All right, 2 Timothy, we are in the 4th chapter, verse number 16 says, Paul says in the Holy Spirit's inspiration, at my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsake me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. So Paul's on trial, and he's standing before a Roman tribunal, and when that happens, you would be asked, in this case, Paul would be asked three times to deny and reject the Lord Jesus Christ as his only Savior. And so you would be given three chances to change your mind. And if you don't, then you're either gonna be, you're gonna have your head lopped off, or you're gonna be burned at the stake, or you're gonna be skinned alive, or you're gonna be fed to lions, And so Paul, he's heading to martyrdom. And he says at Paul's first answer, that's what that is, because we'll be asked a second time and a third time. Now, I would have just loved to been there. There's some parts in the Bible when I read and I'm like, man, I'd love to be a fly on the wall. Now, you imagine, you imagine the many sermons that Paul was given after his first answer. They said, Hey, we want you to reject Jesus Christ. And you imagine what he said to him. The Bible doesn't tell us, but I just, in my mind, imagine, man, he must have loved him, have it when he had the time. Just wanting to give every opportunity for someone to hear truth. You know, Paul really got a hold of, um, go to Colossians three. I think this verse ties in really nice while we're here. Look at Colossians 3, watch what it says in verse number one. If you then be risen with Christ, that's Paul, that's us, if you're saved. Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. I bet that'd be pretty hard to do in a dungeon cell. And then here's the verse, it says, for ye are dead. and your life is hid with Christ in God. I really believe Paul got a hold of a verse like this. He was able to do what we should do, which is reckon our flesh spiritually dead. And so even though folks forsook him, his Savior was forsaken. He was forsaken by folks. He was ready like his Savior came. Paul was following the example of his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was ready to suffer alone. Here's the question for us tonight. Would we be ready to suffer alone if something like what's happening to Paul befell us? But he also goes to say, watch what he says next. Go back to the fourth chapter. Verse number 16 says that my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Watch this in verse 17. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me. He had one defense attorney, the Lord. That's the Lord. That's our Lord, by the way, that says, hey, I am not going to leave you. I am not going to forsake you. And you wanna talk about that Hebrews verse that talks about being content with all things that you have, and that's where the Lord says, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. That's something, that's something, that's some contentment right there Paul's got. And then in verse 17, not only does it say that the Lord stood with me, but Paul writes, and strengthened me. It's amazing to me reading the end of this chapter and hearing that Paul is the strong one. I mean, he's the guy that's in jail. You would think that he'd be the weak one, but he is the one that's strengthened by the Lord. And he is the one who's praying for the weak. In other words, the folks that forsook Paul He's praying for those weaker-willed brethren, and he says in verse 16, look, it says, I pray, God, that it may not be laid to their charge. Man, Lord, you know what? When their bill comes due, please don't charge them. That's good. He is the strong one, praise the Lord, to be a Paul. It's something when somebody is full of the Holy Spirit and really being, I mean, we are all full of the Holy Spirit, but to really submit to that and be fully yielded, that's when we can say things like our Savior said, Father, forgive them. Or like Paul said, don't lay it to their charge. Man, when that bill comes, Lord, don't charge them. And you think of verses like John 10, they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. That's some comfort, that's some strength. You think about 2 Corinthians 12, when it talks about my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Now, Paul was writing that under the Holy Spirit's inspiration, but 2 Corinthians, Corinthians was penned at least 10 years before He's in that jail cell writing that prison epistle that we're in now. That's Paul. That's Paul. Look at the other phrase in verse 17. It says, we'll read the entire verse. It'll be at the end. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me, the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear." He wants his preaching to be known, and he wants the Gentiles to hear, and you gotta know that news is traveling fast. Man, they got the Apostle Paul in prison. You've got to know that news is going around. You've got to know that when they are asking him these questions, and he's standing before this Roman tribunal, you've got to know that Paul is just giving the gospel and just telling them about Jesus. And you know word's got to be traveling fast. And Paul's like, hey, I'm in jail, but the gospel's going out, and all the Gentiles are going to hear, and it's going to go all around town. I'm right where God wants me to be. That's good. That's good. that all the Gentiles might hear. Anybody tells you there ain't power in the blood, they just don't understand the power that's in the blood. And another thing about this is, here's what no man can take away from us. Our testimony. They can't. And Paul can give his testimony. You and I can give our testimonies of how the Lord saved us, what he did in our life, and nobody can take it away from us. So that's what he's doing. And you just think about all of the men and women who have given their lives for the cause of Christ. And just to establish gospel truth in an area, it's something that should keep you Keep you humble. Look at verse 18. I'm sorry, at the end of verse 17, it says, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And then it says, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. I mean, Paul's near death and he's proclaiming that in the past, the Lord has delivered me. And in the past, I wasn't fed the lions. And in the past, I wasn't beheaded. And he's thanking the Lord, and he's saying, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. Cross-reference with 1 Peter 5. Keep your finger where you're at in 2 Timothy. Go to 1 Peter 5. I want to run some cross-references. and allow the Bible to define some things. Look at 1 Peter 5, verse number 8. Well, we're going to come back to verse 7, so I want to save that verse. But look at verse 8. It says, "...be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." We know that verse, right? Well, that adversary, our adversary was the same adversary that Paul had, and the same adversary that's seeking us as a roaring lion was seeking Paul as a roaring lion, and God didn't allow that adversary, the devil, who was seeking as a roaring lion, God didn't allow that roaring lion to touch Paul. He didn't allow it. God protected him. Paul's body, he reckoned it as dead, spiritually speaking. Pinch your flesh. Yeah, your flesh is alive and it wants to drag you down. But spiritually speaking, when you and I got saved, that's what we read in Colossians. We are dead and our life is now hid with Christ in God. Paul, he lived that way all the time. Romans 6, how the old man is crucified and our flesh, spiritually speaking, when you got saved, your flesh spiritually is dead. That's why Romans 6 says, for he that is dead, is freed from sin, that spiritual circumcision, your soul circumcision made without hand spiritually has been separated from your body. It's like ice cubes in an ice cube tray. You crack the tray and boom. Well, your soul is saved. And so when we read in Colossians three, which we did earlier, it says for your dead, your life is hit with Christ and God. Paul wasn't living for a dead carcass. Most of us get in ruts. They say, man, the old man's crucified. You know, the flesh is dead. And it's like, we know that, but there's times when that flesh weighs you down. And, you know, you think to yourself, why am I serving a dead carcass? Like, why would I give any prudence to wanting to serve my flesh? So Paul didn't serve his flesh. He reckoned it is dead. and the Lord protected him and didn't let his adversary, that roaring lion, take him out. Look at Hebrews, go back a book, look at Hebrews 2. Look at Hebrews 2, verse 14. Look at Hebrews 2, 14, and the question is this, who has the power of death? Let's find out. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same manner, that through death, that's Jesus Christ, he might destroy him, who's that? The devil, that had the power of death. That is the devil, who has the power of death. The devil does, according to Hebrews 2, How did the Lord Jesus Christ defeat that power of death? He did it on the cross, dying and then rising again, defeating death. He has conquered the grave and we find victory in Jesus. We all know that. But the one who had the power of death, Hebrews 2.14 tells us it's the devil. Well, the Lord protected Paul and didn't allow that roaring lion, the devil, to take him out before the Lord was done with them. Now, watch this Old Testament passage before we go back to 2 Timothy. Watch this Old Testament passage in 1 Kings. 1 Kings. 1 Kings 13. 1 Kings chapter 13. Okay, this is a chapter about... Yeah, I'm at the right place. 1 Kings 13. So you have an unnamed prophet. You have an unnamed man of God who ends up disobeying God through this scenario here, through this story. And we're not going to get into that story because I want to tie this 2 Timothy 4 and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion in with this particular verse that's found in the 13th chapter of 1 Kings. Look at verse 28. It says... Look at verse 25. And behold, men passed by and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. When the prophet that brought them back from the way heard thereof, he said, it is the man of God who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, This man of God was obedient and then he wasn't obedient. And it ends up costing him his life. And a lion devours him. He's killed. And this lion is standing by the carcass. And let me just say that Paul was not a disobedient man of God. Paul was an obedient man of God. Paul is a saved man. He's not an Old Testament prophet. He's a saved man who has the regenerative power of the Holy Ghost, and he has a carcass that spiritually is reckoned dead, just like you and I. We are dead. Our flesh is dead. Now watch what it says. Verse 26, it says in the middle, Therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him and slain him according to the word of the Lord, which is spake unto him. And he spake to his son, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him, and he went and found his carcass cast in the way. And the ass and the lion standing by the carcass, The lion had not eaten the carcass nor torn the ass. And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God and laid it upon the ass and brought it back. And the old prophet came to the city to mourn and to bury him. And he laid his carcass in his own grave. And they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother. And it came to pass after he had buried him that he spake to his son, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher where in the man of God is buried, lay my bones. beside him, and the text goes on. But I want you to see in verse number 28, and he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and it talks about the lion standing by the carcass, and the lion had not eaten the carcass. It's that man of God. He was killed by that lion. But now you have God controlling that lion and that lion is just circling the carcass. He's circling that dead carcass and he doesn't deliver it or devour it. Man, I just think a second Timothy four, and it's like Paul, his carcass is dead. Spiritually, you and I are our life, we are dead, our life is hid with Christ and God. Romans chapter 6, the old man's crucified. What does that mean? Man, your flesh is dead. Why would you serve a carcass? It's like God had that adversary as a roaring lion circling the carcass of Paul. His dead carcass. Yeah, he's alive, but spiritually his flesh is dead. And he lived that way in obedience. Man, that'll help us. That'll help us. And it's like God said, okay, that roaring lion, yeah, he's right there. I'm going to let him circle you. I'm going to let him circle you, but I ain't going to let him deliver you and devour you. He ain't touching your dead carcass. Spiritually, our flesh is dead and we should live that way and stop serving it. Why would you serve a dead man? We wouldn't. So go back to go back to 2nd Timothy four. God kept Paul alive. Until. Paul was finished his course. And I want the same for me and I want the same for you. I want God to keep me alive and I want Him to keep you alive until we finish the course that He has for us. That should be our heart cry. And 2 Timothy 4, let's look at verse 18 here. Um, it says in the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me onto his heavenly kingdom. That's the first time that phrase heavenly kingdom shows, shows up in our Bible right there. The prophet Isaiah refers to it as that high and lofty place or that high and holy place where the high and lofty God and habitus eternity. It's, It's the third heaven, it's God's dwelling place. It's the heavenly kingdom. When we say absent with the body to be present with the Lord, that's where we're at. The heavenly kingdom. But I want you to look at this in verse number 17. At the end of it, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. You see that past tense? I was delivered, see that? Now watch. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work That's the present tense. And will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom. That's the future tense. You see that? It don't matter if it's past. It don't matter if it's present. It don't matter if it's future. God will deliver, preserve, keep. Nobody can pluck you out of the Father's hand. He's gonna keep us. Now, here's what's awesome. Look at 2 Corinthians 1. How long, I said this earlier, about how many years pass between the book of Corinthians and then the prison epistles of 1st and 2nd Timothy? It's about 10 years. It's about 10 years. 1st and 2nd Corinthians was penned first, 50 or 55 AD. Paul pens it under Holy Spirit's inspiration, penned first. The prison epistles, about 65 AD, I believe that's about right. So we've got about a decade of time that passed between the book of 1 and 2 Corinthians, and then the book of 1 and 2 Timothy. Now, keep in your mind, remember we just read the past, the present, and the future? Watch this in 2 Corinthians 1. And look at verse number 10, 2 Corinthians 1. Watch the exact same order that Paul wrote 10 years earlier in 2 Corinthians 1, we'll start in verse number 9. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves. that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead. We are raised in newness of life, brothers and sisters in Christ. Now watch verse 10. Who delivered us from so great a death, past, and doth deliver, present, and whom we trust that he will yet deliver us future. All in the same verse written 10 years earlier, no man could have put this book together, folks. This is a supernatural book and Paul's hand was inspired by God. These words are God breathed. The exact same ordering. It's almost Paul being prophetic on Paul. He's got 2 Corinthians 1, verse 10, and you cross-reference that with 2 Timothy 4, verse 17 and 18, and he was fully trusting God who raised him from the dead in his past, present, and future deliverance. Praise the Lord for it. All right, so that's the doctrinal thought for the night. Go back to 2 Timothy 4 and then get 1 Peter 5. I want to look at that 1 Peter 5, 7 verse in a minute. But first, I'd like to read 2 Timothy 4. We're on the end of verse 18. Watch what it says. to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. Praise the Lord, he'll preserve us. And now watch, he has nine more names that he's gonna mention. Salute Prisca and Aquila and the household of Onesephorus, Orestes abode at Corinth, but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. Do thy diligence to come before winter, Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. Now, I want to read that with 1 Peter 5, verse 7. Back up at verse 6. No, back up at verse 5. Likewise, you younger submit yourselves unto the elder, yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with, what's the word? Humility. For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the, what's the word? Humble. Humility and humble, one verse. Look at verse six. What's the first word? Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Now here's the verse. casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." It's amazing to me that Paul is... How are you in a situation like that, and then you're thinking of others? I mean, if you're in a dungeon, if you're in a real hot mess, Are you thinking about others? Or are you just thinking, how in the world am I gonna get out of this? The book closes with Paul naming nine more names because he cares about people. Christ, I can cast all my cares upon him. And Paul's like, because of that, I'm just gonna name some people I care about. That's spiritually humbling when you read it. This is Paul. This is the guy who didn't need any external motivation to go door knocking. It's like, he's just showing up. This is the great and mighty Apostle Paul who didn't need prodding to go all after living for God. It's that guy. who is naming and caring for people at the end of this book. He cared for people. You see, to Paul, it wasn't just about preaching. To Paul, it wasn't, I'm called to preach. No, it was, I'm called to care. Like Christ can care for me and I can lay all my cares upon Him. That was the heart of the apostle. It wasn't about just bring me my cloak and my books and my parchment. I need study time. I've got a witness to the loss. He did all of that, but it wasn't just that. He cared for people. He cared for others. I hope that we are the church that goes out of our way to extend a handshake to a new brother or sister. to greet someone and make eye contact and say, hey, it's great to have you here. And to not be the avoidance type. Well, we're too good, or we're too busy, or we're too this, or we're too that. Look, I understand that there is a lot of sickness going around, and if you are sick, it is best to stay home, get well, and I think we all understand that. So I don't mean if you're sick when I say this comment, I just mean if you're missing church because you're tired, or you don't feel like getting up, or there's a ball game on that you don't want to miss, or it's a nice day, I can get to the lake early before all the others do. That's not caring for people. Caring for people says this, you know what? I'm tired, I work late, and there's something I'd rather do to satisfy my flesh. But you know what? I bet the Lord has somebody there that needs my encouragement. I don't really like the preacher's messages are dry and boring. Well, there might be somebody there whose life is dry and boring and they need you to be there to encourage them because their life is dry and boring and the preacher's dry and boring. Maybe they need you to just be there with a warm smile. and a handshake and a pat on the back and a great to see you brother. That was Paul. You don't care for people until you first care about people. And Paul's listing some names and I think we need to learn, we're being reminded of this. I believe we're a caring church, but I also believe all of us need to be reminded that it's okay to be, it's okay. We have to step out of our comfort zone. We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable to go out of our way to show someone that we are concerned and we care about them and Brother, God comes down, God, the one who inhabiteth eternity, the one who is in the heavenly place, he comes down here and he suffers and dies on a cross. You really think God benefited? You really think the body of Christ benefited when you or I got saved? You really think like it benefited God? Oh, I got saved. That really benefited you, God. No, he came down because he cares. He cares for people. He loved the world. It's not like God benefits because you got saved. We benefit. So we can get off the sofa and we can come to church and we can get out of our high and lofty place and we can go and and just show people we care. And this is why he's naming these names. He has a heart for people. I don't want people to come to Pilgrim. I don't want us to be the church. Well, I just go there cause it's really nice. And it looks like the old fashioned little house on the prairie look, you know, it just looks so nice. And I want it to look nice. And I want it to have that, you know, we're, we're, we're making it look like a church. Amen. That's a good thing. And I don't want it to just be, well, I'm just here just to hear the sermon. I'm not. I'm here for the people. I want us to be the church that actually cares about people. I don't want it to be just, well, we're just looking at names on a prayer list. I hope we're not just looking at names on a prayer list. I hope we care about those names. It shouldn't be about checking boxes off. I know this isn't us, but I think all of us can be reminded to continue going down the road of caring, because it's easy to step off that road. It's easy to change lanes, the lanes right there. There's always a lane and an exit to get off of. Never get off of caring for people. The Lord just cares. And so did Paul. Well, I can't ever do that preacher. I've just been church hurt so much. I'm glad someone was thinking that because right in this same chapter, Paul talks about Demas hurt him. Alexander hurt him. Paul's not using that excuse. Don't use I've been church hurt as an excuse to not care for the people that are right here in front of us. Well, I've been hurt. And I mean, if I say I've been church hurt, I just can't do it anymore. You have to put up your hand and say, but preacher, I'm here. Why am I going to take out on you what someone else did to hurt me? Why would I then hurt you by not caring for you? Does that make sense? Look at verse 19. Once I get there. Salute, that's a respectful and kind greeting. We talked about that. It says Prisca and Aquila. Prisca, that's just Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, and they opened their home for Paul. And then it says in the house of Onesephorus. In 2nd Timothy 1, we read about him. It says, he oft refreshed me, Paul says, and he was not ashamed of my chain. And it says the household of Onesiphorus. So he's probably already went home to be with the Lord. And Paul says, you know what? I want his family to receive a kind greeting. Look at verse number 20. It says, Erastus abode at Corinth, but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. So you got Trophimus, this guy's sick, he's ill. We read earlier, as we went through this book, how Timothy suffered with infirmities, right? And in 1 Timothy 5, remember that verse? Paul recommends medicine for Timothy. Take a little wine for what? Thy stomach's sake. It was a medicinal exclusion to be used to help with his stomach. And earlier in this chapter, in verse number 11, we see Paul is with, it says, only Luke is with me. Paul's being waited on by Luke. He's with Luke, who's a physician. You know what's happening at the end of this book? Those apostolic sign miracles and wonders have left. Paul and Timothy can no longer lay hands on someone and heal their sickness. They're leaving. They've just about left. The apostolic age of miraculous signs, wonders, and miracles is now coming to a close. They've ceased. Why? Why have they ceased? because it's a hearing, not a seeing. Jews require a sign, sign wonders and miracles, confirm that it was the word of God. Now we've moved to, it's been confirmed. Now we move to faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We aren't in a seeing mode right now. This is why those phony fake healers and the deliverance movements and the Benny Hinn word of faith movements, that's why all of that is false heretical teaching. It is not a seeing age, it is a hearing age. And in Acts 28, it says the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles and that they will hear it. It turned from the Jews to the Jews first, now to the Gentiles, because they will hear it. The Jews had all the signs they could ever see. Now it's faith cometh by hearing. God gave them everything they could see and they didn't want to believe. So we are in a hearing, not a seeing age. Last verse. Well, two more verses, but verse 21, do thy diligence to come before winter. It's a bit more dangerous traveling in the winter. When we talked about Carpus who had Paul's coat, and Carpus ran errands for Paul, and, well, Paul sends Timothy. Last week we talked about Paul sends Timothy to Carpus. You go find him. He's got my cloak. He's got the books. He's got the parchments. You just go find him. And then, Timothy, I want you to bring those items to me. Well, he says here, do thy diligence to come before a winner. We don't know if those things got to Paul before he died. Think about you being Timothy for a minute. We're in the dead of winter right now. You make that trip, you go get the stuff, you come back, and you're standing in the snow with the books, the parchments, and his cloak, and you're just standing there, and there's nobody to give them to, because Paul already went home to be with the Lord. It doesn't tell us if he made it back. But I do know this. Only one life will soon be fast passed. Only what's done for Christ will last when the door of opportunity opens. A lot of times it's there. That's the opportunity. Once it's gone, once it's passed, you can't go back and recall that opportunity. Is there a lost family member? Is there a lost friend who you haven't witnessed to? You better do it before winter hits. Is there something in your life that just isn't right? You better get it right before winter hits. Are you not saved this evening? Do you just know some Bible facts? Do you just have some verses memorized? Are you just in a Christian home? Are you just sitting in church on a Thursday and a Sunday? You better trust Christ. Honestly, before winter hits, might not be another opportunity. You're not guaranteed tomorrow. Trust Christ before winter hits. Is your character off? Does it need some chiseling? Do you need to get some things right and mold yourself into a good, upstanding Christian young lady or Christian young man who has Christ-like character? You better start working on it before winter hits. Serve God when opportunity knocks. How many times you knock on the door when you go door knocking? once and then you're on to the next house. You can't call back a lost opportunity. Last verse, and this will be it for the book. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. Our key to happiness is having the Lord Jesus Christ with our spirit. Every single blessing in our life can be traced right back to and is found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with you. Amen. That's how the book closes. And that's how we'll close the last few words on this book. Grace be with you. Amen and amen.