Forsaken, Yet Faithful

Forsaken, Yet Faithful

“Forsaken, Yet Faithful”
(2 Timothy 4:9-15)
Series: Faithful to the Finish Line (2 Timothy)

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

I invite you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy, chapter 4 (page 802; YV).

While you’re finding that, remember all the delightful Advent activities taking place these weeks preceding Christmas. Many of you enjoyed scheduling your Christmas get-togethers with your Sunday school classes last Sunday evening—having that evening open for that—next week we’re blessed to have our musical friends Blake and Jenna Bolerjack with us, godly singers for Christ. And then tonight, our gifted organist Jan Young will be playing Christmas and Advent songs on the organ—and I’ll follow Jan with the Word, preaching about Immanuel—God with us. Invite folks to be with us using the Advent invite cards.

We’re preaching through 2 Timothy in a series of messages entitled, “Faithful to the Finish Line.” Paul likens the Christian life to a race, like running a marathon. And when we reach the end of our days, maybe in old age, maybe younger, we want to be able to cross the finish line with our head held high—grateful for the grace of faithfulness, faithful living for our Lord Jesus. We want to be able to say with the Apostle Paul in chapter 4 and verse 7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Faithful to the finish line

We are nearing the end of our study, we’re in chapter 4 and we’ll be studying verses 9-15. Recall that Paul is in a Roman prison where he awaits execution. They will kill him for preaching the Gospel. Chapter 4, verses 9-15. Seven verses here.

In verses 9-15, Paul mentions 9 people; nine including Timothy; nine examples—9. Positive and negative. Some who’ve helped Paul, some who harmed Paul. Faithful and Unfaithful. Some started out well and didn’t finish the race. Some started out not so well, but continued to run faithfully to the finish line. Listen for these different examples.

Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

9 Be diligent to come to me quickly;
10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.
12 And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.
13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works.
15 You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.

Pray.

I remember a guy years ago who asked me a question. He had come to help with something or other. I don’t recall what it was, I just recall the question. He asked “Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?” And I was like, “Whaaat?!” He kind of laughed and said, “You haven’t heard that before?” I said, “Nope.” He said it was just a funny way to say that people can divide evenly into those who are part of the problem at hand or those who are part of the solution. Some are useful, some not useful; some help some harm.

Applied to the Christian life, all of us behave in a way to help or harm others. Our actions have have great influence upon others for good or for bad. We’re either leading people to Jesus—or pushing people further away from Jesus. Every day, no matter what we are saying or doing we are either helping people come closer to Jesus or our actions have the unfortunate consequence of pushing people further away from Jesus.

How we run the race of the Christian life is important. Our actions affect others. And the actions of others may affect us. As Paul writes about these nine different folks in verses 9-15, we can’t help but notice how these nine individuals either positively or negatively affect others. So this passage is instructive in that it prepares us to be ready for the way we may be affected by the actions of other people. Note this with me: first: others.

Some Hurt us (9-10a)

The reality is that we live in a post-Genesis 3 world, a fallen world full of sin. Because this is true, we ourselves will often be hurt—hurt by the actions of others. Some people—some Christians—may hurt us, may hurt us emotionally, may break our hearts.

I want you to notice that first as we study the passage. Let’s remember that Paul is sitting in a Roman dungeon, probably the Mamertine Prison there in Rome, where he is awaiting his death by execution under the vicious Roman Emperor Nero. It is in this context of loneliness that he writes at the conclusion of his letter—there in verse 9:

9 Be diligent to come to me quickly;

You can sense the urgency of the apostle who hopes that Timothy can visit him, making the long trip from Ephesus, visiting him before it is too late. He needs encouragement and he hopes that Timothy can come and see him before it is too late. You also sense in this passage that Paul is beginning to feel rather lonely. He is by no means alone. The Lord Jesus is with him and Luke is with him, but there have been some who have hurt him or even abandoned him. Right after Paul says in verse 9, “Be diligent to come to me quickly;” he says in verse 10:

10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.

Demas has forsaken him. The word means “to utterly abandon.” To just leave Paul, and to turn from loving Paul and Jesus to loving the world. Verse 10 says, “for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…”

That had to hurt Paul. He had invested in Demas, had run the Christian race with Demas. Prayed for Demas and shared the Gospel with Demas. And now Demas has forsaken Paul.

Some of you have poured yourself into the life of another believer and they hurt you by later abandoning the Christian faith. I know what that’s like. You share the Gospel with someone, you drive them to church, you spend time with them in Bible study and they start running well, but then they just abandon you and they abandon the Christian faith. They stop running. Well, don’t let their actions stop you from running or investing in others!

Keep investing in others. It’s biblical. Remember that we are all called to be disciples who make disciples of others. 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Some may hurt us emotionally and break our hearts, but that’s no reason to stop doing what the Bible says. Turn to someone else and begin pouring into that person, and yet another, and another. As an obedient Christian, be a disciple who disciples others.

Demas is a Christian who once loved Paul and loved Jesus, but has now exchanged his love for Christ and Christians for a love for the world, the things that get in the way, the things that turn our hearts from eternal truth to temporary and often sinful satisfactions. That’s what it means to love the world.

“for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica…” I don’t know what it was about Thessalonica that drew the interest and attention of Demas. I don’t know whether it was the place itself, or places within Thessalonica, but something drew Demas there. Maybe Thessalonica was a place to Demas what a place like Las Vegas is to many today. I don’t know. There was something there that attracted him—or at least it was a place where Demas felt at home in his love for this present world.

It is much as our Lord Jesus warned in His Sermon on the Mount in Mark 4. Jesus says there are those who believe the Gospel but then, like seed “sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful (Mark 4:18-19).”

You can start off well running the Christian race—all excited about getting saved and getting the assurance of eternal life, a home in heaven, and a joy in this world. And you are running well. But, if you’re not careful over time, not careful to grow in Christian graces and get active in a Christian fellowship, in church, growing in prayer and Bible study—you can become vulnerable and you may “lose your first love (Revelation 2:4).”

Nearly every time I read a warning in the Bible about loving this present world I think of the Keith Green song, “You Love the World.” It’s a convicting song about how we as Christians are always susceptible to falling out of deep love for the promises and pleasure of Christ and trading that love for other things, some outright sinful like sexual lusts, greed, or addictions. Other loves that simply draw us away from time with the Lord in His Word. One stanza from Keith Green’s song has the Lord saying to a Christian:

My Word sits there upon your desk
But you love your books and magazines the best
You prefer the light of your TV
You love the world and you’re avoiding Me

There are so many things to distract us from love for Jesus. We must take care not to become a Demas, a Christian who falls away, whose love for Christ weakens and wanes and is replaced by a love for the world. The reason we refer to activities like prayer, fasting, and Bible study as spiritual disciplines is because we must be disciplined to do them. They are activities that do not always come naturally to believers. They take work.

By the way, now is your DQ going? From last week, your DQ—your time of Daily Quiet. Did you take time each day last week to get alone with God and read from the Bible, pray, and listen to God?
I remember reading once where early African converts to Christianity were especially disciplined to have a regular DQ, a regular time of Daily Quiet. Each one would find a private place outside in the thicket of grass and shrubs where he would get alone with God and pray.

And so frequently would these men find their place of private devotion each day that the grass would be worn away from the path they took to their spot of Daily Quiet. You could see little paths that went into the thicket. So when one of these Christians became negligent in his time of Daily Quiet, it would be readily apparent to the others because the path through the thicket would lose that well-worn look. So when this happened, one of the other Christians would find the negligent Christian and kindly say to him, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.” And this was a way of saying, “You have neglected your DQ.” The grass grows on your path. Don’t neglect your DQ. Don’t allow the grass to grow on your path, the time you have marked off each day to be with the Lord. Your DQ is vitally important and is a way to keep you from falling in love with this present world.

As we run the Christian race, the actions of others affect us. Some, like Demas, may hurt us (they break our hearts). Others, however, help us (They strengthen our hearts). That’s the second point here:

Some Help us (10b-13)

Verse 10 right after we read about Demas and his negative actions, someone who is part of the problem, we read about others and their positive actions, people who are part of the solution. Some hurt, some help. Second half of verse 10:

10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.

Here are two guys who proved to be helpful to Paul—Crescens and Titus. They were Christians who loved Jesus and others more than they loved the world. So Paul entrusted them with ministry. He sent Crescens to Galatia, a Roman province where Paul ministered in three of his missionary journeys. And he sent Titus to Dalmatia, another Roman province also known as Illyricum (Romans 15:19). Both these guys helped Paul.

And there is another, more well-known helper mentioned in verse 13:

11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.

Luke. Only Luke is with me. We shouldn’t read that as though Luke were a nobody! You know, “Man, Timothy, it’s gotten really bad here in Rome! I mean, everyone has abandoned me. All the power hitters are gone. All I’ve got is the B-Team now, the JV Team. Just Luke!”

No. Rather this statement lets us know that Luke, the beloved physician and Gospel-writer, is a man of great loyalty and faithfulness. Though others would forsake Paul, Luke would not. Some would hurt Paul, Luke will help Paul.

And here’s another helper in verse 11: “Mark.” Paul says in the second part of verse 11, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.”

Mark is also helpful. And what a wonderful thing it is to read of Mark in this way in Paul’s last letter before he dies. Many of you know that it was Mark who, years ago, sort of left Paul hanging on his first missionary journey. Remember that? You can read about it later in Acts Chapter 13. I don’t know what happened, but for some reason Mark had had enough of the mission trip and decided to go home.

And Paul was pretty ticked about that. So much so that, when preparing for another mission trip, Barnabas wants to take Mark along on the journey with Paul and Paul is like, “No way, José! That guy abandoned me, left me hanging! He’s useless to me!” So Barnabas and Mark went one way and Paul and Silas went the other way. And you’d think it was all over between Paul and Mark. Mark had deeply hurt Paul. Thought of him as useless.

But now, years later, writing from a Roman prison, Paul writes that Mark is a great help to him. No longer useless! Paul even writes in verse 11, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.”

Isn’t forgiveness a great thing?! Isn’t it great when God forgives you? Isn’t it great when others forgive you? Isn’t it great when you forgive others? Some of you need to forgive someone today—do it. Get over it. Do what God has done for you in Christ. Ephesians 4:32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Tony Merida finds yet another wonderful application from this mention of Mark. He says: “Mark’s story should give fallen Christians hope. Despite rejection, possible shame, hurt, and failure, Mark is restored and put back in the game.” He adds, “Mark not only was useful to Paul, but he was used by God to write the Gospel of Mark!”

Maybe you were running the race and you goofed up. Slipped. Sinned. Hurt someone else. Hurt your wife, your husband, your children, your Lord. Get up this morning and get back into the race. Run. Remember we are not called to “win,” the race, but simply to complete it. Run faithfully to the finish line.

Who else was helpful to Paul? Verses 12 and 13:

12 And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus (another helper).
13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.

Here’s this guy named Carpus in verse 13—also helpful to Paul. Paul left his cloak with Carpus. Everyone needed a cloak in Paul’s day. A cloak was a heavy garment made of wool that was used as an overcoat as well as a blanket in the evening. I don’t know why Paul didn’t have his cloak with him and left it with Carpus at Troas. Some scholars think it’s because Paul was facing an arrest and had to flee town quickly. May well be true. In any case, he left his cloak with Carpus.

And he also left his books. Verse 13, Paul says, not only bring the cloak that I left with Carpus, but also “the books, especially the parchments.”

The books were probably rolls of papyrus, the sort of thing books were written on back then—probably the Old Testament or other Christian writings, like the sayings of Jesus. And then “parchments,” especially the parchments. Parchments were more expensive than papyrus. Parchments were made of vellum, the skins of animals, like calf skin. They were more valuable. Probably why Paul says, “especially the parchments.” It’s also possible that Paul was needing some writing material so he could write letters—like this letter to Timothy! So Paul says to Timothy, “I left my books with Carpus. Be sure to get them and bring them with you.” Carpus was helpful to Paul. He kept Paul’s books.

You know, you’ve got to be a special kind a friend to be entrusted with a pastor’s books! A pastor won’t leave his books with just anyone. I think Carpus most have been very fortunate to have had access to Paul’s books. Books are important to Christians.

Charles Spurgeon, in a popular sermon on this text, suggests some may find irony in Paul’s love for books. Spurgeon says:

[Paul] has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, “Give thyself unto reading.” The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of his own.

May every Christian find application here in Spurgeon’s words! What a blessing it is to read the Bible and so many good books, too. We ought to grow in our reading.

The great Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, was probably referring to the Bible when he said, “One book is enough.” But, of course, he added to this. Luther said: “One Book is enough, but a thousand books is not too many!” I hope you are reading good Christian books along with your reading of the Bible.

As we run the Christian race, the actions of others affect us. Some people hurt us (they break our hearts). Some help us (They strengthen our hearts). And some harm us (they could stop our hearts!).

Some Harm us (14-15)

In verses 14 and 15 Paul mentions a fella who did harmed him and harmed the ministry. His name is Alexander, more specifically because there was more than one or two Alexanders: “Alexander the coppersmith.” Alexander, the guy who made things of cast-iron. Verse 14:

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works.
15 You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.

I don’t know what it was exactly that Alexander the coppersmith did to harm Paul and to harm the ministry, but it must have been pretty bad. Paul says not even that Alexander did him harm but, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm.”
I was listening to a contemporary preacher (Mark Driscoll) who observed the irony in that it was someone like Alexander, a coppersmith, a lay worker, would be the guy most noted for opposing Paul, for harming Paul. He said, and I quote here:

This guy [Alexander] is a bitter enemy in opposition to God and in opposition to Paul…You think, ‘Well, what is he, is [Alexander] a pastor, does he run the big temple in Corinth, is he a Pharisee who’s got bad doctrine, is he a Bible college [professor]?” No. He’s a sheet and metal worker. He’s a union pipe-fitter.”

He further describes Alexander somewhat humorously in modern times:

This is a guy with a Ford F150, and half his teeth, and a belt buckle big enough to pick up FM radio, who’s got a tool belt and a lunch box with a spam sandwich and drinks lite beer and cusses and chews Copenhagen. And this is the guy who is the biggest opposition who Paul has.

And then he makes the point:

Some people think that the most powerful influencers in the church are the pastors. Oftentimes they are not. It’s the guy in the cubicle, it’s the sheet and metal worker, it’s the guy who hangs drywall, it’s the [woman] who stays home and picks up the phone and gossips with all the other women in the church, it’s the guy who sends out the email chain with prayer requests for everybody else’s sin. It’s the influencers who do not have an official position of power, but they have influence throughout the totality of the church. That’s who this guy is [Alexander the Coppersmith].

Here is the guy who harms Paul, harms the church, and harms the cause of Christ. Don’t be that guy. Don’t be an Alexander the coppersmith. Be a Timothy, be a Luke, be a Carpus.

One of the coolest things about Paul in this passage is the way he deals with those who hurt him and harm him. Paul doesn’t let it get to him. He doesn’t become sullen or bitter. He doesn’t get angry with God or angry with the church.

There are a lot of people who are supposedly “angry with God” or “angry with the church.” There are many people who say they have gotten their feelings hurt. They’ve been quote: “burned by the church.” Some folks are even using these folks to justify a church model or strategy for church growth. The say: “We’re going after folks who’ve been ‘burned by the church.’”

When I hear that, I often think, “Well who hasn’t been burned by the church?!” The church isn’t a building, it’s a body. It’s people. Sinners. Saved sinners, but still sinners. There’s no such thing as the perfect church. The church is a hospital for sick sinners. So the church is not “full of hypocrites.” The church is never “full” of hypocrites—there’s always room for more!

Of course, I get it. I understand when someone hurts us or forsakes us that it can cut like a knife. But don’t become bitter over that and don’t blame the church for it.

Paul is not bitter. He writes in verse 14, “Alexander the Coppersmith “did him much harm.”—now, read on!—“May the Lord repay him according to his works.” May the Lord repay him. Paul also wrote Romans 12:19: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”

Don’t let the actions of others make you bitter. Rather than becoming bitter, become better. Turn the situation over to Jesus. He sees. He knows. He’ll deal with that person in His time and in His way.

***

So here’s the reality: as we run the Christian race, our actions affect others and the actions of others will likely affect us.

What kind of runner are you? Are you part of the problem or part of the solution? Are you faithful or unfaithful? Are you a help to others or a harm to others?

Maybe you were running and you’ve caused great harm to others. You have sinned against someone. You feel like Alexander. Repent. Go and ask for forgiveness. And if you’re on the receiving end of that harm—learn to do as Paul did: Don’t become bitter. Become better and turn that situation over to the Lord.

Some of you, maybe you were running, but you got out of the race or you’re running the wrong way. Like Demas. You’ve fallen in love with the world. Things have gotten in the way and like weeds they are choking out your love for Jesus: stuff, money, temporary things. You’ve lost your love for Christ and you’ve been seeking satisfaction in cheap substitutes. You’ve fallen into sin. Turn back to Christ this morning and get back into the race.

Maybe you’re not in the race yet. You’re not saved. You have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ. Turn to Christ this morning. In a moment we’re going to stand and sing—and when we do, you come forward and say, “I need Jesus.” I’ll be up front here and I’d love to make sure you hear the Gospel this morning so you can be saved from sin and get into the Christian race. So I’m inviting you to come, to come to receive Christ, or come for baptism, or come to join the church. But you come. Come and get into the race.

Bottom line, let’s make sure we’re all running. And we’re running the right way. And that we keep on running until we cross the finish line.

Let’s Pray. “God help us run with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. In His name we pray, amen.”

Let’s stand and sing our hymn of response. You need to come forward, then you come. I’ll be down front to receive you.

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