2 Timothy chapter 4. We'll find ourselves in verse number 9. The Bible says, "...do thy diligence to come shortly unto Me." Paul's speaking. under the Holy Spirit's inspiration. The last part of this entire book, it's Paul. Here, we're going to look at it. He's going to name nine names. So he's going to name some names. Most of it's positive. Some of it's going to be negative. But he's going to list some names as he closes out this book. And it starts off in verse 10. He says, For Demas hath forsaken me. It doesn't start off positive. Now there's this question, was Demas saved? Look, Demas was saved. Demas was saved. He's mentioned alongside of Luke in Colossians 4.14. Demas is also mentioned in Philemon, and he's mentioned as a fellow laborer. You can't be a fellow laborer in the Lord if you're not in the Lord, if you're not in Christ. Demas labored with Paul. Demas labored for Christ. But we know where we're at in this book now, contextually. Paul's in prison. He's about to be martyred for his faith. He's under trial. He's under suffering. He's under persecution. And as he's closing out this book, good old Demas comes to mind. Yeah, I went through all that and he left me. Paul's pouring out his heart regarding the situation. And watch what he says about Demas. He says, For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. He didn't lose his salvation. He lost his first love. He fell in love with the world, the visible earthly things that were available to him. So what did he do? He departed unto Thessalonica. And he fell in love with, I mean, can you imagine it, the big city? The Greek theaters, the Greek art museums, the Greek culture, the Greek concerts and plays. I'm out of here, Paul. I'm going to Thessalonica. A little more of a comfortable life than a cold dungeon cell. I know where you're headed. I'd rather get into that culturally rich city of Thessalonica. You ever have season in your life where you feel the world's pulling you? All of a sudden, midweek service isn't that attractive. There's a ball game on. It's Thursday night football. All of a sudden, Sunday afternoon service isn't that attractive anymore. Oh, wait, there's a one o'clock Super Bowl on. We got to be careful about beating up on Demas. We need to take an inward look at our own hearts and make sure we don't have a heart like Demas when life starts to come our way. He gave up. Demas gave up living with a blessed hope. Go to 1 John. Living with a blessed hope affects your Christian walk. In 1 John 3, Watch what it says. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. We talked about that sons of God term on Sunday. Therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew not Him. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when He shall appear, We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Now here's the verse. That's talking about the blessed hope. Christ's appearing. He's going to appear in the clouds. He's going to catch us away. But watch. And every man that hath this hope in him, what does he do? Purifieth himself, even as he is pure. It be an awful thing. If you're saved, if the Lord catches away His church tonight, you're going to get called up to be at the Lord. But it'd be an awful thing if you were down at the nightlife in Nashville. It'd be an awful thing. Thank the Lord I'm saved. Thank the Lord I'm covered in the blood. Thank the Lord that He even loves me. Lord, I think I'm going to hang out in Nashville. I think I'm going to hang out at the music scene. I think I'm going to spend my time there because I've lost sight of Your appearing. I'm not living a purified life I can't if I lose sight of the blessed hope. The Lord calls us away. I hope He doesn't call us away when we're in the middle of doing something that He would. Would you want to shame your Savior by your works? They don't save you. You're saved. You have a home in heaven. But if any of us think for a minute that our works after salvation don't matter, remember Demas. Remember Demas. Go back to 2 Timothy 4. The comfort of the world, better than watching Paul deal with suffering and loneliness. There's an aspect of Demas where there are good men that can preach and teach the Bible and they know the Bible rightly divided doctrinally very well. but they're not about to leave their bubble of comfort. They are not about to step out by faith and accept the stresses and the trials and the tribulations that come along with the ministry. Well, that's just for preachers. It isn't just for preachers. If you're saved, you are called to do the work of the ministry that the Lord has put you in. People will backstab you, but they'll do that whether you're saved or unsaved. You will find periods of loneliness in your Christian life, but let us not make that statement as if there aren't periods of loneliness in lost people's lives. They're more lonely than anybody. And you want to introduce them to Jesus Christ, right? The world suffers the same way we do. We have a hope though. The trials of life and the trials of the world hits the saved and the lost. 2 Timothy 4, look at verse number 10. It says, For Demuth hath forsaken me. He forsook Paul. He didn't forsake his salvation. he just and look it says loving this present world and he departed he departed unto it doesn't say hello Seneca he did he didn't lose his salvation now he's going to hell he's part of the Thessalonica okay what would you do you hang out with Paul you live with Paul you know Paul's headed to martyrdom if it's If it's His course and you hang out with Him, where is it likely that life is going to lead you to? Martyrdom. Hey, I'm getting out of town. You ever think about that with Demas? I've thought about that with Demas. Demas didn't want to leave this world to be with Christ, which we all know the Bible says is far better. He wanted to stay in this world. Look, salvation isn't a reward, but there are rewards that follow salvation. What Demas lost wasn't his salvation. What Demas lost was the crown of righteousness. That's what he lost. And there's a lot of things Christians can lose. It's just their soul isn't one of them. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 10. Watch who else we see listed. The second name Paul names at the end here, it says, Crescens to Galatia and then Titus under Dalmatia. So they departed Paul just like Demas departed Paul. It's just that Demas was put in a negative light. These two men were not. We see them mentioned here. Crescent went to Galatia. Titus, he goes to Dalmatia. Now look at verse 11. The Bible says, "...only Luke is with me." And he was with them at the close of his life, and he traveled with Paul. And if you think about the importance of having a physician around when you are preaching the Word of God, especially in these times, he was an important fellow laborer. I think we all need a Luke in our life. A church is blessed when it has a physician in its midst. There's a lot of benefit to having someone that can handle physical problems or have insight to physical ailments in the midst of the spiritual fight of the good fight. In Colossians 4, Luke is mentioned as the beloved physician. And what a valuable occupation. We're going to travel. Most of you know that we work and so we're going to travel this weekend to a tournament. And you know what one of the most valuable positions is at the tournament? It's the medic. Because if a kid falls wrong and he hurts his shoulder or his knee, I can't help him. I can pray for him. Nobody else in the staff can help him, but the physician can. You remember how many times Paul was beaten and stoned and shipwrecked? His body just beat up from the feet up. Imagine being Paul and all of his physical ailments and having Luke with him. That's a blessing. That's a real, real blessing. And then we see in verse 11, the next name that's mentioned is Mark. Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry. Now, he travels with Paul. It doesn't say exactly in this text how he was profitable, but we know that they had a rift and then that rift was resolved Which is nice to read at the close of this letter. They had a temporary separation. Go to Acts chapter number 13, or go to Acts 15. Because I think Acts... Yeah, go to Acts 15. We'll pick it up at Acts 15. In Acts 13, all this trouble arises with Elymas the sorcerer. And so he's causing, in Acts 13, people to turn from the faith. And Paul, under the Holy Spirit's power, in Acts 13, Paul issues a temporary blindness on this sorcerer. Well, John Mark witnesses all this. He sees the power that this sorcerer has. And he's turning people from the faith. So John Mark's like, He's probably thinking what you would think or what I would think. Man, I don't want to be anywhere near this sorcerer. I'm seeing what he's doing to guys. I'm out. Send me to Jerusalem. I'm going to go back to Jerusalem. That's what he does. In Acts 15, watch what happens. Verse 36, we'll pick it up. And some days after Paul sent him to Barnabas, let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do. Now, that's pretty good. They want to make some trips back to where they've been, visit with the saints, check up on them. Praise God. Let's continue reading. And Barnabas, verse 37, determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them. who departed from them, from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work." It's referring back to what happened in Acts 13. So there was a split that they had. But Barnabas, now at this point in Acts 15, Barnabas wants to take John Mark. Paul's like, I don't want to take him. And so they had a falling out over that. They're arguing over John Mark. Paul's got a problem with him and it hasn't been resolved. Look at verse number 40, and the contention was so sharp between them that they departed to sunder one from the other. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas. That's how we get Paul and Silas together. So they had a falling out in Acts 15. Well, by the time we get to 2 Timothy 4, Paul's closing out this letter. What do we see? They had a restoration. 2 Timothy 4, verse 11, it says, He is profitable unto me. Obviously, what happened? Obviously, it was restored somehow, some way, and praise the Lord for it. Look, if you have a falling out with a brother or a sister, it's not the end of the world. Maybe for that season and that time it was necessary. And maybe a time of separation is what is needed. Apparently that was what was needed for Paul and John Mark. But he was profitable. They reconciled. And he praises him as a fellow laborer. We see that in Philemon. John Mark didn't lose his salvation. What did he lose? He lost companionship with Paul for a time. But that's it. As bad as that is, losing companionship with a brother or sister, there's still room for reconciliation, folks. Get the thing right. Get the thing right. Let's see who else we have named. 2 Timothy 4, look at verse number 12. Antiochus have I sent to Ephesus. That's a cool name. Good old chickie. He accompanied Paul. He was a fellow missionary. And Colossians 4 and Ephesians 6, he's called a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. Nothing like having a close friend or a close companion to lean on. We remember Proverbs 17, a friend loveth at all times. It's good to have a tick, a kiss in your life. Just a beloved, beloved, beloved brother. Next we see in verse 13, It says, "...the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus." So Carpus is the next guy that is mentioned. And he says, "...when thou comest, bring with thee and the books..." So he wants him to bring his cloak and the books, "...but especially the parchment." So, you know what Carpus did? He ran errands for Paul. Go grab my coat, you know where it's at. What is inspirational to me is that Paul, the man of God, the great Apostle Paul, gives thanks and he mentions Carpus. And we would say, well, all Carpus is, we may not say this, the world would say, you know, all Carpus is is an errand boy. All he is is the water boy in the dugout. Not Paul. Look, every spot that can be filled in service to the Lord among God's people matters. Every spot matters. Carpus ran for errands for Paul the Apostle. Wouldn't you have loved to have done that? Played that part? It doesn't matter what you're doing. It matters what you do. But if it's for the Lord, it doesn't matter what it is. Talking to one of the brothers, I said, the church greeter is a vitally important position. It shouldn't be taken lightly. The church errand boy is a vitally important position. It shouldn't be taken lightly. They need to be as spiritual as they can be. That make sense? Everything that we do for the Lord matters. So that's Carpus. And you compare Carpus to Demas for a second. Can we do that? Okay, so Paul's in jail. A cold, dark dungeon. And so he's got Carpus and he's got Demas. Demas says, you know what? Thessalonica looks a whole lot better. I'm out. You know what Karpus says? Paul, what do you need? Oh, that cloak? I know exactly where it's at. I know exactly what you're talking about. Let me go grab it for you. Two different hearts. Isn't that something? Two different hearts. What heart do you have? Kids, point up here. Go like this, kids, young people. Point to you. You know what's in there? Your brain. Your brain. It's where you fashion thoughts and ideas with your mind. Now go like this, young people. Before you fashion anything with your hands, an idol. An idol. Maybe that idol's a boat, maybe that idol's a car, maybe that idol's a football, maybe that idol's a lavish vacation, maybe that idol's a, maybe that idol is, fill in the blank, a gun, maybe that idol's a knife, maybe that idol is something made with hands, right? Before you get an idol fashioned with your hands, you know where it's fashioned? In our minds. We run the loop in our head, we run that mind loop, we think it through, we fashion the idol in our mind, and then our lives duplicate what has been soaked and absorbed in our head. A lot of these battles are won in your mind, so don't allow yourself, your mind, to fashion an idol Because if you do, or if I do, how does that affect our decision-making process? Well, it affects it this way. Every single decision that you and I then make is all in loyalty to the idol we made up here. We create it in our mind, we fashion it in our mind, And every time we give a yes, a no, or a maybe to something, or we think something through, it's all in loyalty to what we created up here. And the idol comes out in our lives. That's what Demas essentially did. Not Karpus. He said, I'll do what I got to do. I'll run errands if that's what I got to do. And here, a lot of sets of threes in chapter 4. That's the third set of three concerning Karpus. We see the cloak, the books, and the parchment. And that's in verse number 13. And so that's what he's going to go and bring them. And it'd be nice, I don't know, how many coats you got? Like nobody's got a coat for Paul. There's not one lying around. No, people are poor. I know where my one coat is. Can you go grab it? Nobody's throwing the guy a coat. No, they got to go grab one. Turn the central heat on. That's not happening. Remember back in 1 Timothy 6, having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. What's Paul asking for? Raiment. Get my coat. What about the food? Oh, this will help you. This will help you. You know what his food was? The books and the parchment. Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age. He said, give me those books. Give me those Old Testament books. Man shall not live by bread alone. He had contentment. Exactly what the Bible said was contentment. Food and raiment. And He counted His spiritual food more important than His physical food. Amen. Now that will preach all day, every day. You young people listening, food and raiment and you can be content. A coat. and some spiritual meat, that's Paul. That'll humble your heart like nothing will humble your heart. I'd rather starve to death physically, Paul says, than starve to death spiritually. Oh, to be a Paul. to be a Paul. And he's not begging. He just has a servant that's willing to go. And he says, I'll just wait for it to arrive, and hey, I'll just be thankful. Pilgrim, I don't think, look, we don't have a lot here, but we're rich. And I think we just get settled in on we may not have a lot, so we'll be content. And in the meanwhile, we'll wait for whatever carpus is out there that's going to bring us what else we may need. In the meantime, let's just wait on God. Let's not wait. It's not wait and be lazy. Paul's not being lazy. He's ready to study. It's just wait and be content while waiting. We associate waiting with, look, I'm just impatient. When am I going to get what I need to have? But what we need to have really isn't what the Lord wants us to have at this point. And that's exactly what's happening. You think Paul wants to be in jail? No. But he's content there with what he has. So there's the idea. And concerning clothes, Clothes don't make the man. The coat don't make the man. The man makes the coat. And Christ was stripped of His garments and He was hung on a tree. Poor, humble servants. Christ, the suffering servant. So a little bit, a lot there on carpus I found to be a help. There may be times in your life where all you're going to do is grab your Bible and study. Let me talk to the kids one more time. Hold up your Bible for a second. Too many people say this. Well, look, I have a Bible. Do you have a Bible? Say, yes, I have a Bible. I have a Bible, praise the Lord. I have a Bible. And you don't have to put it back You're not putting it back on a shelf. You're taking it home. You're taking your Bible home. It's not a pew Bible where you come here and say, look, I have a Bible. It's not a pew Bible. You own it. You can take it home. You can put it on your shelf. You can put it on your bedside, next to your bedside. You can put it on the kitchen table. You own it. So let me hear you say, I own a Bible. We put too much stock in having a Bible and owning a Bible. Well, whipty-doo if you don't read it and study it. The Dollar General has a Bible. The manager of the Dollar General owns a lot of them. What do they do? They sit on the shelf. He's not reading it. He's taking five dollars every time somebody buys one. Young people, you can't post memes about the Bible. You can't just have one, you can't just own one. Your life isn't a meme, okay? You have to desire to get fed from it. You understand that? What am I doing? Close. I see why you're thinking that way. Let me try this again. I caught the fish. I'm fishing. I caught the fish. I'm throwing you a fish. Look, you can't come to church for the fish fry, man. You've got to learn how to fish yourself. That's the idea. That's what I'm trying to get you to think about. I want you to dig. I want you to fish. Desire the sincere milk of the Word. Yeah, right. Dig, study, read your Bible. Read it, don't just have it. Alright, next one is verse 14. Next one is verse 14. Alexander the coppersmith, look at that, did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works. My, my, my. Paul makes no attempt to instruct him in meekness like we learned about earlier in the chapter, by the way. Remember that? God says, can you just give him what's coming to him? Reward him according to his works. I don't want to make a habit of this, and I'm not asking you to make a habit of this. As a matter of fact, if you have somebody on your mind that you think you can apply this to, what I'm about to say, try to not apply it to him. But with that disclaimer, you can't get around the biblical fact that this is an imprecatory prayer. An imprecatory prayer is you're praying to God to take care of your enemies for you. David prayed imprecatory prayers in the Bible. You don't think Moses prayed imprecatory prayers to the children of Israel? Look, these type of prayers, Lord, fry my enemy, amen. Maybe it's not put that way. It's probably not. But this guy, Alexander the coppersmith, Paul is saying, look, I'm going to the Lord, Lord, and I'm praying that you take care of my enemy for me. That's a biblical prayer. It isn't biblical to take everybody that rubs you the wrong way and classify them as an enemy, by the way. But if you essentially do have an evil man or an evil woman who is opposing you and just bringing you all types of hardship, ask the Lord to deal with them. It's okay. Evil men don't oppose the person, they oppose the preaching. They don't hate the man, they hate the ministry of the man. They don't hate the woman, they hate the ministry of the woman. And the reason they do that is because the truth that you're living or bringing or talking about is exposing their evil works. So Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. Lord, will you take care of him? The Lord reward him according. To his works. Are you going to wrestle against powers? Are we going to wrestle against the rulers of darkness? It's OK to ask the Lord to take care of those folks that are inebriated with those types of powers. Lord, take care of them for me. Get them out of my life. Spiritual wickedness is in high places. And so there's Alexander the coppersmith. And in verse number 15, it says, Of whom be thou ware also. He's telling Timothy, look out for this guy. For he hath greatly withstood our words. Alexander the coppersmith is in opposition to the Gospel. He's in opposition to Paul. He's withstanding Paul. And he says, be thouware. Timothy, if you think he won't withstand you, think again, buddy. That's what Paul's telling him. Why isn't he going to try to teach him, instruct him in meekness? because there are some people that just are not teachable. And you're going to wear yourself out, and I'm going to wear myself out, trying to teach the Alexander coppersmiths of our lives. Again, don't classify everybody as an Alexander where there's a little tiff or something. But we can't get away from the fact that there are going to be men and women who need to be classified as such. And Paul's strongly warning Timothy, you watch out for that guy, man. Stay away from him. Nowadays, there always is a teacher that someone can heap themselves to and I think we need to be careful. Skillful oratory. Exchange niceties. Warm smiles. We already went down this road of good words and fair speeches, right? Earlier in the book. I don't know what Alexander's attitude was or his behavior was. But if he had all of those skills of oratory, you can see how he could really oppose Paul and Timothy and really hurt a work. I think That is a lot that's going on in false Christianity. They're Alexander coppersmiths. And they're not doing good work. They're doing an evil work. And I believe it's okay to pray for God to shut it down. I'm not talking about good works. I'm not talking about Christian, other Christian works, other Christian churches that are doing a good work for the Lord. Do you think Paul has to warn Timothy because Alexander the coppersmith is a threat and has some influence? Or do you think he doesn't really have that much influence? He's an influencer. He's an influencer. It's a fair warning. It's a fair warning. And so then, you know, to close out our thoughts on this, we've got nine people listening. Of course, Timothy's in there. He's writing to Timothy. So all these men are listed. Paul's closing out this letter. He's giving this picture of these nine men. There's some negatives. There's some positives. There's some real great blessings. There's some warnings in there. Hey, watch out for this person. Watch out for that. In the midst of it all, we're going to have This final, final picture. One more sermon, I believe, and we'll close out this book. We're going to look at some more names. And we're going to look at that in the context of the heart of caring and the heart of the care of the saints. And we're going to do one more sermon, I believe, and we'll be done, Lord willing, with this book.