept can be summed up with the opening verse of Hebrews 12:
a)
“Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Vs. 1, NIV)
d)
Gee,
what do you say we actually move on to the next phrase of Verse 1 of Chapter 4?
i)
Don’t
worry, the pace will pick up. J
e)
Paul
says in Verse 1, “Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead”
i)
Jesus
will judge all people one day, believers and unbelievers.
ii)
First
of all, Jesus said he did not come to judge in his 1st
coming:
a)
“For
God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:17, NASB)
iii)
That
leads us to the 2nd point about Jesus and judgment. Jesus will judge us all one day. Here is my proof text:
a)
“Moreover,
the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor
the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.”
(John 5:22-24, NIV)
iv)
God
will judge everybody based on:
a)
What
knowledge we have of Jesus, and
b)
What
we did with that knowledge.
c)
Personally,
I believe that is our “entrance exam question” in heaven.
(1)
God
the Father will ask, “What did you do about my son Jesus?”
f)
Let’s
finish Verse 1, “and in view of his (Jesus’) appearing and his kingdom, I give
you this charge”.
i)
Remember
the charge (i.e., the command itself is in Verse 2).
ii)
Paul
is telling us why we should obey the command of Verse 2 here in Verse 1.
iii)
We
should obey God’s commands to us because of Jesus’ appearing & his
kingdom.
iv)
There
is a debate whether the reference in Verse 1 to “in view of his (Jesus’)
appearing is about Jesus first coming into the world or second (future).
a)
Some
argue the phrase “in view of his appearing” is about the time Jesus walked on
the earth, that is, his “first coming”.
(1)
Jesus
gave “The Great Commission” after his resurrection as follows, “Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
(Matthew 28:19, NIV)
(2)
Those
that argue that Paul is talking about Jesus first coming here is reference to
“The Great Commission”.
(3)
He
is commanding Timothy to “preach the Word” in light of the Great Commission
(4)
The
last part of Verse 1 says, “And his kingdom”.
(a)
In
context, this refers to the body-of-believers, which is the “church”.
b)
Others
argue that Paul is talking about Jesus 2nd coming.
(a)
We
are rewarded in heaven based on our loyalty to what God calls us to do.
(2)
This
view argues that Paul is talking about having as a motivation the view of Jesus
returning and then judging us on our actions.
(3)
We’ll
discuss biblical “rewards” in a few verses.
(a)
Paul
comments more on this in Verse 8.
(b)
Because
Paul does discuss his heavenly rewards in Verse 8, many see this verse
as being about Jesus’ second coming.
c)
There,
I’ve given you both views. Now you
decide which is right. J
5.
On
to Verse 2: Preach the Word; be prepared
in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience
and careful instruction.
a)
The
command itself “preach the Word”, is very personal to me.
i)
It
is a strong motivator for these studies.
It is what God called me to do.
ii)
Years
ago, I attended a conference with the title “Preach the Word”.
a)
It
changed my life. I got lots of things
out of the 2-day seminar, but nothing more important than this principal:
(1)
“Simply,
teach the Bible simply”. Chuck Smith.
b)
There
are lots of ways to learn the Bible. I
believe the best way is a systematic way of studying:
(1)
One
verse at a time;
(2)
One
section (or chapter) at a time;
(3)
One
book at a time.
c)
The
bible is designed so that each book has principals that cross reference to
other parts of the Bible.
d)
If
you study any one book of the Bible, you can’t help learning about many other
parts of Scripture.
e)
The
Bible was written over a thousand-plus year period (arguably much longer based
on when Job was written).
(1)
Yet
it is designed as an integrated message that is consistent from individual book
to book.
b)
When
Paul wrote this letter, the cannon of the Bible was not complete.
i)
Therefore,
many argue that Paul simply wanted Timothy to teach the principals of this book
and stick to the principals taught in this book.
ii)
Because
of that argument, I’m not against topical messages.
iii)
I
do believe that since the Bible is now completed and readily available, it is
the best way to study and learn what God wants you for your life.
c)
I
also want to pound home is the principal of, “application, application,
application”
i)
It
stems from an old saying in the business of real estate that the three most
important principals of real estate are “location, location, location”.
a)
It
means a real estate’s location is far more important than any other factor.
ii)
In
Bible study, the application to one’s personal life is far more important than
the historical background or its meaning.
iii)
The
Bible is like a big set of instructions.
a)
It
is only good for you if you apply those instructions to your life.
b)
The
Bible-as-literature is “just” interesting.
c)
The
Bible-as-application not only gives you eternal salvation, but also will help
you to live life to the fullest.
iv)
Again,
there is nothing, repeat nothing, greater in life to live it to be used by God.
How that is done is discovered in a systematic study of God’s word.
d)
The
next phrase is, “be prepared in season and out of season”.
i)
My
paraphrase is, “preach God Word whether you feel like or not”.
a)
The
idea is to stick to what God called you to do, whether or not it is convenient,
whether or not you feel inspired.
b)
If
you have been called, stick to it.
c)
It
is a charge to stick to what God calls you to do.
ii)
There
are days when I can’t write fast enough.
I fell like I’m taking dictation.
iii)
There
are days when I struggle through this.
a)
Some
of my best lessons have come during the struggling times.
b)
The
point is God is always there guiding us, whether we sense his presence or
not. God never forsakes us.
c)
This
is where the concept of self-discipline in your particular calling comes
in. Even if you are not called to
preach, you are called to serve God in some capacity. The point is to continue to serve God during
all times.
e)
The
last phrase of Verse 2 is, “correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience
and careful instruction.
i)
Notice
the “negative’s” come before the “positives”.
ii)
The
difference between “correct” and “rebuke” is the 1st aims for the “head” as in
rational thought, and the 2nd aims for the “heart” as to convict one
of their sins.
iii)
Remember
the topic is “preaching the word”.
a)
God’s
word has a way of doing that.
(1)
The
logic of the arguments appeal to the mind.
(2)
The
Holy Spirit convicts our hearts of what we should do.
b)
It
could also refer to one on one counseling through God’s word.
(1)
When
you see someone doing something you know is wrong, it is much better to let
God’s word convict them than you do.
(2)
There
are multitudes out there that believe the Bible is the Word of God, yet never
read it.
(a)
Sometimes
the best counseling is to show someone a verse of the Bible that applies to
their life.
(b)
That
does far more than “chewing them out” for their sin.
(i)
The
latter idea will only make people defensive.
(ii)
The
Word of God will go to their heart.
(3)
The
next time someone disagrees with your Christian lifestyle or asks you why you
don’t do this-or-that, quote a relevant verse.
(a)
That
will do far more to their head and heart than lecturing and letting people
think you are “holier than thou”.
iv)
The
last part says “with great patience and careful instruction”.
a)
We
get frustrated because we want God to work on our timetable.
b)
We
get angry with people because they don’t see what is right immediately.
(1)
The
mistake we make witnessing for Jesus is, “trying to hit a home-run, when a
single will suffice.”
c)
I’m
guilty of this. I often give too much
information to a question.
(a)
Gee,
what a surprise. J
(2)
Sometimes,
we need to focus on the question, and give the person one simple thing to think
about.
(3)
A
Christian apologist I know likes to debate with the philosophy of “leave a pebble
in their shoe”. It irritates them
enough where they have to think about it and deal with that issue.”
d)
Remember
the words of St. Francis of Assisi,
"Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary."
6.
Verse
3: For the time will come when men will not put
up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather
around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to
hear. 4 They will turn their ears
away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
a)
Paul
is still giving his motivation as to why one should preach God’s word.
b)
Whether
we like it or not, some people turn away.
i)
Jesus
himself taught on this principal.
ii)
Jesus
gave a parable where he compares the Word of God to “seeds”. He then says people can have one of four
reactions to the seed: 1) ignore it
completely,
2) some will get it, but turn away because of persecution, 3) some will get
it but turn away because they care about this world and 4) some get it, let
it grow inside of them and they become productive Christians. (See Matthew 13; 1-9, 18-23).
a)
Here
is the key verse in this situation, “The one who received the seed that fell
among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this
life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
(Matthew 13:22, NIV)
c)
The
point of this verse is that some people are going to turn away from God’s word
and listen “to whatever they want to listen”.
Paul calls it “myths”.
i)
“If
people desire a calf to worship, a ministerial calf-maker is readily found”
(Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the
New Testament, vol. 4 [New York: Scribner’s, 1904], 321).
a)
That
means if people want to study and worship something other than the principals
taught in the Bible, the demand for that worship will be met by people more
than willing to fulfill that demand.
b)
It
direct context, the quote refers to the time in the Book of Exodus where Moses’
brother Aaron made a golden calf to worship while Moses was away talking to
God. (See Exodus Chapter 32).
d)
There
are lots of modern applications to this verse.
i)
One
can name “liberal churches” that don’t take the Bible seriously.
ii)
One
can talk about the study of the evolution theory in the context of “man evolved
from nothing but random chance”.
iii)
An
evangelist named Ray Comfort talked about how most people who make a commitment
to Jesus don’t stick to that commitment.
He meant that in the context of they step forward at some type of
“revival” rally, but never follow through.
a)
The
main reason usually has something to do with the fact that people don’t want to
change their lifestyle.
b)
They
hear of the convicting words of the Bible, and they don’t want to change. They want the “love, mercy and forgiveness”,
but are not willing to commit to the change in lifestyle necessary for Christianity.
c)
Since
they don’t want to change, they go find a “seeker-friendly” church that is
more-than-willing to tell them only what they want to hear.
d)
Getting
on my soapbox, there are churches out there that have a huge congregation, only
because they satisfy what Paul says about “a great number of teachers to say
what their itching ears want to hear”.
e)
In
choosing a church for worship, my main criteria is simply, “Does your church take the Bible seriously, and
does the pastor preach and live the idea that one must change their life
in order to be a follower of Jesus?
7.
Verse
5: But you, keep your head in all situations, endure
hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your
ministry.
a)
Let
me paraphrase the last few verses together, “Timothy, people are going to leave
your congregation. Some can’t deal with
the truth of Scripture and they will turn elsewhere. Don’t focus on them, focus on those who get it and stick to
it. You can still pray for those who
walk away, but keep your focus on those who want to mature in their faith.
i)
I
believe that is what is meant by “keep your head in all situations”.
ii)
It
also ties to the next command of “endure hardship”.
b)
Remember
that Paul wrote this during a time of Christian persecution.
i)
Paul
is charging Timothy to stay focused despite that pain.
ii)
Notice
Paul never calls for a revolt against the Romans.
a)
I
do believe Christians should fight for religious freedom, whenever
possible. The priority is to get the
gospel message out despite the difficulties of the local political situation.
c)
The
next thing Paul says is, “do the work of an evangelist”.
i)
I
don’t think it means Timothy should organize Billy Graham stadium rally’s”.
ii)
You
can’t argue from the Bible that Timothy had the “gift” of evangelism.
a)
The
“gift” is that some people have a special God-given-ability to present the
gospel message, and people will accept it.
b)
If
we don’t have that gift, you and I could give the exact same message,
word-for-word, emotion-for-emotion, etc. and not get the same response.
c)
That
does not mean people can only be saved through an evangelist.
d)
It
simply means God uses some people more than others to lead others to salvation.
iii)
With
that said, God calls Timothy and all of us to “do the work of an
evangelist”.
a)
Here
are some examples:
(1)
Your
life can be an example as how one should be a Christian.
(2)
You
raise your children with Scripture, prayer and taking them to church so that
they, out of their own freewill, commit their own life to Christ.
(3)
You
pray for your co-workers that God may open their heart to the truth of
Scripture.
(4)
You
may take someone to church or some sort of evangelistic meeting so that they
may hear the gospel message.
(5)
God
may also lead you to explain how God has changed your life so that they may
believe the Gospel.
(a)
People
can argue all day about God. They can’t
argue with the evidence of how you have changed your life.
b)
Getting
back to pastors, I know many teachers who end all of their messages with a
message on how to be a Christian, or for more information contact our office,
etc. The point is to pastors is to give
people an opportunity to receive Jesus into their heart.
d)
The
last phrase is “discharge all the duties of your ministry”
i)
The
Living Bible explains it well, “Leave nothing undone that you ought to do”.
ii)
It
means to fulfill what God has called you to do.
8.
Verse
6: For I am
already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my
departure.
a)
The
topic now changes from commands to Timothy, to Paul writing his obituary.
i)
I’m
not being literal, I mean that Paul is near the end of his life and he is
teaching Timothy what is his reward for years of faithful service to Christ.
b)
The
verse says he is “being poured out like a drink offering”.
i)
There
are a number of references to a “drink offering” in the first five Bible books.
a)
It
is usually poured on top of an animal or grain, in a burning sacrifice.
b)
The
visual picture is the steam of the drink rising from the offering, like a
prayer to God.
c)
The
drink offering is usually of wine, so the aroma is also pleasant.
d)
Paul
is comparing his soon-to-come death to this type of drink offering.
e)
Some
commentators take this more literally as Paul probably knew he was going to be
beheaded for his “crime” and the blood coming forth would be like a drink
offering.
9.
Verse
7: I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing.
a)
Verse
7 and 8 are great memory verses.
i)
I
would love to be on my deathbed and be able to recite that from memory.
b)
I
don’t think Paul is saying this to brag.
Remember that this letter is written to Timothy.
i)
I
believe Paul’s purpose here is to inspire Timothy to press on despite the
danger.
ii)
Further,
Paul was facing certain death.
Sometimes reminding ourselves of our greater purpose in life can be a
comfort during the times of great trials.
c)
Our
motivation as Christians should be the same as Paul’s.
i)
At
the end of my life, I want to look back and say, “I have done what God has
asked me to do. I have lived my life to
glorify Him. I have made myself
available to God so he could use me for his glory.
a)
I
believe that is the idea Paul is getting across here.
b)
If
I die tomorrow, I would feel sorrow of not seeing the people I love
anymore. But I never want to
feel sorrow that I didn’t accomplish what God has called me to do.
(1)
Did
I make mistakes? Of course. Have I failed at times? Of course.
(2)
It
is not about being perfect. It
is not about our ability. It is
about our availability to God.
d)
Read
verses 7-8 and put your own name there.
i)
Ask
God about your “crown
of righteousness”
ii)
By
the way, the Greek word for “crown” is not a crown of a ruling king; it is more
like a “gold medal” for winning an Olympic Event.
iii)
It
is about our heavenly rewards for service to our king.
iv)
Jesus
said, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown
of life.” (Revelation 2:10, NIV)
v)
Just
what do we “do” with these “crowns” when we get to heaven?
a)
I
believe we lay them right at Jesus’ feet.
Out of gratitude of what He did for our eternal salvation, our efforts
are nothing in comparison.
b)
There’s
a passage in Revelation Chapter 4 that I believe represents the Christian
church. The idiom for the church here
is “the 24 elders.”
(1)
“The
twenty-four elders (i.e., the church) fall down before him (Jesus) who sits on
the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their
crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to
receive glory and honor and power (Revelation 4: 10-11a, NIV)
10.
Verse
9: Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved
this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to
Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
a)
From
here to the end of the Chapter, Paul starts “naming names”.
b)
One
has to remember that God works through people and desires teamwork.
Christianity was never designed to be a solo act.
i)
These
are some people who intervened with Paul.
a)
Most
worked for him, some are against him.
ii)
All
are mentioned for a purpose.
a)
Most
of the names we can logical speculate why they were included.
A few we don’t, but we can assume Timothy understood their inclusion.
c)
Before
the first name, notice Paul says to Timothy, “come to me quickly”.
i)
Paul
wanted to see Timothy one last time before his execution. He is like a parent
who wants his children around him at their deathbed.
ii)
This
must also mean Paul knew his death was immanent, but not “any day now”.
iii)
Remember
that travel from Ephesus (located in modern Turkey) to Rome was a long
journey. From some of the verses coming
up Paul wanted Timothy to take part of that journey by land and pick up some
people and things along the way.
d)
The
first name given is Demas. Demas left
Paul, “because he loved the world…”
i)
He
is mentioned in two of Paul’s letters as a co-worker. (Col. 4:14, Philemon
1:24)
ii)
Here
is a guy who apparently traveled with Paul as a missionary.
iii)
Yet
when trouble came, he “loved the world” more than Jesus.
a)
“People are like teabags. You never know what flavor they are until
you put them in hot water”. Jon Curson.
b)
Jesus
said, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has
cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33,
NIV)
e)
The
next two people mentioned in Verse 10 are Crescens (“who has gone to Galatia”),
and Titus (gone to Dalmatia).
i)
This
is the only mentioning of Crescens in the Bible, so we don’t know his history.
a)
If
Paul mentioned him, he must be familiar to Timothy, so many suspect he must
have been another of Paul’s traveling companions at one time.
ii)
Next
Paul mentions Titus. Paul’s letter to
Titus was written 1-2 years earlier.
a)
At
that time, Titus was a missionary and a pastor on the island of Crete.
iii)
Most
commentators suspect these two were still devout Christians, but they went back
on the missionary trail and left Paul in the jail cell.
a)
Commentators
suspect it wasn’t a desertion, so much as they moved on.
iv)
Paul’s
overriding point is that he is without a lot of company and support in
Rome. Some left for the wrong reasons,
and some left for good reasons.
f)
I
also want to state the fact this verse is personal to me because all 4 of my
grandparents came from Dalmatia.
Unfortunately, my Slavic ancestors didn’t arrive there until about 1,000
years after Timothy arrived. J Dalmatia is the coastline and
islands of Croatia.
11.
Verse
11: Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and
bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
a)
Luke
wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. He traveled with Paul on his
2nd missionary journey and his trip to Rome in the last few chapters
of the Book of Acts.
i)
When
you see the word “we” in Paul’s travels in Acts, Luke was with Paul.
ii)
Remember
that staying with Paul was a dangerous thing.
a)
Paul
was on trial for “practicing an illegal religion”, and therefore any friends
who are helpful are also in danger.
b)
This
alone says a lot about Luke’s character and loyalty.
b)
The
next phrase says, “Get Mark and bring him with you”.
i)
To
“get Mark”, Timothy had to find Mark.
Maybe Timothy knew where he was.
ii)
It
is fascinating to study about Mark’s life through references in the Bible.
a)
He
is also known as John-Mark. He wrote
the Gospel of Mark.
b)
He
accompanied Paul & Barnabus on their first missionary journey.
(See Acts 12:25)
c)
On
Paul’s 2nd missionary journey, Paul & Barnabus went on separate
journeys because Paul refused to take Mark along. Apparently Mark deserted them on the first journey. (See Acts
15:37-39)
d)
Now
here in 2nd Timothy, Paul says get Mark “because he is helpful to me
in my ministry.”
e)
It
shows that Mark has matured in his faith.
f)
It
goes back to my “teabag” quotation about when people are in “hot water.” Those who are truly willing to follow Jesus,
do make mistakes, but if their heart is in the right place, they eventually
grow in their faith and boldness to overcome obstacles.
12.
Verse
12: I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
a) Tychicus is a faithful messenger and helper to Paul.
i) Apparently, he is the one who delivered Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (Eph 6:21) and he delivered Paul’s letter to the Colossians (Col. 4:7).
b) Remember that Timothy is in Ephesus. Tychicus is being sent to him.
i)
He
was dispatched prior to this letter, so he’s already on the way.
13.
Verse
13: When you come, bring the cloak that
I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
a) Paul wanted Timothy to travel by land and stop at Troas.
b) A cloak is a heavy wool garment. Remember Paul’s in jail and can’t get a coat.
i) Verse 21 asks Timothy to “Do your best to get here before winter.”
c) Paul also asks Timothy to pick up “my scrolls, especially the parchments”.
i)
We
don’t know for sure, but it probably either refers to Bible writings
(Old Testament, the Gospels) or Paul’s other letters.
ii) Parchments are dyed animal skins. They have more endurance than paper scrolls.
iii) It is not sure whether Paul just wanted to study more, or write more.
a) Either way, it was a way of passing time in the jail cell.
iv) It also means you are never too old, or it is never too late to learn.
a) Despite Paul’s extensive Biblical knowledge, he still wanted to read and study the Scriptures more.
14. Verse 14: Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
a) There is a false-prophet named Alexander mentioned earlier in this letter and in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Whether or not it is the same guy as Alexander here in Verse 14, we don’t know.
i) Whoever this guy is, Timothy was aware of this person as Paul reminds Timothy to be on your guard against him.
b) Paul says in Verse 14, “The Lord will repay him for what he has done.”
i) Paul is not calling for God to strike him dead on the spot.
ii) Paul is saying “He is God’s problem, not mine.”
a) It is not Paul’s problem, or Timothy’s problem to get revenge.
b) This verse is a good balance between “letting God deal with your problems” and the principal of having good boundaries.
c) On one hand, Paul is saying “Let God deal with him”. At the same time, Paul is warning Timothy to “be on your guard against him.”
c) When it comes to the gospel message, the vast majority of non-believers are “neutral” on Christianity. They simply wish devout Christians would leave them alone and let them “enjoy” their lifestyle without any guilt. The point is they don’t persecute Christians.
i) There is a minority who zealously oppose the Gospel message. They spend time and effort to oppose the teaching of the Gospel.
ii) This is the type Paul is urging Timothy to be on his guard against.
iii) This is the “Alexander the metalworkers” of the world.
15. Verse 16: At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.
a) In Roman trials, like American trials in criminal court, there are two hearings.
i) The first is an “arraignment” hearing. This is where the charged party just pleads innocent or guilty, and then a trial date is set. The prosecuting attorney shows that there is enough evidence to have a trial.
ii) This is what Paul mean by “his first trial.
b) For those of you who familiar with the book of Acts, these verses can be a little confusing.
i) History records that the trial in Rome as described in the Book of Acts ended with Paul going free. Paul went back on the road. He was later arrested again, and this is why Paul is on trial again.
c) Back to the verses, Paul is saying no one stood by him in his arraignment hearing.
i) It is understandable from our viewpoint. Remember Christianity was illegal.
d) Notice Paul did not say, “Cursed be my so-called-friends for not standing by me!”
i) He said, “May it not be held against them.”
ii) Paul understood what was at stake, and didn’t blame them.
e) There are times in our Christian faith when we only have God alone to depend upon.
i)
God
may even allow our Christian friends to desert us so our dependency is
more on Him.
ii) I think Paul understood that by reading these verses. That is why he didn’t put any blame on them. It was all part of God’s plan.
f) I love Paul’s attitude about the trial. Paul said, “the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.”
i) To Paul, the trial was not about saving his life.
ii) It was just another wonderful opportunity to present the Gospel message to a roomful of Gentile dignitaries and onlookers!
iii) I’ve stated many times that non-believers observe us more when we are in trouble. There is no better time to proclaim your faith in Jesus and let others see how you can have peace through the most difficult of trials.
g) The last phrase is, “And I was delivered from the lion's mouth”.
i) Commentators debate over how literal this phrase was.
a) A possible punishment method for Paul was to be given to the lions to eat.
b) Since Paul’s life was delayed from the initial trial, that may have been what he meant.
c) The not-so-literal argument says that Roman law does not allow Roman Citizens to be given that type of punishment. Only a Roman slave could receive that punishment. Paul was a citizen. (See Acts 22:28)
(1)
In
Peter’s first letter, Peter calls Satan “a roaring lion”.
(2)
The
not-so-literal view believes that is what Paul meant here.
(3)
If
you read this verse in context of the next verse, you can also see the
not-so-literal viewpoint that Paul is referring to Satan as a lion.
16.
Speaking
of the next verse, J here is Verse 18: The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and
will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
a)
Paul
has the confidence that his eternal salvation is secured no matter what
evil attack comes his way. He may live
another day to witness for Jesus, or he may be called home.
17.
Verse
19: Greet Priscilla and Aquilla and the
household of Onesiphorus.
a)
A
few more greetings before we close.
b)
Priscilla
and Aquilla are a missionary couple.
i)
They
are mentioned a number of times in the Book of Acts as traveling companions
with Paul and fellow missionaries.
ii)
You
get the impression that Priscilla was the missionary “leader” as she is usually
mentioned first. Maybe she led the
missionary work while her husband provided for the family.
c)
Next
we have “the household of Onesiphorus.”
i)
It
could refer to Onesiphorus’ immediately family or his house-church.
a)
There
were no church buildings in those days.
People met in homes.
ii)
Onesiphorus
is mentioned in Chapter 1 of this letter as one “often refreshed me and was not
ashamed of my chains.”
a)
He
may have been with Paul in Rome and now he is gone again.
iii)
Many
believe he is the same person as “Onesimus” who is a slave and a missionary to
Paul as discussed in Paul’s letter to Philemon.
18.
Verse
20: Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I
left Trophimus sick in Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus
greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.
a)
Erastus
is mentioned in Acts 19:22 and Romans 16:23 as a missionary.
i)
Timothy
may have wondered, “Whatever happened to Erastus?” They were mentioned as working together in Acts 19.
b)
Paul
says, “I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.”
i)
You
can tell Paul had the heart of a missionary and pastor.
ii)
Paul
was on death row, and he is worried that he left Trophimus sick in Miletus!
c)
The
last four names that are mentioned are all Latin (Roman) names, and most
believe is more-recent Roman converts that Paul is saying that they send their
greetings.
19.
Verse
22: The Lord be with your spirit. Grace
be with you.
a)
Paul’s
final recorded words.
b)
It
is a benediction for God to give Timothy strength to accomplish His will.
c)
Paul
ends with grace be with you.
i)
Paul’s
opening words to Timothy in Chapter 1 was “Grace and peace”.
ii)
In
a sense Paul’s letter “wraps” around the concept of God’s Grace.
iii)
Our
entire relationship with God also wraps around God’s Grace.
iv)
It
is only by God’s unmerited favor (i.e., “God’s grace”) that we even exist, that
we can live, that we can communicate with God, and spend eternity with Him.
a)
“But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace
you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5,
NIV)
20. On that note, we’ll wrap it up for Paul’s Letters to Timothy. Let’s pray: Father, we thank you for these lessons you have taught us through these two letters. As believers in Jesus, you have called all of us into the ministry. Help us to apply the commands taught in these letters to our lives, so that we can glorify you. Help us to remember that we are fully dependant upon your grace for our lives as we walk moment by moment letting you work through us for your ultimate glory. For we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
On the
next page is a bibliography for my studies on 1st and 2nd
Timothy.
“If I have seen further, it
is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”
(Isaac Newton)
Without
prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, all these commentaries are useless. My weekly prayer was for God to show me the
things He wanted me to learn, and
second, the lessons He wanted me to pass on in my writings. I have quoted many sources throughout these
lessons. If any of these writers appeal
to you, I invite you to read or listen to further commentaries as listed
below. I have also quoted other sources
not listed, and those names are usually listed in the lessons. These other authors were usually quoted from
the materials listed below and taken from those sources.
First
and foremost, the greatest commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. I mostly quote The New International Version
(NIV), The New King James Version (NKJV), The King James Version (KJV) and the
paraphrased-translations: The Living Bible (TLB) and the Good News Bible
(GNB). The Bible text used is from the
NIV. I use the NIV in my text, as it is
currently the most popular. I don’t have
a particular favorite translation and I use lots of translations.
Here are the commentaries I have referenced over the past lessons, (in no particular order). The reference to “audio” commentary means the information was gathered via the Internet in Real Audio® Format, unless otherwise stated.
1.
Commentary on 1st and 2nd Timothy by Jon Curson. It is in book form from Harvest
House Publishing. It is also available
via Real Audio® at http://firefighters.org/index.htm
2.
Commentary on 1st and 2nd Timothy by David Guzik. It is available for free in text format. The
web address is http://calvarychapel.com/simivalley/library_commentaries.html His commentary is also published
in book format.
3. Macarthur’s New Testament
Commentary:
1st Timothy and 2nd Timothy; By John MacArthur, Jr. Moody
Press, Chicago, IL Copyright © 1995 by
The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago;
Also available in electronic format through Parsons Technology (“QuickVerse®
7.0”) Copyright © 1997, Parsons Technology, Inc., PO Box 100, Hiawatha, Iowa.
All rights reserved.
4.
Audio Commentary on 1st and 2nd Timothy by Chuck
Missler,
available at K-House Ministries 1-800-KHOUSE1.
The web address is http://www.khouse.org/
It is also available through Real Audio® http://firefighters.org/html/library.cfm
5.
Audio Commentary on 1st and 2nd Timothy by Chuck
Smith, from
the “6,000 series”. It is available at
Chapel Store, at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, CA. Other sermons by Chuck Smith are available online at http://www.thewordfortoday.org/
6.
Audio Commentary on 1st and 2nd Timothy by Ray
Steadman Each message is available in print and
Real Audio® format. It’s
available for free at
www.pbc.org/dp/audio/3764.html (1st Timothy) and
www.pbc.org/dp/audio/3782.html (2nd Timothy) and
7.
The Expositor’s Bible Encyclopedia, Zondervan Publications, (via CD-ROM 1998
release). This is a multi-volume encyclopedia with notes on every verse of the
Bible. (It is available at Christian bookstores.) Paperback books are published on individual Bible books from this
source.
8.
The Life Application Bible, Zondervan Publishing http://www.zondervanbibles.com/0310919770.htm
9.
Nelson’s Quick Reference Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Commentary Warren Wiersbe, Nelson
Publishing 1991.
Bonus Material – Below is the class handouts. It is a “summary” version of this lesson.
Notes for 2nd Timothy – Chapter 4 (Page 1 of 6)
Introduction: The final words given to Timothy prior to
Paul’s Death
2nd Timothy,
Chapter 4, Verses 1-2: “In the presence of God and
of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his
appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word;
i.
Let’s
face it; we mess up when we are not conscious of God’s presence.
i.
It
is about having good spiritual habits so that God can use us on a daily basis.
i.
“Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV)
i.
“For
God did not send the Son into the world to judge (or condemn) the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:17, NASB)
i.
“Moreover,
the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor
the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” (John 5:22-24, NIV)
i.
What
knowledge we have of Jesus, and What we did with that knowledge.
ii.
Personally,
I believe that is our “reward test” in heaven is based on this question:
1.
God
the Father asking, “What did you do about my son Jesus?”
i.
If
its Jesus’ first coming, our motivation is to complete the “Great Commission”
(Matthew 28:19, NIV) which is to preach the Gospel to all the world.
1.
The
reference to “his kingdom” refers to all believers.
ii.
If
Paul is talking about Jesus 2nd appearing, than Paul is saying that
the motivation should be our eternal rewards.
iii.
Either
way, it is written for us to obey God’s commands for our lives.
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 4 (Page 2 of 6)
Verse 2: “Preach the Word; be prepared
in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience
and careful instruction.”
i.
One
verse or phrase at a time;
ii.
One
section (or chapter) at a time;
iii.
One
book at a time.
iv.
This
method is called “Expository Study” of God’s word.
1.
The
other common method is a “topical” study.
In a topical study, one looks for all the verses in the bible relevant
to a particular topic.
i.
“Who
cares about the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites, when my kids are
home sick and I have bills to pay?”
Haddon W. Robinson (paraphrased)
ii.
What
he meant was a good bible teacher focuses on personal application.
i.
We
need to study the bible in “bite-size-chunks” that we and others can digest.
ii.
The
same can be said about teaching others about Christianity. Don’t overload people with too much
information. Work in “bite-size chunks.
i.
“But
the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,”
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 4 (Page 3 of 6)
Verses 3-4: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound
doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a
great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
i.
This
quote refers to the time where Moses’ brother Aaron made a golden calf to
worship while Moses was away talking to God.
(See Exodus Chapter 32).
Verse 5: “But you, keep your head in
all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all
the duties of your ministry.”
1.
Let
me paraphrase the last few verses together, “Timothy, people are going to leave
your congregation. Some can’t deal with
the truth of Scripture and they will turn elsewhere. Don’t focus on them, focus on those who get it and stick to
it. You can still pray for those who
walk away, but keep your focus on those who want to mature in their faith.
2.
I believe that is what
is meant by “keep your head in all situations” and “endure hardship”.
3.
Remember
that Paul wrote this during a time of Christian persecution.
a.
Notice
Paul never calls for a revolt against the Romans.
b.
I
do believe Christians should fight for religious freedom, whenever
possible.
c.
The
priority is to the gospel message over the difficulties of the political
situation.
4.
The
next thing Paul says is, “do the work of an evangelist”.
a.
I
don’t think it means Timothy should organize Billy Graham stadium rallies.
b.
You
can’t argue from the Bible that Timothy had the gift of evangelism.
1.
The
gift of evangelism is to have a special God-given-ability to present the gospel
message, and people will turn their lives over to Christ.
2.
That
does not mean people can only be saved through an evangelist.
3.
It
means God uses some people more than others to lead others to salvation.
5.
With
that said, God calls Timothy and all of us to “do the work of an evangelist”.
a.
Here
are some examples:
1.
Raising
your children as Christians is doing the work of an evangelist.
2.
Praying
for the salvation of your co-workers and friends.
3.
Taking
someone to church or some sort of evangelistic meeting.
4.
Explaining
how God has changed your life so that they may believe the Gospel.
b.
"Preach
the gospel at all times, use words if necessary." (St. Francis of Assisi)
6.
The
last phrase of Verse 5 is, “Discharge all the duties of your ministry”
a.
The
Living Bible explains it well, “Leave nothing undone that you ought to do”.
b.
It
means to fulfill what God has called you to do.
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 4 (Page 4 of 6)
Verse 6: “For I am already
being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.”
Verses 7-8: “I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing.”
a.
It
is not about being perfect. It is not
about our ability. It is about our availability
to God.
a.
The
Greek word for “crown” is not a crown of a ruling king;
it is more like a “gold medal” for winning an Olympic Event.
b.
It is about our heavenly
rewards for service to our king.
c.
Jesus
said, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown
of life.” (Revelation 2:10, NIV)
d.
Just
what do we do with these “crowns” when we get to heaven?
1.
I
believe we lay them right at Jesus’ feet.
Out of gratitude of what He did for our eternal salvation, our efforts
are nothing in comparison.
2.
There’s
a passage in Revelation Chapter 4 that I believe represents the Christian
church. The idiom for the church here
is “the 24 elders.”
3.
“The
twenty-four elders (i.e., the church) fall down before him (Jesus) who sits on
the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their
crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to
receive glory and honor and power (Revelation 4: 10-11a, NIV)
Verse
9: “Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone
to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.”
1.
From
here to the end of the Chapter, Paul starts “naming names”.
2.
One
has to remember that God works through people and desires teamwork.
a.
Christianity
was never designed to be a solo act.
3.
These
are some people who intervened with Paul.
a.
Most worked for him,
some are against him. All are mentioned
for a purpose.
4.
Before
the first name, notice Paul says to Timothy, “come to me quickly”.
a.
Paul
wanted to see Timothy one last time before his execution.
5.
The
first name given is Demas. Demas left
Paul, “because he loved the world…”
a.
He
is mentioned in two of Paul’s letters as a co-worker. (Col. 4:14, Philemon
1:24)
b.
Yet
when trouble came, Demas “loved the world” more than Jesus.
1.
“People
are like teabags. You never know what
flavor they are until you put them in hot water.” Jon Curson.
6.
The
other names were missionary friends of Paul who went back on the road.
7.
Paul’s
overriding point is that he is without a lot of company and support in
Rome.
Some left for the wrong reasons, and some left for good reasons.
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 4 (Page 5 of 6)
Verse 11: “Only Luke is with me. Get
Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”
c.
On
Paul’s 2nd missionary journey, Paul & Barnabus went on separate journeys
because Paul refused to take Mark along.
Apparently Mark deserted them on the first journey. (See Acts 15:37-39)
d.
Here
in 2nd Timothy, Paul says get Mark, “Because he is helpful to me in my
ministry.”
e.
It
shows that Mark has matured in his faith.
f.
It
goes back to my “teabag” quotation about when people are in “hot water.” Those who are truly willing to follow Jesus,
do make mistakes, but if their heart is in the right place, they eventually
grow in their faith and boldness to overcome obstacles.
Verse
12: “I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.”
Verse
13: “When
you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls,
especially the parchments.”
Verses
14-15: “Alexander the metalworker did me a great
deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him,
because he strongly opposed our message.”
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 4 (Page 6 of 6)
Verses
16-17: “At my first defense, no one came to my
support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength,
so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles
might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.”
Verse
18: “The
Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his
heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Verse
19: Greet Priscilla and Aquilla and the
household of Onesiphorus.
Verse
20: “Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left
Trophimus sick in Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here
before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the
brothers.”
Verse
22: The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with
you.