Soldiers for Christ: 2 Timothy 4:9-22

We come to the end. The end of 2 Timothy, the end of the last book written by the Apostle Paul, and the end of the Apostle Paul's life today.

The text tells us that Paul has been through his first defense, that's verse 16, at which no one came to his support, but everyone deserted him.

Most commentators today believe the first defense is not referring to Paul's first Roman imprisonment. You recall Paul was imprisoned in Rome. He's there at the end of the book of Acts under house arrest. Most commentators believe he was released from that first imprisonment and then later re-arrested under the reign of the emperor Nero. And criminal defendants under Roman law are sort of like criminal defendants in our court system.

They would get a preliminary hearing to see if there was sufficient evidence to hold them over for a final trial, and then the final trial would occur sometime later. And most commentators believe that when Paul says, at my first defense, no one came to my support, is a reference to that preliminary hearing that was held after his second arrest and his second imprisonment in Rome. And now he is awaiting the final trial, and that's when he writes 2 Timothy.

And I want us to listen and hear the end of the story. And we're going to review some lessons that we've learned from the book of 2 Timothy. But let us pray as we begin.

Lord this day I pray that we will be encouraged by what we read in your word that we will be prepared by what we read in your word that we will be resolved to stand fast for you that we will be inspired by your word and by the examples of people like the apostle Paul may we be unchanged by what we hear and learn this day. For it was in Christ's name we pray, amen. I want to first talk with you about seven realities of spiritual war that I think are implied, either implied or explicitly stated in our passage today. Paul, as he often does at the end of his letters, mentions a lot of names at the end of the story. often he's sending greetings to people at the end of the story or mentioning them in some way today he mentions a lot of people but not always in a good sense and we're going to see in this listing of people and in what paul has to say at the end of the story that there's seven realities of spiritual war the first reality is this that in spiritual war the warrior is often lonely and often experiences great difficulty.

Folks, for some 30 years now, the Apostle Paul has served Christ since his conversion on the Damascus Road. He's imprisoned in the Mamertinum Prison, a cold, rock-walled dungeon. The scars on his back would make us cringe if we could see them. In his lifetime, he has been flogged five times. He got 39 lashes on the back with a whip that would have bones and metal balls in the whip.

Five times he's endured that. If we could see him in his prison, I think we would see scars on his face where he has been stoned because of the testimony he gave for Christ. It is a lonely, difficult time in his life. he's uncomfortable virtually alone death is at his doorstep and we need to hear his words

the path is often lonely folks if we're going to be faithful to Christ the path is often lonely one thing we tried to impress on our children as they were growing up you may have to stand against the crowd you may have to stand alone. Be willing to stand alone, if need be, so long as you're standing with Christ. We need more people like the Apostle Paul who are willing to endure the loneliness and the difficulty. The second reality of spiritual war is that there will be deserters. Some who start this journey claim to be a part of the body or part of the army will desert.

People like Demas,

he's mentioned explicitly by Paul in verse 10, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me.

How would you like to be mentioned as a deserter? But the reality is there will be deserters from the army. We don't know exactly what particular love it was that caused Demas to leave. We just know it was a love of, literally, it's the present world. Something about the present world so attracted Demas that he was willing to forsake what awaited in the next world.

Maybe it was love of self. He wasn't willing to endure the difficulty and the loneliness. Maybe it was the love of money and pleasure. he wanted a life of ease rather than a life of difficulty saw a way to profit from the gospel rather than to be true to the gospel by perverting the gospel to tickle the ears of people around him we don't know for sure but deserters are a reality in a spiritual war what if we posted the names of all the deserters from First Baptist Church those who began the journey in word but didn't follow in action it would be a long list I have a friend right now who I care about very deeply who's thinking about deserting turning his back walking away don't be a deserter but at the same time Don't lose your faith because there are deserters. It's just a reality of war.

There will also be traitors.

Some who not only desert, but who then actively turn against the faith, turn against Christ. In our text, it's Alexander, verse 14. Alexander, the metal worker, did me a great deal of harm, Paul says. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. and you too should be on your guard against him because he strongly opposed our message.

Many believe that Alexander was the one who informed on Paul so that he was arrested the second time. Maybe he was the one who pointed out to the authorities where Paul was. We don't know for certain, but some believe that he's the one that turned Paul in. there's nothing that stings like having someone betray you there's nothing like having a Judas in the camp is there to be discouraging I had a good friend who one summer we lived down in Fort Lauderdale when I was in college going to a navigator's summer Bible camp every night studying the word during the day working at a secular job

he impressed me as one who loved the faith and loved Christ but it was not but a few years after that through mutual friends I heard he had left the faith and not only left the faith but began to teach others that Christ was not the way basically became agnostic or atheistic in his view there's nothing that hurts like that like seeing a traitor another reality of spiritual war is that we need to be people who are willing to forgive and to restore. There's a need for repentance by those who desert, but then we need to be willing to restore them. A guy like John Mark, chapter 4, verse 11, Paul says, Only Luke is with me. Get Mark. an obvious reference to John Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

Do you remember the story of John Mark? He's Barnabas' cousin. And when Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey, they take John Mark with them. But then partway through the journey, John Mark deserts. Doesn't finish the journey.

Goes back home. There's been a lot of speculation about why he left.

My speculation is that he didn't like the message to the Gentiles. He was a Jewish Jew. And when Paul was calling these Gentiles to come to faith in Christ and that there was not the necessity to observe all the ritualistic laws of the Jews, I think he got to a point that John Mark just wasn't comfortable with that and left. But isn't it interesting? The one who deserted on the first missionary journey is now being called by Paul to come be with him because John Mark, I believe, was restored in his relationship with Paul and in his relationship with Christ.

Part of the reason I say that is Paul refers to John Mark in Philemon 124, where he now calls John Mark his fellow worker. so John Mark after deserting apparently came back and became a fellow worker with Paul and he is so close to Paul that Paul now says Timothy you come see me and bring John Mark with you two people he especially wanted to see before his death are there people that we need to restore and forgive it's always going to be the case folks in this war there are always going to be people who need us to be willing to forgive them and help restore them to faith. Maybe we've been there. Maybe all of us at some point have been at the point where truth be known, we either deserted for a season or were on the verge of deserting and but for the grace of God and the grace of friends, where would we be today?

War's tough,

shoot our wounded. We help to restore them and heal them. Don't give up on those who deserted. Pray earnestly for God to bring them back. Go get them.

Jesus went for the one lost sheep, didn't he? The father wanted the prodigal son to come home so much he stood out every day watching and waiting. There are a lot of prodigals. There are a lot of lost sheep. them and we want them home. E, we need courageous and faithful brothers and sisters. And most of the folks listed in Paul's names at the end of the book are people who have been courageous and faithful brothers and sisters. Luke was there with Paul in his final imprisonment.

The beloved physician, as Paul refers to him in Colossians 4.14. Paul's fellow worker, Philemon 1.24. He's been with Paul on his second missionary journey, his third missionary journey, and now he's with Paul even in his final imprisonment. People like Tychicus, who's mentioned by Paul, a dear brother and faithful servant, a fellow worker. He was the one who carried the letter to the Colossians.

He's the one who carried the letter to the Ephesians. How about Priscilla and Aquila? Mentioned specifically by Paul, this tent-making couple who had to leave Rome when the emperor Claudius threw the Jews out of Rome. And they went to a place called Corinth and just happened to be in Corinth by God's providence when a wandering evangelist showed up, somebody who needed a job. and lo and behold, he happened to be a tent maker.

And God had sent this Christian tent making couple to Corinth to be there when he arrived. There are no coincidences, folks. They went from Corinth, Priscilla and Aquila did, to Ephesus and helped there in establishing the church. They later went to Rome and then back to Ephesus again. faithful and courageous in their service.

There are a number of names mentioned about whom we know virtually nothing. People like Eubulus, Putins, Linus, Claudia. People who certainly must have been courageous and faithful brothers and sisters. In this spiritual war, we need God's grace.

I think it is fitting that the last words written by the Apostle Paul are the words, grace be with you all. And I think Paul here not only has in mind the kind of grace that saves us, but the kind of grace that stays with us even after salvation. God's divine favor, God's divine mercy throughout all of our lives. We are in need of that grace, and we're particularly in need of it in the spiritual war because at some point in this war we will likely fall. And the Apostle Paul himself says in verse 18 of chapter 4, the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack.

Now he doesn't mean that God's going to let him not be harmed physically in the evil attack, but that God's going to rescue him from every evil attack How's he going to do that? Paul says it in the rest of the verse. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. How do we get rescued in the war? Sometimes God protects us from the physical harm or physical difficulties of this life.

But folks, sometimes we get rescued by being taken home. And that's part of God's grace. That we don't have to fear the passing from this life to the next. And the last reality is in war we need replacements.

The Apostle Paul is going to fall in the battle. But there's going to be a Timothy and a Titus who replace him. Moses had his Joshua. Elijah had his Elisha. Billy Graham has his Franklin Graham.

we need to be training those who can replace us, folks, preparing them to stand in the gap. David Rogers won't be here. Who will be his replacement? Who will be your replacement in the battle? We need replacements.

We need to be training them. And we need to just be aware that there are casualties that are going to require that we have replacements. well I want to wrap up our study with two things first giving you seven qualities that we need in this spiritual war and then I'm going to tell you the end of the stories the end of the stories of the Apostle Paul the Emperor Nero and a guy named Timothy what happened to them at the end of their days on this earth but here are the realities the seven qualities we need in this spiritual war. The first quality is the quality of courage. Now let me first say, before I talk about this quality, I have talked a lot about spiritual war throughout 2 Timothy, haven't I?

I mean to clearly state that there is a war going on. It's a spiritual war, but it is no less a war. It is a struggle in which we are now engaged as the followers of Christ. It is a war between Christ and Satan, between truth and falsehood, between good and evil, between right and wrong. There is a war, folks.

And if you don't have that sense, then I pray that God will open your eyes to see that we are in the struggle. The stakes are high. The lives of people are at issue. Eternity is in the balance. Will it be eternal life or eternal death?

Heaven or hell? And we are going into the battle to rescue people so that they get to enjoy eternal life. Our weapons of war are different than the weapons of war humans use in physical wars. Our weapons of war are the gospel.

word, prayer, love, and compassion. I have sometimes been concerned because I've referred so much to soldiers in this study of 2 Timothy. And sometimes in our minds, maybe when we think of soldiers, we think of males being in the battle. But in this army, there is equality. This is an army in which there are men and women serving as soldiers.

Women, you are soldiers for Christ. He has put you on mission just as He has men. And if He has called you to stand and speak and teach and preach His Word, you stand and you teach and you speak you to the marketplace wherever you are be a soldier for Christ for many of you you are the guard at the gate of your home and the battle is for your children and Satan hates them he wants to destroy and he will do it by all sorts of means he won't come to your door looking like Satan he'll come to your door looking like an angel of light and you have to be discerning you have to fight for your children you have to stand you have to protect them from what they hear from what they see from the influences in their lives and it is a hard battle the culture is against you the culture wants you to just say oh it's not a problem to watch this thing oh they're they're bodies let them do with their bodies what they want don't surrender do not surrender stand in the battle and stand with courage stand with courage God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but a power and love and discipline power and love and discipline we need courage to take the kind of risks that are necessary to win this war. We need to be like Queen Esther. What a great woman of faith who said when her life was in the balance, in the battle, she said, if I perish, I perish.

In other words, she was willing to die in the cause. It's the courage of a Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refused to bow down when the strongest king on earth said, you better bow down or you go into the furnace. It's the kind of courage that's willing to stand alone, if need be, against the whole world.

W. Orchard put it this way,

[Personal prayer concern omitted.]

When the battle is set, may we know on which side we ought to be. And when the day goes hard and cowards steal from the field and heroes fall around the standard, may our place be found where the fight is the fiercest. If we fall, may it be while facing the foe.

The second quality we need is the quality of faithfulness. The quality of faithfulness. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, meaning people, who will be able to teach others also.

Paul admonished Timothy to train faithful people, and in that admonition we should hear the need for us to be faithful people. We need to be faithful to what we believe, holding fast to it. But we need to be faithful in the sense of doing what God has called us to do. He didn't ask us just to begin the race. He asked us to finish it.

And that takes faithfulness. Third quality needed.

A deep desire to please King Jesus. A soldier does not get involved in civilian affairs. desire is to please his commanding officer. Is your greatest desire in life to please King Jesus? We cannot allow the affairs of everyday life to distract us, divert us, unnecessarily occupy us in such a way that we miss that which is most important in life. I urge you to be willing to be eccentric in the eyes of the world because the things of this world hold no attraction for you.

Do not get consumed or distracted by the trivial, the inconsequential, the unimportant, the temporary. Clothes.

Cars. Houses. Shopping. Ball games. Television.

The latest celebrity gossip. Being cool. That's what we used to say. I'm not saying that these things don't take some of our time as good stewards. But they should never distract us.

Because in the end, they don't matter.

live more simply so that you will be in a position to obey your commander and please him. Begin each day with a new prayer. Lord, empower me today to please King Jesus above all others. The next quality we need is to be prepared for the last days. In the last days, people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure, rather than God.

You know the real struggle for us is to not be like them.

And the world will push us to love ourselves, to love money, to love pleasure rather than God. Don't be caught off guard. Life in this culture, I submit, is more likely to become increasingly antagonistic to biblical truth.

And their antagonism may be most dangerous because they won't tell you to abandon all notions of God. God any way you want, but just don't be too serious about this stuff. And quit talking about you have to follow Jesus to find salvation. Lovers of self don't like to hear that there's only one way. They want to choose whatever way they feel like choosing. Be prepared. That's where we are.

Next quality needed, the Word. There must be a hunger for the Word. Not only do we need pastors and teachers who constantly and accurately preach the word, we must abide in it every day and be guided by it in every area of life. Can I urge you today, do whatever the Bible teaches you to do. No matter how you may feel.

Because God's way is the right way. The Abolition of Man says this the heart never takes the place of the head but it can and it should obey it and what I think he was trying to say there is this sometimes we know in our heads exactly what God wants us to do and the reality is most of the stuff in this book is blatantly clear

but we say oh but I have a different feeling my feeling is taking me in this direction or that direction even though my head says I'm supposed to do something else follow your head and not your feelings and work to make your feelings subordinate to your thinking and let your thinking be guided by this book do you hear what I'm saying? sense in our culture today that you to not do what you feel like doing, there's something wrong with that. We're not advocating that you be a whole person if we don't advocate that you should be able to do whatever you feel like doing. Scripture says something just the opposite. That often our feelings may not be where they should be but we do what God has called us to do. Now the hope is that those two will be together. Our head and our hearts will be together.

But don't be fooled. Do what God says. Don't fall into the trap that can ruin your life and has for many by doing what God said you should not do or failing to do what he said you should do. Endure hardship willingly for Christ. It's the lot of those who faithfully follow Christ. We don't serve in a minor cause.

This is big stuff. We're talking about the hearts and minds of people throughout the world. We need to have the mindset of the Apostle Paul, who at the end of his third missionary journey was told through a prophet that if he kept on his journey and went to Jerusalem, he would be imprisoned and he would suffer. And what did Paul say to that? I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task that Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace we need people who will face and endure hardship for the gospel don't quit the enemy will try to make the circumstances or those things that oppose you to seem insurmountable Drink away with your tail tucked between your legs.

Don't do it. By God's grace and through His strength, stand there. And if you fall, may you fall facing the foe.

Next quality, heavenly reward. We must desire heavenly reward. The crown of righteousness, which I argue is something besides the crown of life, The crown of life is what all Christians will receive. The crown of righteousness, I contend, is an additional reward for those who have been particularly faithful in serving Christ. By God's grace, we will enjoy the glories of heaven.

But live now for the reward there. And if that means you must give up some things here, so what? the glory of eternity is worth it

let me close with three stories very quickly of the Apostle Paul his last days were spent in the Mamertinum prison

he was executed we are told not in scripture but on the basis of the historical record that he was one day Martenum prison and led outside the walls of the city of Rome. It was the Roman custom to execute people outside the walls of the city. One tradition says he met the apostle Peter on the way to his death. Another says that Timothy had made it to Rome and was there when Paul was executed. But they took him to a road called the Ostian Way.

At the third milestone on the Ostian Way, the procession stopped. There, because Paul was a Roman citizen, he was executed by having his head cut off with a sword. Roman citizens were not subject to being crucified except in extreme cases.

one story says that Paul's head bounced three times and three springs came forth from the earth most don't believe that to be true but that story arose today there's a Trappist monastery known as the Three Springs which stands at the site where we believe Paul was executed right there. That's the monastery of the three springs which stands where Paul was executed. He was buried a short distance away and there's another facility that stands there now. It's called the Basilica of St. Paul without the walls.

It stands over his burial site. And above his tomb are the words Paul, apostle and martyr.

Do you ever stop to wonder what the scene in heaven was like when the Apostle Paul crossed from this life to the next?

My guess is there was an army of angels over the Ostian Way that day. and as the sword fell they took up the apostle Paul's spirit and ushered him in to glory for the Lord he had met on the Damascus way over 30 years earlier was waiting to usher him in to the heavenly kingdom and to reward him not only with the crown of life but with the crown of righteousness and one day his body will be resurrected just as ours will be if we perish before Christ returns. Well, how about the Emperor Nero?

One of the most despicable human beings to have ever lived on this earth. In his lifetime, he executed many people, including he had his mother executed. And then he had his wife beheaded because she was accused of committing adultery. and he took her beheaded head and showed it to his mistress. Kind of a double standard, wouldn't you think?

To his mistress, Papaya, whom he later took as a wife. And one day when he came home from the races late and Papaya, his now wife, fussed at him for being late, he kicked her to death while she was pregnant.

ultimately the army turned against him he fled Rome he was in hiding but then the army arrived and finally Nero took his own life he took a dagger stabbed himself in the throat his hand trembled a little so a man that was with him helped him finish the task just before he killed himself He mournfully said, What an artist dies with me.

He too got a reception when he went from this life to the next. And lastly, of Timothy.

Timothy may well have made it to see Paul before his death. We know from Hebrews 13.23, Timothy was apparently later imprisoned. We believe he went back to Ephesus, where he served as the bishop of Ephesus for many years. But the year was A.D. 97, approximately, when there was a huge pagan festival going on in the city of Ephesus.

The festival related to the goddess Artemis, or Diana was her Roman name. Timothy, who was probably in his 60s at that point in time, went into the crowd of pagan worshipers who were worshiping outside the temple of Artemis. And he called upon the crowd to renounce the worship of this pagan deity. He preached the word. And he preached it not with a spirit of cowardice or timidity, but a spirit of love and power.

I think he listened to what the Apostle Paul had told him in the book of 2 Timothy, the letter of 2 Timothy. As he called upon the crowd to renounce the pagan goddess and instead to embrace Christ, one of the worshippers of Artemis picked up a rock, threw it at him. Within moments, history tells us, the whole crowd was stoning.

And there, on that day, he died. Stoned to death for the faith. Having fought the good fight, having finished the race, having kept the faith, and he went home to get his crown of righteousness.

May we be like Paul. May we be like Timothy. Let's pray.

help us Lord to be what you want us to be I don't know what else to say but I just ask for that in your name Amen