7. Last Words

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The reading is 2 Timothy chapter 4. You’ll find that on page 1199 of the church Bibles.

2 Timothy chapter 4.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

As for you, always be sober-minded and Endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defence, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Greet Prisca and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. The Lord be with your spirit.

Grace be with you.

Our third daughter Ashley and her husband David are missionaries in Mongolia, and you may not know, but Mongolia was part of the USSR up until 1992, and the apartment block which Dave and Ashley live in is typical of many of the apartment blocks— 4 storeys, concrete, bland grey. Ashley and Dave live on the second storey of one of these apartment blocks and one night they were coming home recently and they noticed as they looked up screaming from the fourth floor. A man was holding his wife by the hair over the veranda on the fourth floor about to drop her to her death. He was saying something about the fact that she had lied to him. David, our son-in-law, whose Mongolian is quite good, shouted out, do not do that, for God is watching you, in perfect Mongolian.

Our daughter Ashley, whose Mongolian is not quite so good, with this pair’s children inside the apartment crying, meant to say, and your children are crying, but instead in broken Mongolian said, and your children will be inside hungry. At which point the woman being held over the veranda looked down and said, what did you say? And Ashley said, I couldn’t believe that this lady who was about to be dropped to her death was stopping at that point to correct my Mongolian. It is Monty Python-esque, isn’t it? Well, the man took his wife in and she was safe for the time being.

But when it comes to last words, you do not allow yourself to be sidetracked by the pedantic. You’re sitting listening to last words. You don’t correct grammar at that point. And Paul here is uttering his last words. He’s not allowing himself to be sidetracked.

He’s not allowing things which go without saying to go without saying. He is saying them. And one commentator says it is difficult to read these words without something like a veil of tears in the eyes as we read. Notice how it starts. Paul says, I charge, verse 1, Literally, I have a solemn burden.

And he says that I do this in the presence of God. And notice, without hesitation, he includes in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, he says, who will judge, who will appear, who will reign in view of his kingdom. The Lord Jesus told many storeys about the returning Master who would come and we would have to give an account to him. And here the Apostle Paul makes it clear that that returning Master is Jesus himself. And in view of that high accountability, this is what he tells Timothy to do.

He tells him there to proclaim the word, to preach the word. Now notice in verse 2 that he is to do this and reprove, rebuke and exhort. Last week we saw in chapter 3, verse 16, that God has breathed out his word and it is good for teaching, for reproof and correction, and now the Apostle says, you are to preach it, you are to reprove, you are to rebuke and you are to exhort. You are to do with the Word what God has intended for it to happen. And when are you to do this?

Well, he says, in season and out of season. You are to do it all the time, when it is convenient and inconvenient. It’s not a matter of why should I do it, but why not should I do it? In any circumstance. And how are you to do it?

Notice there in verse 2, with complete patience and with careful instruction. Not haphazardly, not disorganised. Now this is a charge to a young pastor, the pastor of the congregation at Ephesus. It is good for us to have the constant reminder that when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But it is also good for us to remember that that day in which our salvation will be obvious and which there is no condemnation will be a day of rewards and of rebukes.

And pastors, like Timothy, need to have that reminder, and we need to have that reminder that our pastors are ultimately not accountable to us. They are not accountable to the wardens. They are not accountable to the elders. They are accountable to God, and their accountability is great, and so we must be praying for them. What a tragic thing to be called to this pastoral ministry and yet have to face the appearing Lord and not have preached the Word, rebuked and corrected and exhorted God’s people.

Notice verses 3 and 4, the environment into which this is going to take place. It is an environment in which people will have itchy ears. They will be looking for novelty and the demand for novelty always will create the supply. There will always be teachers ready to scratch itchy ears. The Apostle says, people will turn away from truth, verse 4, and they will turn to myth.

Isn’t that the case? After many years in ministry, It is not people’s capacity for unbelief that surprises me. It is people’s capacity to believe anything but the truth. Have you noticed that? When there’s discovery of a new Gnostic gospel, the Gospel of Thomas, everyone clutters to believe it.

Or the latest prediction of Nostradamus, everybody rushes to believe it. But the gospel itself? Oh, we’re too sophisticated for that. It’s itchy ears, people shopping around. But notice what the Apostle says in verse 5, but as for you, just as he said back there in chapter 3, verse 10, you, however, 3, verse 14, but as for you, you do not pander to the itchy ear.

You keep your head down. You be fully sober, for itchy days call for persevering faithfulness. Timothy, don’t let the market lead you.

A friend of mine went to pastor a church in Sydney which is a rather large church. After 6 months I said to him, how are you going? He said, it’s really hard. We’ve got 50 of everything in our congregation. You think of every interest group within the Christian church and we’ve got 50 zealous members of every one of those groups and they are all keen for me to join them in their zeal for this particular cause.

Friends, it is difficult to keep sober in an age of itchiness, and it is also difficult to keep from taking for granted being taught and preached the Word of God. It is unfortunately true that familiarity breeds contempt, and it seems to me appropriate at this point that I urge you to pray for the Rector of the parish, William Taylor. That I urge you to pray for all of the pastoral team. Give thanks for men and women like this who respect your soul by teaching you, by rebuking you, by correcting you. It is not easy to do.

It is not. It is hard to take and it is hard to give, and it may well be that the denominational structures give no encouragement at this point, but we must pray that our leaders stand as those who will give account to the Lord Jesus himself and preach the word. Another friend of mine went into a parish and on the night of his induction he said, I make you one promise. I may let you down in many ways, but I make you one promise. I will never stand before you and preach a half-baked sermon.

In other words, this man was creating that as a priority, that he would preach the word. Now we need to pray for our preachers. We need to pray that God will raise up more preachers, and in answer to that prayer, maybe you are one of those more preachers. Maybe God is calling you. Maybe God is going to send you.

Maybe the most productive way you can serve the gospel’s interest in the kingdom of God is that you join Timothy. In pastoral ministry, so this will be a word to you. The days are not conducive to faithful ministry. People will be discontented. It will not be easy.

People will be itchy. But as for you, you, however, as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfil your ministry. Well, now Paul comes in verses 6 to 22 to his closing words, the closing words of a man of God. And he reminds Timothy the way Paul sees himself. Would you notice that in verses 6 to 8?

I’m already being poured out as a drink offering. It’s a lovely way, isn’t it? It’s a self-effacing way of referring to yourself. The drink offering, the substantial offering at the temple, was the great burnt offering, and the drink offering was just splashed on the altar. The offering was not complete without the drink offering, but the drink offering wasn’t the substantial part of the offering.

It’s rather like going to a dinner party. You bring the coffee. Well, the dinner party’s not complete without the coffee, but if you just went and had coffee, you wouldn’t feel that you’ve had any substantial food in the dinner party. It’s there. It just finishes it off.

And Paul says, I’m just the drink offering, the hiss, a puff of steam, and then he is gone. But that’s how he sees himself, a hiss. A puff of steam, essential but not substantial, and then he is gone. And he says, I’m the soldier, I fought the fight. I’m the athlete who not only has started well but I’ve finished the race.

I’m the curator and I’ve kept that which has been entrusted to me. And henceforth, verse 8, I have this great hope that there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, the one who is going to appear according to verse 1, will award to me on that day, not only to me but to all who long for his appearing. Humble, self-effacing, a hiss, a puff of steam, a sizzle and he’s gone. No guru following here, no follow me, no big-noting yourself. No, the humble self-effacement of the Apostle.

A friend of mine can remember way back in 1959 when Billy Graham the evangelist made his first visit to Sydney. Had an incredible impact on the city. Numbers doubled in all our theological colleges as a result of that evangelistic mission. And such was the popularity of Billy Graham that some 5,000 people on the— after the last meeting went to Sydney Airport and would not let him get on his plane. In those days in Sydney Airport you had to climb the steps of the plane in order to get onto the plane and the crowd surrounded the steps and would not let the American evangelist go unless they preached another sermon to him.

5,000 people! And so Billy Graham stood on the steps and he preached on that verse in John’s Gospel which says that the disciples of John the Baptist heard John say this, that is, that Jesus is the Lamb of God. They heard John say this but they followed Jesus. They didn’t follow John. They followed Jesus.

And so here, Paul’s not interested. Timothy, you’re not following me. I’m a hiss. I’m a puff of steam. I’m gone.

It is that refreshing self-effacement of the true preacher of the Word of God. I’m no guru. I’m not looking for a following. They heard John say this, but they followed Jesus. I fought the fight.

I’ve run the race. I’ve kept the faith. And here is my testimony after 30 years of ministry. I want you to know, Timothy, verse 10, that people will let you down. Demas, for example, verse 10, loved the lights more than he loved the cell with me.

Verse 14, there’s Alexander the metal worker. Some act of hurt against the Apostle Paul, maybe at his prosecution, but he warns Timothy about Alexander the metal worker. Look at what he says in verse 16, at my first defence no one, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them, because by deserting the messenger of the Lord is the same as deserting the Lord himself. But in that first trial, it would have been dangerous to identify with the Apostle Paul.

But here is the mature Christian worker, And what is he saying to Timothy? He’s saying, people will let you down. Christians will let you down. The Lord Jesus himself, his family said, he’s mad, he’s insane. The disciples abandoned him.

A friend of mine writes after the death of her husband from leukaemia, I found more support outside the church than within. People will let you down. The issue is, how are you going to respond to that? Look at how Paul responds here. People will let you down.

Everyone deserted me. But he doesn’t withdraw. He doesn’t sulk. He doesn’t become embittered. Nobody likes being hurt.

But look at what he says in verse 11. I’ve got Luke with me. And when you come, Timothy, I want you to come, but bring Mark with you as well. Paul had been impatient earlier with Mark. Bring him as well.

Now here is this man who knows that everyone has let him down in a human sense. But in his last days he wants fellowship with people. Oh, he wants his cloak too. He wants some warmth and he wants his books, especially the scrolls of Scripture. People will let you down, but the Apostle yearns for people.

I remember in my student days training to be a minister, one of the ministers that I worked with was a wonderful pastor of people. I can remember on one occasion standing 15 minutes before the morning service started in the vestry And, uh, here was this man and here was I and someone came in and said, oh, the elder who’s designated to pray today is not here. You’ll have to get someone else to do it. Someone else came in from the Sunday school. One of the teachers are not here.

You’re going to have to get someone to fill in. Someone came in and said, they’ve just brought the vase stands from the builders and they are not identical. What are you going to do about this? And someone else came in, the 4th person, and said, there’s a note in the bulletin and it’s wrong. Why is it wrong?

And then they all left. And in a moment of insight that he rarely gave, he said, you know, David, I would love pastoral ministry if it weren’t for people. It’s rather like saying, you know, I’d be a great father if I didn’t have any children or a great teacher if I didn’t have any students. But that is the reality. But did he hold back from people because of that?

No, he was a wonderful pastor of people. People will let you down. They will make you promises and they will forget they have made them. But you don’t cut yourself off from people. You go back into fellowship.

Bring Mark. Come yourself. Bring the books and it’s cold. Bring my cloak and bring the scrolls especially. I’m yet on this visit to London to go to John Wesley’s house.

But what I can remember about visiting that house is that Wesley had a house, and then the house is strangely bare. There’s a desk, there’s a Bible, there’s a set of spectacles, and there are some silver spoons. Not a lot. That’s all he had. Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Keep me warm. Come yourself. And bring the scrolls with you. And finally, Paul ends with these greetings: Greet Prisca and Aquila. His partners are men and women, Jews like Prisca and Aquila, Latins like Linus and Claudia and Pudens, Greeks like Erastus and Eubulus.

Really a multicultural fellowship of people, all in Christ, whole households, young, old, slave, free. The Apostle Paul is disappointed. Yet he is greatly heartened by fellowship, greatly heartened by fellowship. Well, what was it about Paul, as we come to the end of this letter? What was it that marked him out?

Was it his strength of will, his single-mindedness? Is that what impresses you about him? Was it his passion? Or was it his gentleness and his approachableness? What was all important about Paul?

What was it that kept Paul so composed under pressure? He was not a self-confident man. He was not a self-assured man. Now, if you notice from the reading, the 2 verses I have not referred to, it seems to me, provide for us the greatest key to understanding this man, verses 17 and 18. But the Lord, when everyone else deserted me, the Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Notice, here’s the key to the Apostle Paul, our Apostle. The Lord stood, the Lord strengthened, the Lord delivered, the Lord will rescue me.

Paul was loved, Paul was hated, Paul was betrayed, Paul was abandoned, Paul was lonely, Paul suffered loss, yet in the end he says, to him be all the glory, for he never abandoned me. He delivered me and he will ultimately rescue me. What is it that drove Paul? What is it that gave him this serenity? It wasn’t people.

People will let you down. They will break promises, but the Lord Jesus never will, he says. The most vital thing about the Apostle Paul that can be said about him and can be said about you is that Paul was a man on a promise. Now keep your finger there and just go back to the book of Acts, chapter 18, if you would. Let’s have a briefly and look at how God speaks to this man, promises.

Acts chapter 18, it’s page 1117, 1117, and you remember here that the context is that Paul is having ministry in Corinth and Acts chapter 18, verse 9 says, and the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people. They don’t know it yet, but when they hear the gospel through you, then they’ll know it. You don’t be afraid. You keep on. I’m with you.

Flip over a few pages, if you would, to chapter 23, verse 11. Here he is just coming through Jerusalem wondering whether he will make it to Rome. Chapter 23, verse 11: The following night the Lord stood by him and said, take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome. Take courage. Go over, if you would, to chapter 27, verse 23.

Here he is on the high seas on his way to Rome. Chapter 27, verse 23: For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar, and behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you. All of them. All over 250 of them.

Will ultimately be safe. Friends, the Apostle Paul was a man on a promise. Don’t be afraid, take courage, don’t be afraid, for I am with you. In Australia, our equivalent of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is a man we call the Federal Treasurer. One Federal Treasurer, a man by the name of Paul Keating, thought he was on a promise to be the next Prime Minister of Australia.

But when it came to the crunch, the promise evaporated. Our current Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello, believed earlier this year that he was on a promise to be the next Prime Minister. And that promise also evaporated. I wonder if this is relevant at all for Gordon Brown, your Chancellor, that he thinks he’s on a promise too. You see, you can be on a promise.

But friends, we’re not talking here about empty political whim. We are not talking about a throwaway word of some politician, but here we are talking about the sure promise of the resurrected Lord Jesus. I will never leave you. He will deliver and rescue me until he takes me home. We are people on a promise.

As Lee referred in the opening of this morning’s service, I am with you, even I with you am. It’s wonderful in the Greek order. I with you, I even am. You are surrounded by I. I will be with you even to the end of the age. And so when you leave here today, you’re a person on a promise, a sure promise.

People might abandon you out there. You might be quite alone out there. You might be facing some horrendous stress out there, but the reality is you go and the Lord is at your side. You’re a man, you’re a woman on a promise, a sure promise.

When I was in Bible college, every Friday morning we used to pray from the Anglican Prayer Book, the service called the Litany. I don’t know if you know that service. There’s just a lot of prayers and at the end of the prayer there is a congregational response. Listen to what I believe to be the most unusual prayer in the Litany. Listen to it: From lightning and tempest, from plague, pestilence and famine, from battle and murder, and the response is, Good Lord, deliver us.

But it doesn’t finish there. Yes, I think lightning, tempest, I want to be delivered from that. Plague, pestilence, famine, yes. Battle, murder, I want to be delivered from that. But it doesn’t end there.

From battle and murder and sudden death, good Lord deliver us.

Sudden death. I think we often talk as though sudden death is a great blessing. No, not to the mind of those who drafted the prayer book, and it shouldn’t be to us as well because sudden death denies us the opportunity of dying well. It denies us the opportunity of having the last privilege of life, to die. And the last lesson I have to teach my children, watch the way I die and this can be the way you die as well.

Do you think how to die well? A mentor of mine came home from hospital. He’d just been diagnosed with a very bad terminal illness. He got home, he asked his children to come in around the bed and there at midnight, on the very night he arrived home, he got out of bed and he stood and held hands with his children and his wife and they sang that magnificent hymn: Since, Lord, you will defend us with your Spirit, we know we at the end shall life inherit. Then fancies fly away, we’ll fear not what they say.

Will labour night and day to be true pilgrims.

He got back into bed, his head in his son’s lap, and he died well. Friends, he’s our Apostle. He’s your Apostle. If you’re a Gentile, this is your Apostle, the Apostle Paul. Now what does he say, his last words?

Be faithful. For Timothy, pastors, you preach the word, but the rest of you, you be faithful. Other people will fail you, you’ll fail others, but the Lord Jesus Christ will never let you down. He has promised and he will do it. He is the rescuer, he is the deliverer, he is the strengthener.

Be him— to him be glory forever. I’m a hiss, a puff of steam, and I’m gone. I fought the fight, run the race, kept the faith. Brothers and sisters, go and live as men and women who are on a promise. And I assure you that he will never fail you.

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.