This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “II Timothy” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, July 17, 1988.
About this sermon
Paul’s closing notes in 4:9-22 move in three steps: his plain humanity in 4:9-11, his devotion to ministry despite it in 4:12-15, and the glory and confidence of 4:16-18. Believers face death the way Paul did, in that order, with humanity first. No believer may skip any of the three.
Sermon transcript
We are in 2 Timothy chapter 4. We are at verse 9 this morning. And we will read to the end of the chapter. Hear the word of God. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me. For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica. Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Monarch, and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil.
The Lord reward him according to his words. Of whom be thou ware also. for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first defense, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil word, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus abode in Corinth, But trophanous have I left at Meletim’s sake. Do thy diligence to come before winter. Jubilus greeteth thee, and Prudence, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. pray with me briefly how we would ask father for the strengthening of servants called of you to proclaim the word of salvation for surely life from the dead is not found anywhere else but in Christ and in that gospel which is heard from Him. And Father we pray that we might ourselves be found diligent that our gifts as well as our prayers may be active in the encouragement of that ministry of the Word to the ends of the earth. Be gracious to this congregation and in the days to come May its vision for the harvest nearby be excited. And Lord, may that vision also become a wonderful reality as many are gathered for even this church. We ask this all in Jesus’ name. Amen. That’s called divestiture.
This conclusion of 2nd Timothy is a great autobiographical statement from the Apostle Paul. In fact, it may be the greatest of his autobiographical statements. There are those who would contend, I suppose, that Romans 7 is the greatest of autobiographical statements. That’s that passage that says something along the lines of, the good that I would do, that I don’t do, and that which I would not do, that’s exactly what I end up doing.
I believe that many of us in reading that passage have thought of the struggle of the apostle and felt comforted because we felt in some ways we could certainly identify with him. But there are those who have suggested that Romans 7 isn’t as autobiographical as we might think. There are those who have suggested that Romans 7 is not so much speaking about Paul’s own inner conflict as a conflict hypothetically considered. As if a Jew were speaking about his struggle with the law and his inability to keep that law and the indictment that comes upon him because of that law. And there are others who have pressed even further with that Roman 7 passage.
And they have suggested to us that no, it’s not a psychological account that we have here of the Apostle Paul. Rather, the Apostle Paul is speaking in what we call a redemptive historical manner. And with the use of the first person pronoun, he has, in a sense, seen something of a corporate personality at work.
As if then, in that passage, you could read the history of the entirety of the people of God from Sinai to Calvary. Therefore, running through Romans 7 is not an account of a man man’s own internal struggles, it is an account of the religious struggle of the people of God as that struggle culminates in the work of Christ. The question rings out, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ, my Lord. That, the response to God’s great redemptive activity.
So while some have suggested to us that Romans 7 is the great autobiographical passage from Paul’s writings, yet I believe that there are questions about it that suggest to us possibly that it isn’t as autobiographical as has been imagined. There’s something else that gives the end of 2nd Timothy an edge. That, of course, is its accountings of Paul’s interactions with other people, something that is completely lacking from the Roman 7 text. Well, whether 2nd Timothy 4 is the greatest of the autobiographical passages or not, It is certainly a revelation of the man. And it comes appropriately at the end of his ministry, at the conclusion of his life.
And oh, what it reveals. It reveals to us a great deal about Paul’s humanity. Now I know that there are those who contend that Paul really wasn’t a man. He was some sort of machine. He was a being without feeling. He was all head and no heart. And yes, he hated women. Well, you know, that’s not true.
This passage reveals to us the greatness of the man’s humanity. In addition it reveals to us the greatness of the man’s devotion. And finally it reveals to us, if I can speak in this way, the man’s glory. His humanity Specifically verses 9 through 11.
Are you surprised at how weak he appears? Why, there is no one as strong as Paul. There is no one who sort of rises above the common law, demonstrates the power in himself, placing himself at a level far above the rest of us, but no. In his humanity, with all of the frailty of that humanity, that revealed to you here, and certainly, of course, elsewhere in his writings. But note, there is that tone of desperation. Now, he’s not frantic, nor is he overcome with anxiety, but there is that tone of desperation.
Verse 9, make every effort, make every effort to come to me soon. I do so need to see you. Need? This man expresses need. He is in need of the company that Timothy promises. Here is one who is in need of others. why Paul is one who stands alone, and we have thought of him as standing alone. Not so. Paul is a man who, in his life as well as in his doctrine, expresses the truth of the Church. Paul needs to just as we need each other.
Have you thought of yourself as a person who does not need others? Have you found yourself to be a person who cannot receive the help of another because somehow it’s an insult to you? So that kind of thinking is far, far from the Church, from the truth which the Church is. And if Paul the Apostle can express his need, then should we not also?
And he’s not embarrassed about it. Neither should we be. The reason why the need is so accentuated is because Paul has been deserted by a number. For instance, he has been deserted by Demas, verse 10. A crucial desertion in that this one has loved this present world. and has gone off to Thessalonica. Now, we might have the wrong idea about Demas. We might think of him as one who has virtually abandoned the faith in his trip to Thessalonica. All that may not be at all. And the reason why it might not be is because he is mentioned in the company of Crescens and Titus.
Others who have gone off to do honorable service for Christ. Demas may well be on a gospel tour. His ministry, so important to him, and he knows very well how important it is to God. In fact, it is indispensable to God. But such high thoughts from Demas are judged by Paul, as being worldly. In fact, a sellout to the world. But in light of this, the need is accented. Paul’s need of fellowship and company, that which Timothy will supply. His need is suggested by something else here.
Verse 11, and the mention of Luke. Is Luke’s presence with him, as some have suggested, because of his frail health? That Luke, in effect, attached himself to Paul because Paul was a man in need of constant medical attention? Again, Paul’s need accented very possibly by this mention of Luke at this point. His humanity underscored here. And then, verse 11 as well.
Pick up Mark and bring him with you. For this one Mark is useful to me for service. We need not think that Mark is on his way to Rome in order to conduct some sort of ministry for the gospel there, some sort of preaching ministry at that. No, rather we might better think of Mark’s appearance at Rome with Timothy as being for the specific purpose of caring for Paul in some way, bringing through him some comfort, which will be especially precious to Paul in these, his last days. Paul in need of company, of fellowship, but Paul also in need of comfort, And how wonderfully this one Mark may well administer comfort to Paul. For you see, Mark, John Mark, was one who formerly deserted. He didn’t abandon the gospel, maybe. He was one like Demas has become. But this one Mark is now capable, it seems, of giving to Paul a special comfort in these His last days.
The humanity, then, of the Apostle, coming out loud and clear, a need for fellowship, for comfort, a frailty, a weakness evidenced here, a common want with us all. But then there is his devotion, demonstrated verses 12 through 15. And notice how that devotion to the gospel, to the ministry, to his calling, is expressed.
He directs the efforts for the strengthening of the church, even from his prison cell. Verse 12, “…but Tychicus I sent to Ephesus, I have dispatched him to Ephesus. He is on an errand. He has business there for the king, for the sake of the gospel. Even while I am in these circumstances, I do not neglect this very important matter, which is of the essence for the strengthening of the church.
He gives specific commands with regard to Carpus, the one at Troas, one possibly with whom he has left his books so that Carpus may study, so that Carpus might be improved in his knowledge. But now he’s asking for the books that he might have them and that he might have them before he died. Well, what good are they going to do you for? Why not just leave them with carpet? This man studies to the death. He’s involved in his studies to the end.
And what an indictment this is upon the Church. How many graduates of seminary launch themselves into careers in the past and close their books, having gone out of those halls and received their diplomas, never to open them again in any serious fashion whatsoever. You talk about the closing of the American mind. Let’s talk about the closing of the Church’s mind. Now let’s talk about the closing of the mind of ministers and pastors who do no serious study from the time they leave seminary to the time they die. Paul says, bring the books.
To the day I die, I’m going to be at it. And he is astute. He knows who Alexander is. He knows all about Alexander. Verses 14 and 15. Here’s not one who has mellowed in his old age and decided, well, you know, when I was young, I was feisty. I used to take them all on. But when I got old, I saw things a little differently. Why bother?
Whose is big enough to hold us all? even good old Alexander the Coppersmith. He is astute to the end, and he presses the issue to the end. A judicious warning goes out to Timothy. Beware of Alexander. Well, here’s a strange one. In this devotion that he exhibits. Not age. Not infirmity. Why I’m a sick man. I can’t do these things. I’m in prison. God will understand. Don’t I deserve a vacation? Look. I’m supposed to be retired! Oh, aren’t there a list of excuses? But not for Paul. Not for Paul at all.
For in his devotion, he is adamant to the end. And I might add, in this regard, even though the circumstance is desperate, and there’s a tone of desperation even in the words of Paul, he finds in his circumstance and in that desperate condition no excuse for inactivity due to self-pity. But what if Timothy doesn’t come? Even if Timothy doesn’t come, Paul will continue to demonstrate this perfect devotion.
His humanity his devotion and his glory or what you might call his confidence now here Paul Paul is as extraordinary really as they come for as we read these words and understand their review of his closing days, especially as we look at verses sixteen through eight, we understand that this man is not going to depart this world with a bunch of hand-wringing, with a whole list of regrets.
All the things I could have done, or should have done, This man is going to depart this world with a tremendous sense of satisfaction. The deepest kind of satisfaction. Now, I would suggest to you that it’s not merely a matter of when you’re leaving this world that satisfaction becomes a problem. I would judge that everyone here this morning has a problem with satisfaction. And each of us could bring out our list of regrets. And each of us, if left to ourselves for a bit, could sit there in the pew wringing our hands for quite some time. But that kind of attitude and that kind of behavior is not apparent in Paul whatsoever.
What makes the difference? What is his glory and his confidence? Read it. Verses 16 through 18. What do you see there? Do you see simply a man sitting in Rome waiting for trial and execution? If that’s all you see, you need to be born again. I’ll be perfectly blunt. If that’s all you see, you need to be born again. Do you understand what Paul’s doing there? Read that 16th verse.
At my first defense, no one supported me. Sound familiar? At my first defense, everyone deserted me. Sound familiar? Then what does he say? He goes on in that verse. But all deserted me, may it not be counted against them. Sound familiar? Of course it does. It sounds like Jesus. It sounds like Jesus. That’s the man’s glory. That’s the man’s conscience.
For me to live is Christ, to die is Daniel. And that’s how he’s able to go to his death without regrets and with the deepest sense of satisfaction, because he understands that in his life he is being conformed to the image of Christ, and that, remarkably, literally. But just as it was for our Savior, so it is for the Apostle Paul. The Lord stood with me, he said, strengthened me.
Unto what end? That through me the proclamation of the gospel might be fully accomplished, and that the Gentiles, all the Gentiles, might hear. Well, there’s an aspect to this satisfaction that you’ve got to grasp here. And it’s not going to be brought out to you by ordinary exegesis of this passage.
You see what Paul is doing here. He is so projecting himself into the person of Christ that just as the work of Christ is complete and finished and full and in need of nothing, so his own work is due in the same fashion. The completion and the fullness of the work of Christ is now something that is expressing itself in the consciousness of this man. And therefore, he faces his end without regrets and with the deepest satisfaction.
Hang with that language for one minute. I know it’s hard. And I know we’re wearing out very quickly. But hang with that language of that 17th verse for a minute. You see how Paul speaks. He talks as if all the Gentiles have already learned. It’s already done. And nothing remains to be done. Did you know he uses the same language in Colossians chapter 1 verse 23? He has the audacity in that chapter, in that verse to say that the gospel has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven already.
And then that great hymn in 1st Timothy 3.16, in which he explains to us the mystery of godliness, he tells us that the gospel, or Christ, has been proclaimed among the nations, in all creation under heaven, as if it were an already accomplished fact.
Well, that’s simply not true. Oh, yes it is. And if it’s not true, there’s no salvation for anyone. And if it’s not true, there’s absolutely no grace, and there’s no promise of fulfillment for any task, let alone the task of the apostles. It is only because Christ has accomplished all, and Paul can enter into that accomplishment, that anything is accomplished at all.
You see, the perfection is in Christ. The glory is in Christ. And that deep satisfaction which you lack is found only, only in Christ. when you come to the end your needs will be evident your humanity blatantly obvious but will your devotion also be evident and will your glory and your confidence be clear to you in such a way that you face death with no regrets and with the deepest satisfaction imaginable. Our Father, may this moving autobiographical statement by the Apostle wonderfully move us, that as this one was molded and shaped by Christ, we would be as well. For our Christ was also one who demonstrated his humanity and revealed that weakness inherent to the human condition. And our Christ was perfectly devoted until the end. And our Christ’s glory and confidence was rewarded so that he came to his end without regrets and with the deepest satisfaction. So it is with this man, Paul, for his own life is read into the one that he loves the most, Jesus Christ. and all of those benefits found in Christ availing for him so that despite the circumstances, his devotion remains and his glory shines.
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