A Farewell
Concluding our study on the book of 2 Timothy, we read Paul’s final greetings before his coming martyrdom. 2 Timothy 4:9-22 teaches us how he was able to endure the hardships in his ministry, including people.
For context (and in case you may have missed the past few weeks of our study), Paul has written this letter in a state of persecution, being kept in a Roman prison and being harmed by others because of his ministry. In what he believes to be his final days on Earth, Paul writes this second letter for Timothy in the hopes of reminding him to persevere as he has, and of the good Gospel that he is tasked with sharing. Verses 9 to 22 mark the end of the letter, with the inclusion of his own personal remarks and his final greetings towards the brothers and sisters he has met during his ministry.
And so without further ado, let’s recall the points that were discussed last Sunday:
We need help from friends (v.9-15)
Even the Apostle Paul, whom we have esteemed so highly and who did so much to share the Word of God, also needed the aid of his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to complete his ministry. In fact, Paul calls for diligence in coming to the aid of a fellow believer suffering for the work of Christ. In verse 9, we see him calling Timothy to come. We even hear of Paul’s reconciliation with John Mark, who he had previously had a falling out with as Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey. After their reconciliation, Paul now even goes so far to say that Mark is helpful to his ministry in what seemed to be his final moments (v. 11).
In contrast, Paul tells Timothy of the people who have deserted him like Demas, who grew too attached to the comforts of the world and left Paul in his persecution.
Bottom line: we need fellow believing friends. Even, in his letter to Galatians Paul tells the Galatian church,
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
From this, we see the importance of having community and fellowship; not only for Paul’s life, but for his (and our) overall ministry.
We need strength from God (v.16-18)
But of course, we can’t rely solely on the help of others in our times of need. In actuality, humans are still humans and tend to be unreliable unlike the unchanging God that gave us this Gospel in the first place. In verse 16, Paul recalls being abandoned by the people that were in a position to defend him. However, his attitude echoes the attitude of Christ and that of the first martyr (besides Jesus), Stephen who before being stoned to death, said, “May it not be held against them.”
In verse 17, Paul tells us the secret to his attitude,
“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.”
Finally, in verse 18 Paul declares that his hope is in God and the knowledge that God will deliver him from whatever evil that threatens.
We need comfort from friends (v.19-22)
For Paul’s final greetings, he addresses the various people, brothers and sisters in Christ, and co-ministers whose lives have been intertwined with his own through the grace of God. As a final note, this is also a great reminder that we too should be involved in people’s lives; loving, teaching, learning from, encouraging, comforting, rebuking and bearing each other’s burdens. The believers God has placed in our lives are here as our community so that we are able to build each other up and support each other in their own respective ministries. Why? For the larger purpose of the Kingdom of God.
Pastor Febby, started this message with an interesting and quite true statement, that people are both the greatest joys and the greatest disappointments of ministry. For some of us, maybe we are not too fond of the idea of working with difficult or fickle people. However, let me remind you that these relationships God has placed around us are always opportunities for Him to administer His grace through us.
Dear God,
We thank You for the work that You have done through Your people. We thank You for the opportunity to enjoy the privilege of Your gospel in our lives. We ask that You would continue to use us and continue to use our relationships, so that we would reach out to those who do not yet know You. We thank You again for the grace You’ve poured out both over and through us for others.
We pray this in Your name, Lord Jesus,
Amen.