2 Timothy 4v9-15 - Adversaries & Allies

Please turn with me to 2 Timothy 4, verse 9-15. That's page 1197.

2 Timothy 4:9–15

2 Timothy 4, verse 9-15, page 1197 in the Church Bible.

2 Timothy 4:9–15

2 Timothy 4, verse 9-15.

2 Timothy 4:9–15

2 Timothy 4, verse 9-15.

2 Timothy 4:9–15

2 Timothy 4, verse 9-15.

2 Timothy 4:9–15

But I think, more than maybe any sermon that we have done throughout this entire series,

that there is something in these verses for everyone in the room today.

See, it doesn't matter where you are on the spectrum of faith, you've been a believer for a while,

or you're coming into church for the very first time.

I believe that you will be able to identify with one person in this message today.

So let's go ahead and dive in.

Today we're going to look at two categories that Paul lists in this passage.

Adversaries and allies.

And see, Paul lists two adversaries.

These are people that were opposed to the gospel being spread in this passage.

We will call them Demas the deserter and Alexander the antagonist.

See, and Demas, we'll start with him.

He is called the deserter because, well, he deserts Paul.

And I think it's important for us to look at this and understand this.

He is not just called the deserter because he leaves.

There are many people that we will look at later in the sermon today that leave.

But see, Demas is a deserter because if you look at verse 10 of what it says there.

See, it says that Demas loved this world.

Demas was no ordinary Roman.

This was not a guy that Paul had just met on the street and become friends with.

No, Demas was important to Paul.

In Philemon 24, Paul says that Demas is a gospel worker with him.

Twice in the New Testament, Demas is listed in the same breath as Luke,

the gospel writer of Luke, and the book of Acts.

See, through many trials, Demas has been with Paul.

He has experienced the highs of ministry.

He has fought through lows.

But in the end, when Paul is desperate,

when he needs somebody to be by his side,

Demas deserted him.

And I wonder if there is anyone in the room today that can relate to this.

See, on the outside, you look like a Christian.

You would be able to pass the test if there was one.

You go to church.

You do the golden rule.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

You will like that rule.

You know the Bible stories.

If there was a quiz, you would pass it.

But on the inside, your heart does not belong to God.

Instead, it is in love with the world like Demas.

See, you put more stock in what the world says than what the Bible says.

Maybe that looks like relationships.

We say, I said what the Bible said about relationships 2,000 years ago.

That is great.

But that has no pertaining on what I do today.

See, I don't have to listen to what it says.

I need to have sex before marriage now.

Because, hey, the standards that the Bible puts in there, that's just not realistic anymore.

I mean, we got to make sure we're compatible, right?

Would you drive a car without taking it for a test drive first?

Or maybe it's not relationships.

But maybe it's time.

So you chase success at the expense of time with God.

You bargain with God and say, Lord, if there is any time left in the rest of the day, I will give it to you.

But every time it comes to the end of the day, you end up not having any time for the Lord.

And see, maybe it's not even your time, but maybe it is your family.

So the work-life shambles in your life may be, or the work-life balance in your life may be in shambles.

You would look and define success, how the world defines success.

And you would define yourself more by what your boss thinks of you than your son.

See, when push comes to shove in your life and a crisis comes, and trust me, there will be a crisis in life.

What is going to come out of you, Christ or the world?

See, we are all like sponges.

We soak up what is around us.

It may just be a 30-minute show here that we know we shouldn't watch, but it's just 30 minutes.

Or maybe 15 minutes of a website we know we shouldn't visit, but hey, it's just 15 minutes.

Or maybe we participate in a conversation that we know we shouldn't participate in.

It's like, hey, I won't participate in the gossip part.

I'll just listen.

But like a sponge, we are soaking up what is around us.

And so when we are squeezed, what comes out has occupied our heart.

See, I'm going to make an assumption here about the passage.

See, I don't think Demas meant to be a deserter.

See, we have another category that we're going to talk about here in just one second of a person that is openly hostile to the gospel.

So I don't think that's what Demas wanted to be.

I don't think, was he running with Paul earlier throughout his ministry?

He's going, ah, Paul, just you wait.

Just you wait until you trust me.

And then when you least expect it, when you need me the most, I'm going to stab you right in the back.

I don't think that's what Demas wanted to do.

And yet, is that not exactly what happens?

So we have to ask the question, why?

Why did this happen to Demas?

It goes to the illustration that we were talking about.

You can skip to the next slide.

Because we're soaking up what is around us.

See, Demas was surrounded by Paul.

But instead of soaking up the rich doctrine that Paul was teaching,

instead he was mesmerized by the ways of the world.

And when things got tough and persecution started to happen,

Demas did what made sense to him.

And he ran.

So the question, friends, in the room today, what are we soaking up?

Are we going to be defined by the world's definition of success,

and what the world wants to push on us?

Or are we going to be defined by what Jesus says about us?

So that's the first category of adversary.

Let's move now to the second category.

And that's Alexander the Antagonist.

See, unlike Demas, who is with Paul and he turns his back on Paul,

Alexander is an open enemy of Paul's preaching.

We don't know a lot about Alexander.

Unfortunately, it was a really common name back 2,000 years ago.

But we do know that Alexander was doing everything that he possibly could

to make sure that the mission of God was not accomplished through Paul.

See, so much so that Paul, even in his letter to his young protege, Timothy,

has to say,

Hey, Timothy, watch out for this guy.

He is not good.

Do not trust him.

He is a snake.

He wants nothing more than to see you fail.

And once again, I would ask the question,

Is this someone in the room today?

Maybe you're here just because a parent dragged you here.

Maybe you're here because a co-worker invited you.

Or maybe curiosity just got the better of you

and you had to come in and see what it's all about.

Can I say two things to you if you're in the room today?

And that is you.

Number one, welcome.

Genuinely.

The church for centuries has been a place where people come to find answers.

West Kilburn, this church, wants to be that place in this community.

So welcome in.

And the second thing I want to ask is,

How's it going?

And not the how's it going that you say when you meet somebody,

Hey, how's it going?

You really don't care what their answer is.

But the genuine, soul-searching question of how is it going in your life?

See, the writer of this letter, Paul,

he would have an answer to that question.

And his answer would be,

It's not going very well.

See, Paul, just in the message prior to this,

in the few verses prior,

he said, Hey, my time is near.

I've been beaten.

I've been jailed.

And I am about to die for the faith.

He knows this.

And yet, Paul's story makes even less sense

when you realize that Paul went from a persecutor of the church

to the position that he is in now.

See, Paul is in the same shoes as Alexander is in this passage.

He was in the same shoes as Alexander is in this passage.

And if you are an antagonist of the gospel,

he was in the same shoes as you are today.

So what changed?

How did a persecutor of the faith become one of the faith's greatest martyrs?

Paul met Jesus.

On the road to Damascus, the Lord changed Paul's life,

and he could no longer live for himself

because he found something greater to live for.

And it changed everything.

And now, when he is faced with the reality of death,

Paul does not shrink back and hide,

but instead he can sit there and proclaim the good news

because it has changed his life,

and he believes it can change yours too.

See, if you look at the end of verse 14,

the start of verse 14 there,

see, Paul does not take retribution for Alexander into his own hands.

See, he knows that God is the ruler of all things

and that he has power over all things.

And so, he says,

Alexander, you are going to get what you deserve

either in this life or the next.

It does not matter to me.

But there is one who is all-powerful

who will take care of it all.

And this begs the question,

what would happen if we got what we deserved?

If you want to answer that question today

with the hope and assurance that Paul does,

then you have to meet the same person that Paul met,

and that's Jesus.

So that the next time someone asks you the question,

how's it going,

you can say,

well, it doesn't matter my circumstances.

They could be really great.

They could be really bad.

But it doesn't matter

because my hope is not in them.

Instead,

it is in the God

that created the universe

and changed Paul

and then indeed changed me.

So now we've looked at the adversaries.

We've looked at the bad guys.

Let's turn our attention now to the good guys

because every good story ends with the good guys winning, right?

Let's take a look.

Let's read starting at the end of verse 10.

Back at the verse.

So there's a few guys that are listed here

in the end of Paul's letter to 2 Timothy.

So we're going to go through them

and kind of get a better understanding of who they are.

The first person is Crescens.

And, well, sorry,

we don't know a lot about him.

So we're just going to have to skip right over Crescens.

But the next three,

the next person listed is Titus.

And Titus is a part of a group

that I will call T, TLC.

Titus, Tychicus, Luke, and Carpus.

And yes, these guys did indeed go chasing waterfalls

instead of sticking to the lakes

and the rivers that they're used to.

But see, if you look at the credentials of these guys,

you realize that they are just ordinary people.

These guys were not Jews.

They did not grow up studying under rabbis.

But instead, they were just out in the world

and started following Jesus.

Through different circumstances.

None of them would look exceptional

in the eyes of the world.

But yet, if you look at their resumes

after the fact,

you see that they had a huge impact for the gospel.

All right, so out of T, T, L, and C,

Carpus, again, is one of those guys

that we just don't know a lot about.

He's not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.

But the other three, Titus, Tychicus, and Luke,

their legacies continue to this day.

So let's start with Titus.

Titus wasn't Paul's protege.

He did not get that title.

Instead, when you look at where Paul sends him

instead of where he sends Timothy,

you kind of think, Titus,

you kind of got the bad end of the deal here.

See, Timothy gets to go to this global city of Ephesus.

And while it did have some of its problems,

Ephesus is known as a place

where some of the titans of the faith came from.

Titus.

Titus was sent as a messenger to the Corinthians.

And if you've ever read 1 and 2 Corinthians,

you know they had some problems.

On top of that,

Titus goes on a missionary journey with Paul to Crete.

And Paul's like, great, I'm going to continue on.

Titus, you stay here in Crete.

The problem is the people in Crete,

they were described as liars, lazy gluttons, and evil beasts.

Not a great missionary assignment, huh?

And then even in 2 Timothy here,

while Paul is writing this letter,

Titus is in modern-day Serbia,

ministering and spreading the gospel to the people there.

He never had a position of grandeur.

He was just an ordinary guy following the Lord

and obeying Paul when he told him to go.

What about Luke?

Luke has kind of the same story.

He's a Gentile doctor.

He accompanies Paul on his second missionary journey,

and Paul leaves him behind in Philippi.

And then Paul continues on throughout all of his journeys,

doing all the great things that are written about in the gospel of Luke.

You know where Luke is?

Philippi.

Paul doesn't come back and pick him up

until his third missionary journey.

Luke is just there.

And then, you know what we hear about Luke after that?

Not a lot.

He just accompanies Paul.

Luke is a trained doctor turned sojourner,

and now, by all accounts in the world,

he would look kind of like a failure, right?

And then that comes to Tychicus.

Tychicus is basically Paul's royal male.

He takes a gift from the Corinthian church,

takes it over to the Jerusalem church.

He delivered various letters to various different churches.

He helped unite a former slave to his former master.

And then Tychicus is the one who gives Titus a break on Crete.

And again, I ask the same question over again on purpose.

I wonder, as we look here at this passage,

as any one of us in the room can relate.

See, we would just be going through life

and feel very ordinary.

Maybe it's a middling career.

Life not quite going how we expected it when we were 25.

Maybe, in all the accounts of the world,

we would be considered a failure.

These men that we read about here,

by the accounts of the world,

the world would say the same things.

And yet, they are responsible for us being able to read

approximately a third of the New Testament.

See, because of Luke's proximity to Paul,

he's able to write the Gospel of Luke in Acts.

Because of Titus' obedience to the Lord,

he's able to get a letter,

while he was on that island of Crete,

that we can read to this day,

called Titus.

And Tychicus.

You don't have a book of Tychicus, do we?

No, but Tychicus is responsible for delivering

the letters of Ephesians,

Colossians,

Colossians,

and more than likely this letter here to Timothy.

Because of their obedience in the drudgery of life,

we have the beautiful language of Jesus' birth

in the Gospel of Luke.

We have the rich theology of Christ,

which can be found in Ephesians.

And we can have a better understanding of eldership

because of Paul's letter to Titus.

None of this is possible without their obedience.

Christian,

in the room today,

if you feel like you are suffering

in the drudgery of life,

take heart.

Look around.

There's a Canadian pastor,

his name is Henry Blackaby,

and he says,

he's famous for saying this,

watch to see where God is working

and join him in his work.

If you are stuck

or feel like you are stuck

in the Christian life,

just going through the ordinary,

stop.

Look around.

See where God is working around you

and join him in that work.

If nothing has come to mind right now

as we've been saying this,

can I show you a few avenues

where God is working right here

underneath our noses in this church?

See,

just yesterday,

Andrew went out with a group of people

from this church

to meet our neighbors.

They had conversations with people

and were able to invite them to church.

And people have come to church

because of those conversations.

Friends,

join them in that work.

What about this?

You want something to be excited about?

Okay,

apparently not.

We can skip that part.

Do you want something

to be excited about, church?

There it is.

Do you know that we,

the Sunday school

happening right back here,

do we have,

no,

we have more kids

back there

than truthfully

we know what to do with?

Join them

in that work.

Where you are sitting

right now,

we have over,

about 10 to 20 moms and nannies

that come every Friday

and hear the gospel

in our time for tots.

Join them

in that work.

Or,

just take a look around.

Take a look around

at who is here

in the building today.

We have more people

coming regularly

to Sunday mornings

here at West Kilburn

than in recent memory.

But this is not

an opportunity

for us to pat ourselves

on the back

and say,

hey, look at us.

We did a good job,

didn't we?

But instead,

this should spur us

to look around the room,

see that we don't know

everybody in the room,

and get to know people.

We should join

community groups

with the idea

of getting to know people.

We should invite

other people

out to lunch

because we don't know

everyone here.

We should just

try to make friends.

A weird concept

I know,

and hard sometimes

as an adult.

But important,

right?

See,

church should never

just be a service

you attend,

but it should be

a family

that you are a part of.

There are plenty

of spaces

where God

is working

in this church

alone.

Join him

in that work.

All right,

as we move

to a close,

I want to talk

about one more

person in this

passage.

Unfortunately,

I don't have

enough time

to talk about

Morphing Mark,

who's kind of

got the opposite

story of Demas,

but instead,

we're going to

talk about the

writer of this

letter.

We'll call him

Persevering Paul.

And see,

last week,

if you were here,

we got to

understand Paul's

mindset in this

moment as he's

writing this letter.

See,

Paul knows

that his life

is about to be

over.

He knows

he has just

days or weeks

left until his

race is finished.

Just before this,

if you look in

verse 6,

it says,

For I am already

being poured out

like a drink

offering,

and the time

for my departure

is near.

See,

Paul experienced

a lot while he

was on earth.

On top of his

redemption arc

of going from

an enemy of the

church to one

of the church's

biggest champions,

he also suffered

greatly for the

gospel.

Earlier in his

letter to Timothy,

he writes,

You know all

about my

endurance,

persecutions,

sufferings.

Paul gives us

a snapshot of

those sufferings

in another letter

where he says,

I have been

whipped five

times.

That's 39

times.

Times five.

Not going to do

that quick maths.

He's been

beating with

rods three

times.

He's been

stoned,

shipwrecked

three times,

not getting on

a boat with

Paul,

and on and

on and on

it goes.

If there's

anybody in

the world

that could have

mailed it in

in the last

few weeks,

it should have

been Paul,

right?

He is in a

dark,

damp cell.

He is cold.

He is alone.

Gotta say,

Paul, my

guy, call

it a day.

Just relax

a bit.

You said so

yourself.

You have

fought the

fight.

You have

finished the

race.

That's past

tense.

Just phone

it in.

What does

it matter?

But what

does Paul

do?

In the

last few

weeks of

his life,

Paul is

embodying

what he

said earlier

to Timothy

in 2

Timothy 2.

Entrust

this good

news.

entrust

this gospel

to reliable

people so

they can

go and

teach

others.

In his

last few

weeks,

Paul is

sending

missionaries,

arranging

visits,

and pastoring

Timothy,

all in this

letter here.

If you

remember back

when we even

started this

series in 2

Timothy,

we said one

of the

major things

that is

going to

carry

throughout

this entire

book is

perseverance.

perseverance.

Paul is

modeling that

for us

right here.

If life

was a

marathon,

Paul is

not limping

towards the

finish line

saying,

oh,

please get

me out

of this.

Instead,

he is

pushing to

the last

mile,

giving

everything

he has

until he

breaks the

tape trying

to get

his best

time.

See,

if you

were here

last week,

we talked

about keep

the faith,

which is the

verses prior to

what we just

read.

And by

keep the

faith,

we were

talking about

that Paul

means to

pass it

on to the

next

generation.

Steve,

the pastor

of this

church,

he encouraged

older members

of the

church to

pass the

torch,

to empower

the next

generation,

and I

completely

agree.

I think

that's

exactly what

Paul shows

us in

those verses.

But if you

are an

older saint

in this

room,

can I

encourage you

with this?

See,

just because

you have

passed the

faith on,

that doesn't

mean that you

are no

longer a

part of

the team.

That doesn't

mean that you

get to sit

in the stands

and watch

as a fan

and then

collect your

pension and

say,

woo,

good job.

God calls

the church

a body,

and if we

are going

to operate

to the

best of

our ability,

we need

every member

to operate

so that we

can operate

at our

best.

So yes,

we've got to

let young

leaders lead.

That is

absolutely

true.

But are we

doing that

from the

sidelines

while we

are critiquing

every single

move that

they make,

criticizing

every mistake

that they

do,

or are we

trying to

get involved

with them?

Are we

actively

seeking to

disciple these

young leaders

and carry out

their vision

like you wish

somebody would

have carried

out yours when

you were in

their place?

And younger

people in

the room,

you don't

get off the

hook.

Don't you

dare for

one second

think that

these older

Christians have

nothing to

offer for you.

When they

speak,

listen.

Get to

know them.

Ask

insightful

questions.

It's

important.

what Paul

is kind

of pointing

us towards

here.

Let's wrap

it up with

this.

When people

ask me the

question,

how has it

gone when

you have

been merging

churches,

I tell them

the truth.

I know,

slightly

dangerous,

right?

But I

genuinely say

the truth.

I say it

has been

hard.

There have

been more

challenges,

honestly,

than I

thought.

But more

than anything,

it is a

blessing.

Because now,

more than

ever in

this community,

we look

like the

family of

God.

See,

if someone

was to

sit across

Carlton

Vale at

the bus

stop out

there at

11,

1107

a.m.

and see

the people

that are

coming in,

they would

see young

and old,

rich and

poor,

black and

white,

and everywhere

in between,

gathering as

one family

of God.

You have

to ask the

question why.

To which we

get to answer

because we

worship a

Savior that

died for

all people,

was resurrected

for all

people,

and loves

all people.

people.

So this

is the

question

before us

today,

church.

We look

the part

of a

family.

Are we

going to

act the

part?

See,

we look

like a

family now,

but are we

going to

do the

hard work

required to

keep us

a family?

Are we

going to

look to

see where

God is

working and

join him

in that

work,

spreading the

gospel to

our neighbors

outside,

and getting

to know the

people inside

this building,

are we

going to

put our

desires above

the Lord's?

See,

Paul,

he knew

the church

would be

flawed.

Read any

of his

letters,

you can get

that pretty

quick.

He knew

the church

would be

full of

sinners that

make mistakes.

Anyone want

to raise

their hand

on that

one?

But he

also knew

that the

church was

God's

plan A

for

reaching

the

lost

and

discipling

saints.

And so,

when it

came to

the end

of his

life,

he knew

that the

best thing

for him

to do

and to

give his

life to

was the

church,

and he

did it

until he

was completely

poured

out.

God.

So what

are we

pouring

ourselves

out for?

A better

flat on

the property

ladder?

Maybe it's

the approval

of our

family.

Maybe we're

pouring ourselves

out for a

better retirement

plan.

Or are we

pouring ourselves

out to

further the

kingdom that

will last

forever?

Titus,

Tychicus,

Luke,

Carpus,

Timothy,

Paul.

They had

their answer.

What's

yours?

Let's

pray.

Father in

heaven,

thank you.

Thank you

for your

word,

Lord,

that doesn't

return void.

Thank you

for your

son.

who gave

the ultimate

sacrifice so

that even in

this moment

we know

that if we

just ask,

Lord,

we can come

to faith in

him.

Lord,

I pray for

us as a

church that

this would

not be the

greatest moment

that our

church has

had.

That we

would not

look back

at this

past year,

six months,

and say,

hey,

these are

going to be

the highlights

that people

will remember

and talk

about as

the quote

unquote

good old

days.

But instead,

I pray that

we will

continue to

work together

as one

family,

move together

as one

body,

spreading your

word,

Lord,

until we

are a light

among the

darkness

here in

Kilburn and

Queens Park.

Lord,

help us to

get to know

each other.

Help us to

step out of

our comfort

zones.

And help

us,

more than

anything,

to praise

you.

Pray this

in your name.

Amen.

Amen.

Yes.

Thank you.