Encouragement in Ministry

Thanks very much, Bogdan. And what you won't know is that I said to Bogdan, no, you can certainly read the passage tonight instead of me.

So you can have a go at all those names.

But it's a really great privilege of mine to be here tonight.

So as Bogdan said, my name's Craig.

I'm the pastor in training here at Brunsfield.

And all through the summer, we've been going through this great letter, 2 Timothy.

This wee, wee book towards the end of the Bible, but it's so packed full of really, really important stuff for how we operate as a church.

How gospel workers should, the things that they should really prioritize.

So it's a really, really key letter for us, even though it's so small.

But to start us off, I wondered if you've ever looked at an old photo album.

You know, the old photos that you used to get, the glossy, wee piece of paper that sort of size.

If you've ever flicked through an old photo album, there might be landscapes, there might be people in those photos,

there might be pets or family members, but there's usually one character who's missing in a photo album.

Who is the man behind the camera?

Who is the person taking the picture?

And most of the time, that person is not featured.

They're missing because they're on the other side of the camera.

Maybe you've watched a sports match and you're so familiar with a commentator's voice,

but you've no idea what the commentator looks like.

Who is the commentator behind the voice?

Or maybe the painter.

Who is the painter behind the painting?

So we're going to be thinking a lot about the man behind the pen.

Who is this Paul?

Paul.

So through most of this letter, we've been learning bits and pieces about him,

but most of his focus has been instructions to Timothy.

This is what I want you to do after I've gone, after I've died.

This is what I want you to focus on as you lead the church into the next generation,

as you take this gospel baton from me, and as you pass it on to the next generation.

And what we've learned about Paul in this letter is that he has committed his life to preaching the word.

And last week, in this passage that we looked at last week,

we saw him strongly command Timothy to do the exact same thing,

to make sure that preaching the word was his central task,

the main thing that he does, what he prioritizes above everything else in church.

Why must Timothy preach the word?

So that people will hear the gospel and be saved.

So that Christians might be built up in their faith and come to maturity.

And thirdly, so that a new generation of leaders might be identified and equipped

so that they can be the ones that lead the church into the future.

So Timothy must preach the word.

But all the way through this letter, we've also been remembering that Paul is in prison.

As he writes this letter, he is in a Roman prison,

and he knows that he's soon to be put to death

because he's remained faithful to Jesus,

he's stuck with Jesus,

and he's stuck to his task of preaching the word.

And that's why he's in prison.

That's why he's going to be put to death.

We know that Paul has fought the good fight.

He's finished the race.

He's kept the faith.

That's what he tells us just before this passage.

But we also know that Paul has been staunchly positive

about the fact that he's going to die.

Even though the storm clouds are gathering,

even though the gloom of death is getting nearer and nearer,

he has been staunchly positive.

But in this passage, we are drawing attention to his suffering.

Paul wants us to know that he is truly suffering.

He doesn't draw attention to his physical suffering, though.

The things that he wants Timothy to know about

are the things that are crushing his spirit,

namely the isolation that he's feeling

and the opposition that he's recently faced.

Isolation and opposition.

These are the things that he wants to draw Timothy's attention to.

But we've always got to ask the big question, why?

Why is Paul wanting to draw attention to these struggles?

Why does he give us this passage in 2 Timothy?

I think it's because he wants Timothy and all church leaders

and preachers and teachers

and all the people that are going to follow Timothy down through the ages,

he wants them to know that they are going to experience

the same things as Paul,

the same sense of isolation,

the same serious and painful opposition,

if they remain committed to preaching the word.

And these things, the sense of isolation,

the strong opposition that Paul faces,

we need to take this seriously

because these things can seriously knock the pastor

or the church leader or the elder.

And we need to take this seriously

because if a pastor is knocked hard enough by these things,

it can be enough to knock his church

it could knock his ministry,

it could knock his family,

it could stop him from preaching the gospel altogether.

But Paul doesn't just leave us with these negative things.

What does Paul say that's going to keep him,

Paul, and fellow pastors going to the end?

Well, it's another two things,

the companionship of fellow believers

and the Lord's strengthening presence.

So in times of isolation and opposition,

we're going to see that the pastor can depend

on the Lord's strengthening presence

and be bolstered by the companionship of Christian friends.

So we're going to look at the two things

that can crush the spirit of the pastor,

isolation and opposition.

But then we'll look at the two things that Paul says

can strengthen the pastor,

the companionship of believers

and the Lord's strengthening presence.

So let's jump in.

So let's look first at the pastor's sense of isolation.

So if we think about Paul,

if you know a thing or two about Paul,

we know that he had a mighty faith in the Lord Jesus.

But even still,

his prison experience must have been really tough.

How would you feel

if you were locked up in a hole in the ground

and at any moment,

the prison governor could come,

unlock your cell

and lead you out to the firing squad?

Imagine going to sleep at night

or trying to go to sleep at night,

not knowing if you would make it to the morning.

At any moment,

you could be led out and put to death.

This experience must have been

extremely trying for Paul

and a real test of his faith.

This was not a nice experience for Paul.

This was not a 21st century prison

where he could play on his PS5

and go out for his exercise in the gym every day.

This was really tough for Paul,

but what would make it even worse

would be having to endure all these things

utterly alone.

Paul is alone.

But we've got to ask the question,

where is everyone else?

I don't know if you noticed,

if you counted,

but there are 18 individuals

mentioned in this passage.

Where is everyone?

Well, the first person we're going to focus on

is someone who's abandoned Paul

and we read that in verse 10.

We're told that Demas had deserted Paul

and he'd gone to Thessalonica

because he loved the world.

Demas is mentioned in two other places

in the New Testament

which shows us that he's quite a key player.

He shows up in Colossians

and he's mentioned in Philemon as well

and he's described as a fellow worker of Paul's.

He seems to be on a par

with Paul's dear friend, Luke,

the physician who writes the gospel of Luke.

So Demas is a proper player.

Demas had been a longtime companion

and a close friend of Paul's.

He'd been a fellow worker in the gospel.

He'd likely witnessed and experienced

the same massive highs of preaching the gospel

to the Gentiles,

seeing people coming to faith,

but he'd also experienced the massive lows

of gospel ministry as well

and experienced that same persecution.

But I think when push came to shove,

when Demas began to feel the heat of persecution,

it clearly became too much for him.

And when Paul was arrested,

he ran for the hills.

He abandoned Paul.

And when it says he loved the world,

what does it mean?

Well, I think it means that Demas desired the comfort

that the world offers

rather than the suffering that the gospel guarantees.

And then I suppose we need to just imagine

what it felt like for Paul then

when Demas abandoned him.

Well, I think it must have been

an absolute kick in the teeth for Paul.

Paul had taken this man under his wing.

He'd possibly led him to faith.

He discipled him.

He'd given him opportunities to step up and be useful.

He had loved him.

And he'd spent many highs and lows with him

only for Demas to turn his back on it all

and to walk away.

Now, I think every pastor that we meet today

could share a similar story of desertion.

It is crushing when we see keen

and promising Christians walk away.

But can you imagine how crushing it must be

for the pastor

who has taught that person

and who's invested in that person

and done all that they can?

Desertion can be deeply unsettling for the pastor

because they can begin to question,

what did I do wrong?

Could I have done more?

Could I have prayed for that individual more?

Were there any warning signs that I missed?

Were there some struggles behind the scenes

that I could have helped with?

Paul keenly feels the pain of Demas' desertion.

And I'm sure he writes,

I'm sure as he writes about him,

I'm sure he's also praying for Demas.

Paul knows where Demas is after all.

And he's told Timothy where Demas is.

He's in Thessalonica.

And we can only imagine

what Paul must be thinking about Demas.

But I think Timothy might even be tasked to go,

go and visit him on his way back to Ephesus.

We can only wonder.

There are some people we shouldn't give up on just yet,

but we need to pray for them.

So that was Demas.

Demas the deserter.

But where's everyone else?

Well, Crescens has gone to Galatia.

Titus has gone to Dalmatia.

Mark has gone to Philippatia.

No, I'm just joking.

We don't know exactly where Mark is,

but he is a really helpful worker, we're told.

But he's elsewhere.

He's not with Paul.

Tychicus is on his way to Ephesus.

Carpus is in Troas.

Priscilla and Aquila are in Ephesus.

And so is the household of Anesiphorus.

Erastus is in Corinth.

Trophimus is sick in Miletus.

It seems that only faithful Luke has stuck with Paul.

But these people who are scattered all over Europe,

these people are not like Demas.

They haven't deserted Paul.

These people have been sent out

to preach the gospel in other places.

But as a result of these people being scattered

all over Europe,

Paul has been left alone.

And he's missing the company of these other believers.

Now, if we think about pastors today,

despite shepherding the flock,

despite being in church,

despite having their own families,

despite being surrounded by people all the time,

pastors can end up feeling isolated.

How can this be?

Well, perhaps they alone are laboring

for the gospel in their church.

Perhaps people are unaware of the demands

that they are experiencing.

Perhaps they are unaware of the sleepless nights

that the pastor has been having.

Perhaps they're unaware of the pastoral strains

that he is experiencing

and the burdens of caring for the flock.

And pastors who are feeling isolated

can begin to ask themselves the question,

does anybody truly understand what I'm having to do?

Does anybody really know about the burdens

that I'm having to carry?

If only I had someone laboring alongside me,

getting alongside me,

to share these burdens with me.

Pastors can feel isolated.

And when Paul is at his lowest ebb,

when his life is fading away,

when he's got maybe just weeks to live,

he is feeling isolated

and he's needing the support of his friends.

Pastors today can experience feelings

of isolation and loneliness

and they can take a real knock

when people walk away.

Pastors are in need of Christian companions

who will come alongside them

and who will stand with them.

And we're going to think a little bit more

about that in just a minute.

But the next thing we're going to think about

is the other thing that can crush

the spirit of the pastor

and that is opposition.

So if we look again

at verses 14 and 15

in our passage,

we see that Paul has faced

some serious opposition.

He explains that Alexander,

the metal worker,

did him a great deal of harm

and he strongly opposed

the gospel message.

Now we don't know exactly

what this harm looked like.

Maybe Alexander physically harmed Paul

or maybe Alexander played a key role

in Paul's recent arrest.

Maybe he gave evidence against Paul

as he stood trial in court.

Whatever harm Paul experienced

at the hands of Alexander,

Paul considers this man

a considerable threat to Timothy.

And Paul trusts that the Lord

will repay Alexander

for what he's done,

for the harm that he's inflicted

because he has opposed

the proclamation of the word.

This guy hasn't just come along

and just given Paul

a whack in the chin.

This guy has seriously opposed

the proclamation of the gospel.

And this is precisely

how Satan operates.

Satan denies the good news of Jesus

and he tries all that he can

from the Bible message

from being shared

and he seeks to harm

the servants of Jesus

who dedicate themselves

to preaching the word.

So what this guy is doing

is serious.

Might there be redemption

for this man, Alexander?

Well, we know that anything

is possible with the Lord.

Paul, after all,

was a type of Alexander.

If we remember his life,

he was going out there,

he was bashing Christians,

he was putting them in prison.

But the Lord visited him

and turned him around.

But Paul's instruction to Timothy

is not to reason with Alexander,

not to visit him,

not to explain the gospel to him.

Paul says,

be on your guard against him.

Watch your back, Timothy.

Avoid him altogether if you can.

It's quite possible

that Timothy might have to

cross this guy's path

on the way up to Rome.

But again, we ask the question,

why is Paul writing these things

to Timothy

and why has he left them

for us today?

Well, I think he wants

to remind Timothy

and all pastors like him

to be aware of opposition.

There are dangerous people

who will confront you

and harm you

and oppose your gospel message

and they will try all they can

to prevent it from being preached.

So be on your guard.

So a pastor's spirit can be crushed

when they experience isolation.

A pastor's spirit can be crushed

when they experience opposition.

And they can experience this opposition

outside the church.

We know that.

But they can also experience opposition

within the church as well.

There are people who are going to

strongly disagree

with what the pastor preaches.

There's going to be people

who are going to strongly deny

what the Bible says.

There are people who are going to

try and drag their pastors

through the mud

and write about them in the papers

and take them to court.

Often the opposition

from within the congregation

will be less obvious.

Nobody, after all,

sees the barbed emails

that the pastor receives

on a Monday morning.

Nobody will be aware

of the recent thing

that the pastor hasn't gotten right

in their eyes.

This opposition from within

can be very wearying

and it can leave the pastor

again questioning themselves.

Am I doing it right?

Am I actually preaching

what the word says?

So we've seen the ways

that the pastor's spirit

might be crushed.

But what is the hope

for battered pastors

like Paul and Timothy

and those ministering today?

Paul has two things

that will strengthen

the pastor's heart.

Christian companionship

and the Lord's presence

with him.

So Christian companionship

and we've already hinted

at this already

but we've skipped over

what Paul says

in the first verse

of this passage

and that is

a big request.

Paul wants Timothy

to come and visit him

before he dies.

In verse 9 we read

do your best

to come to me quickly.

Verse 21

do your best

to come before winter.

I might not make it

till then.

But this is not

the first time

that we've seen Paul

making this request.

All the way back

in verse 4

in chapter 1

Paul says

I long to see you

so that I might be

filled with joy.

Paul wants Timothy

to come and see him

so that he will be

filled with joy.

What can lift

the apostle's spirit

his faithful friend

coming to be with him

catching up

praying together

encouraging one another

face to face.

And in verse 11

we say that Paul

wants Mark

to come along too.

If we know

the story

of this guy Mark

we know that

he abandoned Paul

at one time

just like Demas.

he walked away

the heat was too hot

but they had reconciled.

Paul and Mark

had got back together again.

They'd gone on

some missionary journeys

together

and now Paul says

in verse 11

that he considers

this guy Mark

to be helpful

to him in his ministry.

How helpful it is

for the pastor

to be supported

by those who have

proven themselves

to be useful

and who are willing

to come alongside them

and labour

in this costly ministry.

So guys like Paul

even though they

ran a mile

in the past

they've proven

themselves faithful

they're willing now

to get alongside Paul

and to suffer

with him.

Bring Mark along too.

Then in verse 13

we see a couple

of very practical things.

Paul wants Timothy

to bring his cloak

and his scrolls

and especially

the parchments.

Why is this?

Well for starters

we thought already

this is no 21st century prison.

There's no central heating

in his cell.

Paul needs his thick cloak

to keep him warm

as winter approaches

and he needs something

to occupy his time.

Now during the week

when I'm working

I often go and work

in a cafe somewhere

and Costa Drive-Thru

down at Cameron Toll

is probably my favourite

place to work.

It's a great space

if you've ever

been there.

But as I've sat in there

whether it's been

Costa Drive-Thru

or Pret-Manger

just around the corner

or Cafe Nero

I've often seen

the retired folk

coming in through the door

and I've often been envious

as I've seen them

opening up their newspapers

and as they read

through their papers

and then as they get

to the puzzle section

at the end

and as they do

their Sudoku puzzles

I thought

oh man

what a way to live.

I love that.

But I wonder

will God be pleased

that when we get

to the end of our lives

as we go to be with him

will he be

pleased

to

see that we've become

masters of crosswords

and Sudoku puzzles.

God wants us

to use our years well.

Paul wants his scrolls

I think

so that he can meditate

on God's word.

he can use his time

reminding himself

of what God has said

in his word

and his parchments

so that he can write

so he can write letters

like 2 Timothy

so he can write his thoughts down

write down his prayers

maybe copy some of the things

that he's written up before.

Paul wanted to make

the best use of the time

that he had left

in prison.

So that's Christian companionship.

Paul wants Timothy

to come along

and spend some time with him

but the second thing

that we see

is the Lord's

strengthening presence.

This is the second thing

that's going to strengthen

the pastor

and Paul.

In verse 16

if we look there again

Paul shares a story.

This is a story

where Jesus himself

stood by Paul's side

and strengthened him

and enabled him

even in handcuffs

to preach the word.

And Paul says

in verse 16

At my first defense

no one came to my support

but everyone deserted me

may it not be held against them.

Paul is probably speaking

about his most recent arrest

and trial.

When Paul stood up

in the dock

after he'd been arrested

and he made his first defense

to the Roman court

he says that everybody

deserted him.

Again

he's been deserted.

Nobody stood with him.

Nobody defended his cause.

Nobody stood up and said

I'm with Paul.

What are you saying is true?

There was nobody

that stood up

and defended Paul.

Paul's support team

vanished

leaving him utterly alone

when he needed them the most.

Just in the same way

that Jesus' followers

all scattered

in the Garden of Gethsemane

when Jesus was arrested.

How crushing

must it have been

for Paul

when none of his friends

were willing

to stand with him.

But Paul continues

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.

Paul explains that

though everyone

deserted him

in this time of need

ever faithful

Jesus

stood with Paul

as he stood up

in the dock

and made his defense

Jesus

Jesus was there

strengthening him

taking away

his fear of man

and remarkably

Jesus used

this situation

to open the door

for Paul

to preach the word

to the masses.

Paul was sustained

so that the message

might be fully proclaimed

and all the Gentiles

might hear it.

Now

this guy Paul

he's been going around Europe

for probably 15-20 years

a lot of people

are going to know

who this guy is

and now he's in prison

and everybody

wants a piece of it.

It is likely

that there are

many hundreds of people

who are there

in the court

who want to witness

Paul's trial

and Jesus stood

with him

and he presented

Paul with a golden

opportunity

to fully

explain

the message

of the gospel

even in his handcuffs

to the masses.

Paul could have

used this opportunity

to save his own skin

and say

look

I didn't do it

trust me

I'm not

who you think I am

but he was prepared

out of season

to preach the word

to everyone

listening.

Now

when we think

of lions

if you imagine

a lion for a minute

I wonder

where your mind goes

maybe you're thinking

of the lion king

or Aslan

maybe you're thinking

of a cute

and cuddly version

of a lion

or maybe you think

about the sleepy lions

who lays around

all day in the sun

well

I think we often

forget

that lions

like all

carnivorous animals

are looking

for something

to devour

to rip to shreds

they are immensely

powerful beasts

and when they hunt

their prey

they are brutal

and if you've ever

seen a video

of a lion

on the hunt

you'll know

what I mean

I certainly

wouldn't want to meet

one of these lions

Paul says

that when Jesus

stood with him

at his defence

he wasn't just

presented with

an amazing opportunity

to preach the gospel

but he also says

that he was delivered

from the lion's mouth

Jesus delivered

Paul

from the schemes

of Satan

the one who prowls

around like a lion

looking for someone

to devour

and despite

standing before

Satan's representative

on earth

at that time

the evil

emperor Nero

who was doing

all that he could

to crush the Christians

and crush the gospel

Paul's life

was spared

for a little longer

enabling him

to write this letter

2nd Timothy

and to meet with

friends like

Timothy

one more time

so Paul

preserved him

and in light

of this

past tense

remarkable event

that Paul

is remembering

Paul now says

in verse 18

that in the same way

that the Lord

rescued him then

physically

Paul has complete

confidence

that Jesus

will rescue him

from every

spiritual attack

and safely

deliver him

not into physical

safety

but into his

heavenly kingdom

notice the difference

he's not going to be

spared from

physical suffering

but he's going to be

rescued into heaven

Paul is no fool

he knows he's going

to be killed

but as his death

gets closer

and closer

he can be confident

in Jesus'

ongoing

strengthening presence

with him

and the eventual

rescue

out of this

dark world

into Jesus'

marvelous

kingdom of light

and we see that

as Paul thinks

about that

glorious day

he is excitedly

anticipating that day

and we can see

that in the way

that he praises

the Lord Jesus

in verse 18

he says

to him

be glory

forever and ever

amen

Paul is so excited

about that day

when God will

rescue him

out of this world

and into his

heavenly kingdom

for the last time

we're going to ask

ourselves

why did Paul

write these things

to Timothy

well

so that Timothy

and all pastors

like him

can have complete

confidence

in Jesus'

strengthening presence

with them

to continue

preaching the word

and to have

complete confidence

in Jesus'

spiritual protection

from ferocious

lion-like attack

and complete confidence

in Jesus' promise

to rescue them

and take them home

and this is what

Paul speaks about

as he signs off

in verse 22

the last recorded

words of Paul

may the Lord

be with your spirit

may his grace

be with you

did you notice

the all

may the Lord

be with you all

may his grace

be with you all

I thought this letter

was just written

to Timothy

what does he mean

you all

who are these people

well I think this letter

was intended to be

shared with the church

so that we also

might know

what Jesus

intended to say

what Paul

rather intended

to say to Timothy

and so that we

might also know

that Jesus

is going to stand

with us

and he is going

to deliver us

too

from all of

sitting's evil schemes

and rescue us

into his glorious

kingdom

may his grace

be with you

may the Lord

be with your spirit

Paul writes

so as we draw

these things

to a close

we've

considered

Paul's

last few days

on earth

we thought about

the way that

he was deserted

we've seen the way

that he felt

isolated

we've seen the

opposition that he

faced

and we've drawn

parallels with

pastors and church

leaders in our

day today

now if we think

as we start to

apply these things

as we think about

our church pastor

or other pastors

and churches that we

know

or if we think about

church leadership

as we think about

our elders

we don't often know

the particular issues

that our church leaders

are dealing with

we don't know

the pastoral

burdens that they

are carrying

we maybe don't

recognize the

strain of

responsibility

that they feel

as they seek to

teach the word

faithfully

week in week out

we maybe don't

know what they're

experiencing

down to a T

but that aside

we need to

consider how

we can be a

support to our

leaders

people like

Paul

and here are some

of the ways

that we can

support them

I've just got a

couple of

a few bullet

points

some questions

to ask ourselves

can we be a

friend

to our

leaders

will we

champion them

or will we

shoot them down

are we willing

to labor

alongside

our church

leaders

are we willing

to get behind

them in their

central task

of preaching

the word

I think this

is the most

important one

will we commit

to praying

for our church

leaders

will we be

an encouragement

to them

can we tell

them what

we've been

learning

can we tell

them the ways

that God

has been

working

in your life

that can be

very encouraging

for our church

leaders

will you

align yourself

with them

will you be

willing to

share in

their suffering

for the sake

of the gospel

and then the

other thing

that we

acknowledge

is that

Jesus can

do a much

better job

than humans

can at

standing with

our leaders

and strengthening

them

so how can we

be pointing

our leaders

back to

Jesus

can we ask

God to

deliver our

leaders from

spiritual attack

again can we

be on our

knees praying

for our

leaders

leaders and

finally can we

ask God to

preserve our

leaders to

keep them

going so

that they can

faithfully

proclaim the

gospel and

to preach it

to the masses

so I'm going

to pray and

let's just be

thinking about

the ways that

we can be

getting behind

our church

leaders and

being a support

to them but

remembering that

Jesus can do a

much much better

job than we

can so

let's pray

our heavenly

father thank

you so so

much for

giving us

second

timothy

thank you for

the months that

we spent

looking at it

thank you for

this message

from paul to

this next

generation leader

timothy and

thank you for

the way that

you've preserved

your gospel all

the way down

through the

ages 2,000

years of

faithful passing

the gospel

baton from

one church

leader from

one generation

to the next

thank you for

all that we've

seen in second

timothy and for

this central

task that all

church leaders

must commit

themselves to

preaching the

word lord would

you help us to

get behind our

leaders as they

seek to commit

to that task

lord we

acknowledge that

we don't always

see what our

church leaders are

experiencing we

don't always know

the sense of

isolation that they

may face we

maybe don't know

the opposition

that they are

experiencing we

maybe don't see

the emails that

they are receiving

but lord would you

show us how we

can be a

christian companion

to our

leaders

filling them

with joy

would you show

us how we can

be an encouragement

to them

would you help us

to commit to

praying for them

and would you

help us to

remember that

you are truly

the one that can

strengthen them

we thank you

that the lord

jesus at that

time when paul

stood in the

dock he stood

with paul when

paul felt alone

and he strengthened

him and lord we

know that jesus

can do the same

today and lord

we thank you that

he jesus has

promised to be

with every single

one of us through

our lives and so

would you help

every one of us

to trust in

jesus's committed

faithful ever

present and

strengthening presence

with us help us

not to lean on

ourselves but to

lean on him

fully completely

so lord please

take all my

messy rambling

words and would

you press them

into our hearts

that the true

message that you

want to leave us

by your spirit

and would you

be with us in

the week to come

we thank you that

jesus will be there

with us and we

ask all these

things in his

name amen