My name is Trevor Fageter and this is the final study in our series on 2 Timothy and those of us who organised it will know that this was the study that was to be taken by Dan Fennell so I'd really like to just say again a fresh word of prayer and give thanks for Dan's life. Dan went home to the Lord but In his lifetime he was privileged to take the word to Indonesia for I think around about 20 years and shared the gospel and so that work continues and then to come back here and take up a pastorate in Australia was in the hills again, just a lovely thing to be able to do but if I could just say a word of prayer in that regard, let us pray together. Dear Father, we give you thanks and praise for the privilege of sharing in your mission. Thank you, dear Christ, that we belong to your Church and you are doing your wonders as the Lord of the Church. and thank you dear blessed spirit for your renewing power at work in us and at work in the church and across the universe we thank you that all things dear spirit of God are being constrained by your power and are moving towards your appointed goal. So we thank you that we're sharing in this great plan and today we especially give thanks for Dan Fennell's life, thank you for his teaching, his unique skills and ability to proclaim the word and light up little pockets of teaching that came to be such a blessing to many. We pray that his work will continue to make its way through those faithful people to whom he's passed on that teaching as well. Lord, thank you for such forums as this. We pray your comfort for Dan's family. We pray your ongoing comfort for our families and friends that the Holy Spirit will continue to bring us joy and cause us to rejoice in the Lord always and again as your word tells us to rejoice. These things we pray in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen. So the last part of Timothy, maybe when I was first reading the Bible as a younger Christian in my 20s, I might have gotten about to this section and thought oh that's just a few thank yous or something to some people that Paul knew, I'll go and start and read the next book but Like a lot of things you change your mind along the way and realise that all scripture's been inspired and there are a lot of treasures tucked away in places we perhaps might not expect and highlights too and clues to what's happening in the life of the church in these days here but also encouragement for us to remember that it's the very human beings that God has given to us, to one another, this is the church and it's through the church that Paul sees that his work as an apostle is to make everyone see What's the plan of God? So we're involved in a great mission, a great plan to bring to the nations of the world, to help open people's eyes, of course, always by and only through the Spirit's power does that take place. we're privileged to be involved. So as we look, I'll read the text just through first and then come back to certain aspects of it. From 2 Timothy, reading from verse 9, chapter 4 verse 9. 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, or perhaps yours says Gaul, some of the old texts had that. Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. I have sent Tychicus 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 pay him back for his deeds. You also must be aware of him, beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense, no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, 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 attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. greet Prissa and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus, Erastus remained in Corinth, Trophimus I left ill in Miletus, do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Hoodins and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and as the new RSV likes to add, and sisters, the Lord be with your spirit, grace be with you. There it is. Not much to it, but we'll see what comes out as we proceed along. Perhaps to complement our thinking a little later, just as we go down through the passage, from Acts, and in chapter 16, we have this interesting little incident. After some days, I'm reading from Acts 15 and verse 36, after some days Paul said to Barnabas, come let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they're doing. Barnabas wanted to take with them John, called Mark, But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers commending him to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. So just a little background there to a moment that we'll read here in our passage. Firstly, the two verses I'd like to mention together, 2 Timothy 4.9, do your best to come to me soon and 2 Timothy 4.21, do your best to come before winter. So he's really wanting him to get there to Rome if he can and do it while conditions are favourable for travelling, So then, we've already seen that Paul's looked back, he said I'm already being poured out and this is his present situation and the time of his departure has come. meaning the word there's a bit like when a boat sets out for another shore, he's ready to sail to the next place which is quite possibly the resurrection with Christ, so there we are. His past, he said, I've fought the good fight, I've finished the race and I've kept the faith. then his future henceforth has laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will award me on that day and not only to me but also all who've loved his or have longed for his appearing. So the words of Paul are looking back, they're looking to the present situation and they're looking forward as well. There's quite a few reasons for this request to come soon, and we can glean that from the letter and perhaps from other places, and I'm going to have a little bit of speculation if you'll allow me that, and if you won't, I'm still going to have a little bit of speculation in the context of the talk, but I'll label it as that. A face-to-face talk in the Gospel is just so important. I love getting together with fellow pastors and workers in the Gospel just for a talk about life in the work. No one quite understands it like someone else who's involved in the Gospel action and so a day like today and yesterday These are wonderful times when we can cross paths, talk together and we're all together, co-workers in the Gospel, whether you're, you know, pastor, evangelist, administrative person, whatever gifts God has given, it's still great to talk together about our common work. So he wants someone face to face to talk to, Sometimes a visit from one dear friend in Christ is just so important in your life and probably, you know, towards the end of your life. Dear friends are just so welcome to see them and just to catch up face to face, you remember all the things that have transpired just by their presence come to mind, so enriching. So here's a man who's old, Philippians 1.9, it's a reference there, and he's anticipating his death by martyrdom, quite probably. He can see where things are heading and Paul has need of friendship. He's been deserted Asia by all, we saw that earlier in 2 Timothy 1 verse 15, you're aware that all who are in Asia and that portion of Europe there being meant, all who are in that area have turned away from me including, I think it's Figulus and homogenies, homogenies. So those two people are part of, but just, I don't know if you've ever had it where people have turned away from you because of the gospel in your life or church. Pretty unpleasant, really. And now, here in Rome, what's happened, he said, is Demas, is in love with this present world and he's deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. So, Demas is mentioned in another place as he sends greetings out. I was just looking there for my reference. But he's been, as Paul signs off, he said, I send you greetings and Demas says hello as well. So he's been a friend in the work. And now he's gone. He's deserted Paul. Then we have, and in love with this present world, that's not to say he's become a heretic, that's not to say he's embraced false teaching, but it is to say that the suffering is getting to him and he's out of here, he can see where things are headed and he doesn't want to be associated it would seem. Paul also mentions that not only has he gone but Cressence has gone to Galatia, Timotitus to Dalmatia and he's got one person left, only Luke is with me, only Luke, good old Luke, to Timothy 4.11. Paul has a need of warmth as a prisoner and he asks for his warm cloak to be sent along. When you come, bring the cloak that I left in Carpus at Troas. Also the books and above all the parchment. Some thinks that the cloak may have also been used to kind of tie up or bind up the books to make them easy to transport. But if winter's on its way and you're in a prison, I reckon a full wraparound cloak would be just the ticket. And if you own one, Paul didn't have a lot of possessions, but he wanted that one to come to him. So he's asking for that. Come before winter. Yeah, it's about a three-month journey, probably, if you're thinking of Ephesus. So he's got to go by sea first and then by land. So he's going to set out and get there in that time. Come before winter, meaning when you get this letter, don't dilly-a-dally. Please, come, come, come, come, come. need of written materials, some have made a point of that that every one of us need to continue right through even towards the end of our lives with devotional material, material that will edify or strengthen us in our thinking so that our thoughts are not just rising out of our own head and memories but are coming and flowing to us and so this lovely ministry of reading and devotional reading and so on and So books for personal use and then Paul has a need of the parchments and to write on or with certain sections already written on and we'll talk about that in a moment. Perhaps we'll speculate in a while just what he means about that when he talks about Luke being here. Paul is surely thinking of making provision for ongoing gospel work for the church. I think this is the case. When he says, I've finished, I've run the race, I'm done, I've had my go, He's still got some more he wants to do yet and this is, I believe, what's taking place. What is written on those parchments? Big question. Does Luke possibly have a role as an author in this request? Luke's there with him. In the previous letter, he's written there, Luke the beloved physician, oh here it is, I'll put it here, and Demas greet you. So they know one another, Colossians 4.14. We gather that they'd been there with Paul in his first imprisonment, a house arrest, which involved less risk than this final Roman imprisonment. Crescent's off to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, only Luke's with me. The aging apostle wants Mark to come, get Mark and bring him with me for he is useful in my ministry. It's really interesting that he's got that there because you saw, remember the passage in Acts when he didn't want Mark to come along anymore and Mark had deserted them? Over the years this has changed and I think I looked up, it was around about a 12 year period, something like that, between when that had taken place and when they are here now. Just as a side comment, sometimes in Christian ministry we have sharp disagreements with people we've been working with and we end up going our separate ways. doesn't need to be the end of it, you do know that. There's this lovely thing called forgiveness, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you, this lovely thing called reconciliation, this lovely thing called the church. And so, you know, to commend you and others as well to continue in that mindset where possible. We know sharp agreements, they happen, partly because of our own sinfulness, partly because we see things differently, you know, even as gospel people, as people in the Lord, and so we have that happen. But it needn't be detrimental, and in fact, Mark has obviously got some skills, because he says, bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. There's some things perhaps that Mark can do that perhaps Paul can't. And so there we are. The lovely thing that happened between them sort of breaking up or going their separate ways, is that Mark went off with the ever encouraging Barnabas. You know his name means son of encouragement. So he's gone off and Barnabas is encouraging him and you can only imagine what did he say. wouldn't have said don't worry about Paul, he might have said he's pretty strong-willed about stuff like that but we'll go and proclaim the gospel in another place and you know we'll continue to pray for Paul and Silas and we'll go on with the job. So Barnabas encourages him and then somewhere later we find in Colossians that Mark's in the greetings so something's happened between then and then it's here again now in this letter. Apparently Mark's desertion was for some reason. He may have been frightened too by the suffering that was involved in the early preaching. But anyway, off they went. Acts 16 we read that Paul wanted to take Timothy so he had him circumcised because of the Jews and they knew his dad was Greek. They had been involved previously, Timothy and Paul, in strengthening the churches and they had an excellent understanding of the relationship between the law of Moses and the grace of God for all nations as given by Jesus through the Spirit. So they went proclaiming that and teaching and I believe was Dan's last sermon on Acts 15 I think was where that took place and it's a very important part of our life as Christians. So the rift I'm just saying has been fixed up, we read earlier Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions. If he comes to you, Welcome him. So Paul has not only mended things with Mark, but he wants to make sure that Mark is welcomed. He's not like, oh yeah, remember when they split up? Yeah, those two don't get on. No, if he comes, welcome him. And that's a lovely sort of a word to say, you know, be in this conciliatory way. And we should also remember that, you know, Barnabas's ministry of redemptive value is one we can all share in. Peter, 1 Peter 5.13, he says of Mark, my son Mark, so Mark is very loved. There's a puzzle here, why get Mark and bring him? Tichicus I've sent to Ephesus, he's gone there. When you come bring the cloak. I left with Carpus at Troas and also the books and above all the parchments. I have a commentary whose thoughts I've read. You may or may not have heard of T.C. Oden, Thomas Oden. was quite prominent in teaching in theological colleges until he kept sticking with the sound doctrine and found that some others in the universities and in his teaching arena weren't and he fell out of favour a bit with a lot of teaching in faculties and in Christian circles but he continued on from there to do some significant research and writing and collected together some translations of the work of the Fathers, a whole lot of stuff he's done. Anyway, I'm just saying that by way of commending him, he's a commentator, the interpretation series can tend to be perhaps a little more liberal than some commentaries, but I enjoyed his work because he went back to Calvin and Luther and Augustine and Athanasius and so he went and he looked at their commentaries and says some of theirs have got solid stuff there, we've sort of missed it, so he's gathered up some of that and reintroduced their thoughts back in. T.C. Oden suggests Paul wanted Timothy, Mark and Luke there with him to pass on that deposit of faith using the parchments and the books. He invites us to speculate beyond the text as to what may have gone on in that prison cell. in AD 62, 63, somewhere there, perhaps prior to 64, somewhere in that time. What happened? He says, and I quote, might the documents that Timothy would have brought from Carpus contain the elements of the Gospel story which Mark and Luke were later to tell? Some say the Gospel of Mark was written in Rome and around about that time. If so, might Paul have provided advice in the editing of those Gospels? Did Paul himself? had been associated with Christian preaching since about AD 35 or 36, did he supply any kind of any of the documentary information that was known in their oral traditions? Did he urge Luke or Mark at that point to write down the history of Jesus? Even if only some of these persons arrived, or arrived after Paul's death, still might this Roman context have been the locus and Paul's dying wishes a part of the motivating factors for writing down the Gospels, which previously may have been primarily transmitted in oral traditions, assisted by the collected sayings of Jesus. It's well known that people could even remember after this and pass on more accurately the oral teaching. You know how some people say, oh, the Gospels were formed sort of by Chinese whispers? Well, they were actually formed in the opposite way. The oral guys remembered more accurately, and those who were writing things down had to check with the oral, you know, people who were passing on the oral teaching, they put it down that accurately and this is something that I learnt through some extra studies I did over in Melbourne at Ridley College and we had Craig Blomberg come and he said that people were able to recite and the way they were written the entirety of say a Luke's Gospel It's kind of weird to us that they could do that, but that's apparently the case. So, there we are. But was the oral then being formed? Just a question. He's asked that question and then he says, such questions remain unanswerable, right? you might want to do a doctorate or a master's or do some study or explore it, but he says some of these questions remain unanswerable. But he said they're intriguing to the imagination that labours for hypotheses and people often get a hypothesis and then they test it, do some more study, do some more work and a few more things come up and they go, oh, that's how we get, you know, fresh insights which what don't affect the, you know, very much, you know, the doctrine that's passed on, that's, as Sukyong's beautifully put it, is unchanging, it's ever-renewing and so on, it's a living word, but some of the little extras on the side that help us gain insights and understanding come from a hypothesis first. leave that part there. The ageing apostle warns Timothy to beware of an opponent. He says, Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Some say there he's just really quoting or thinking on various psalms where you know, it says leave the vengeance or whatever to the Lord, he deals with that. So he's not involve himself, what's happened has happened. There are two possible Alexanders, Alexander was a coppersmith but it may be that he was the one mentioned as excommunicated back in 1 Timothy 1 verse 20, we read there that by rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith. Among them are Hermonias and Alexander. this capital of the Roman Empire and he's speaking to important people, he's speaking in a situation in which he can speak of the wonders of Jesus Christ, the hope of the resurrection and the fact of that as well and he can proclaim that in really difficult circumstances. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth Some of you may know Lol Betany. Lol had, I think it was her uncle who was a surgeon and he was, as a doctor working overseas, he'd been there for years and years, but he was, a radical Islamic group captured him and for, I think it was about seven years, He was a prisoner to this Islamic terrorist group. But while he was there, he got to patch them up, and I dare say got to tell them the wonderful things of Christ in one way or another. And they knew that he was a Christian believer. And then his wife was allowed to come back. She was released from the capture, came back, He lives, I think, now in Geraldton or up that way somewhere in Western Australia. But a very lovely story of someone, you know, in our modern day, who accepts their circumstances, would rather them not be, but said, well, whatever the Lord enables me to do here. And then beautiful news came when he was given his freedom to return again. So the lion's mouth, it's like a good metaphor, Daniel in the lion's den was an actual lion's mouth but in other places, Psalm 22 even, Jesus quotes Psalm 22 on the cross as he's forsaken and there's mention there of the lions and so on. Sorry? The Romans had lions as well and so the Christians were fed to the lions as well, we know that happened in some instances. So rescued from the real lion's mouth, yeah. Good Eric. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. The devil roars, it's like a roaring lion. waiting to destroy, you know, give an opportunity. Believers, that's part of the dynamic we live in. Paul doesn't go on and on about those things, he often mentions it that, you know, Satan will soon be crushed under the Lord's feet and so on, so he's aware that these are the dynamics, the heavenlies situations, the powers of evil working against the gospel but for him, no, he's got great confidence, the Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. He's always ever bound towards the goal which is his resurrection life with Christ in the new creation, that's where he's headed, his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. And he puts down an Amen and then has a little bit more to add after that. So we'll get to that. But beautiful that Paul's entire life, his letter, all of his situation that he's in, he sees this all to the glory of God. Beautiful. So the Lord shines out, the outshining of his glory and wonder and beauty and character from all the events of his people. Then he goes on to say, to greet one another, sorry, to greet Priscilla or Prisahir. Priscilla and Aquila were often mentioned. They were tent makers. You might remember back in Acts, they worked along and Paul lived with them for a time. And Priscilla gets a mention, or Prisahir, in the first instance. Oh, it's Priscilla there. So she was perhaps more prominent, maybe did more of the speaking and that sometimes happens in couples but as a couple they were together in the gospel and he wants a greeting sent especially to them and also the household Onesiphorus, interesting he gets a mention earlier in the letter, if you just flick back and if you've got your Bible and you're following through there, it says in chapter 1 verse 16 and I noticed James you said I'd say something about this, I was thinking I won't say anything about this because you would have already said it, so here we go, but he has a little prayer twice for Onesiphorus, is that how you pronounce it? He says, may the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, so he's thinking of his whole household. First up, And the reason is because he often refreshed me. He was not ashamed of me and my chains here in this prison. And when he arrived in Rome, not only did he like me and encourage me, but when he arrived, he eagerly searched for him. Where is he? And he found him. And then he's sort of got a second prayer for him. He says, may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day. So he's got a double prayer there for his blessing. And then he adds a tiny bit more, and you know very well how much service he rendered back in Ephesus. So he's been a great companion in the gospel work. And so he's got an extra little mention here in the greetings at the end. Erastus remained in Corinth. Trophimus I left in Miletus. I'm not going to speak on either of those. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you. as do Puddin's, or Puddin's, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. You know, I didn't have it in my mind until I had to speak on this that there was a person called Claudia. I've got someone, a couple to marry in October, and one of them's name is Claudia. Just by the way, that is. But these people, there's some speculation as to who they were. One of my friends, one of the oldest men in our congregation, can you just bring my black bag up there? One of the oldest guys in our congregation, he writes novels about things that interest him and he wrote a novel called Claudia Proctor, and the name Claudia is also Claudia, same name. He's called it the mystery of Claudia Procular, and she was the wife of Pontius Pilate. Remember she had that dream about Jesus? Well, he's sort of written a little fictional speculative story just for his enjoyment and for others to read, but some have thought that this may indeed be the very same person. So, again, not known. Who else have I got to mention? Just a moment. Linus, the only Linus I know is the one in the Peanuts cartoons, and I did grow up with a bloke called Pud McLaren, but I don't know anything of these as well. But it does remind us just of The friendships, the fellowship, the people that matter still being mentioned and remembered before one another. And, you know, I had people today just say to me, someone said, oh, say hello to your daughter, they knew her, you know, just to pass that on. It's one of the ways we enrich each other's lives, just by sending a greeting, by the way, say g'day to them from me. The ageing Apostle lives to the glory of God, we've seen that, and then he finishes with commending Timothy to, oh, Linus, by the way, was some thought may have been the second Bishop of Rome, so appointed in that category, overseeing the churches there, so quite possible. Some of our commentators say that. So the last word is, the Lord be with your spirit and this wonderful, wonderful finish, grace be with you. In all of Paul's teaching, some of the most wonderful things he ever said, were things that are to encourage us to rely on and entrust ourselves and continue in and be strengthened by the grace of God. You remember when he had that stake in his flesh, a messenger for Satan, he was in such a terrible way in the Corinthian letter, and three times he said, Lord, can you please deal with this? And remember the Lord's word to him? my grace is sufficient for you.' And friends, God's grace is sufficient for you, God's grace would be sufficient for Timothy, grace be with you, if it doesn't all go as well as you'd hoped, grace, grace be with you. If your own capacity to live for the Lord and be in Christ in the way you want isn't up to even your own expectations, grace be with you, grace be with you, be a person who lives in and by the grace of God. And it was Paul who wrote in Titus, the letter Titus, is the grace of God has appeared, so he's really meaning Jesus himself. The grace of God has appeared, he's come in person, he's appeared training us or bringing salvation to us first and training us to live in a godly way, training us throughout our lives, Titus 2.11. So to everyone here as we go today, grace be with you. And the Anglicans would say, and also with you. On that basis, but also in the wider theology of the cross, we can say grace is God himself ever moving towards us and towards his creation in the incarnation first up, in the atoning cross of Christ, second up, or his teaching ministry and cross, and then in his present ministry as the Ascended Lord, this grace of God who has appeared is doing us good now as the Ascended Lord, he is doing all of creation good, he is working all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose, And so when we say this and see a letter sign off, it's some of the most magnificent thing you could say to Timothy, but also to those who would get to read this letter. John Stott, I'd like to finish with a word from his little summary. I've used his commentary a bit in my thinking, but he wrote his last book, I think he was about 85 when he wrote it, called The Radical Disciple. But he, in commenting here on Timothy, he said that the message that sums up this whole letter is, Timothy, the Gospel, guard it. Care for, look after the truth of it. The Gospel, suffer for it. Number two, that's how it'll be passed on. Number three, the gospel, continue in it. And number four, the gospel, proclaim it. It's good news, you've got good news for all the world. May the Lord add his blessing to the word and I think I'm done, thank you. Shall we pray together? Dear Lord, as we just close our meeting today, as we finish this series, we thank you for the second letter to Timothy. And Lord, we pray that your word through all of the ministries represented here will continue to go forth in power. Thank you, Lord, you've not called us to be timid about our proclamation. but to live in the grace of God and so Lord may we go forward in that grace to proclaim your grace and to bear witness to the grace that's come to us through the suffering Lord Jesus on the cross and through his mighty resurrection on the third day. And through, Lord, your love for us now, thank you that you remind us to keep ourselves in the love of God. And so, Lord, we thank you for each other today and the love we find in the fellowship of your people. May that love flow out into the world, rivers of living water, as Lord we share that gut communication of who you are and what this mighty plan is. We praise you and thank you in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.