AM Bible Study Group; February 11, 2015 from 2 Timothy 4:16-18
Theme: Paul shows that his dependency upon the Lord was the basis of his enduring confidence.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
The stories of great trial and testing—and particularly times of testing to the point of death—show us much of where great people place their trust. Lesser men, who trust only in human resources, crumble at such times. But those who do not crumble—who, in fact, face their darkest hours with confidence and joy, with genuine love for their enemies, and with the anticipation of final victory beyond the grave—show that their confidence is in something higher than merely human. Paul was such a man.
In these final words to his young mentee Timothy, Paul expresses in clear terms where it was that his confidence had been placed. And in expressing this to Timothy, he seeks to encourage Timothy—and us as well—to embrace the same basis for confidence that sustained him. He shows us how reliable this confidence is by his own example; and demonstrates the truth of what he said in 2 Timothy 1:12; “. . . I am not ashamed”—or, as it might be put, “I am confident”—“for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” Paul’s victorious example causes us—who are living in dark and challenging times—to ask where it is that we have placed our ultimate confidence; and whether or not it will sustain us in the times of greatest trial (see Jeremiah 12:5).
Note from this morning’s passage . . .
I. HOW PAUL’S CONFIDENCE WAS PUT TO THE TEST (v. 16).
A. Paul had just finished issuing several personal statements to Timothy—very revealing statements about disappointment and loneliness over having been abandoned, or apprehension over having been harmed. And in this context, he says, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me.” The “first defense” that he speaks of may refer to his first appearance before Caesar Nero. Or it may be a subsequent hearing that had something to do with his present imprisonment and imminent execution. We can’t be certain. After all, the Book of Acts describes several times when he had to give a defense of himself before governing authorities (see Acts 22:1-21; 23:1-10; 24:10-21; 26:1-23; 28:17-28). And it may be that he is writing here of something that Timothy knew had occurred, but of which he had not yet heard the outcome. At any rate, the thing to notice in it is that no one stood with Paul in this very important hearing. No one stood to his defense. No one aligned themselves with him. No one attested to the truth of his position. In fact, worse than that, he says that all “forsook” him (the same Greek word—egkataleipō–as is used of Demas in v. 10). This deeply wounded Paul. Humanly speaking, he stood alone.
B. But it’s important to notice how Paul responded to the fact that others had forsaken him at a time when he needed them the most. He said to Timothy, “May it not be charged against them.” And in saying this, he already reveals something of where his confidence lies. It may have been that Paul’s thoughts went back to the time—decades earlier—when he held the coats of those who had stoned the faithful martyr Stephen to death. As Stephen looked up and saw a vision of the Lord standing to receive his spirit, Paul would have heard Stephen utter his dying words, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60). And now, Paul—perhaps, in a sense, anticipating the same kind of reception from the Lord for himself—now utters a pardon to those who had forsaken him. In this, he is like the Lord; who said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you . . .” (Matthew 5:44); and who on the cross, as it is in some ancient copies of the New Testament, said of those who crucified Him, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
II. HOW THE LORD SUPPORTED PAUL IN HIS TIME OF TESTING (v. 17).
A. Looking back on that experience of having been forsaken—and of having to stand alone before the authorities in his own defense—he nevertheless affirmed, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me . . .” There are times when Paul made special reference to the Lord doing this for him. During a very difficult and dangerous time of trial in Corinth, the Lord appeared to Paul and told him, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). Or during the story of the shipwreck in Acts 27, Paul said that an angel from the Lord came and told Paul, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you” (Acts 27:24). And perhaps something very similar had happened even when everyone else abandoned him. It may be that the Lord strengthened him, however, through the faithful encouragement of other brothers and sisters in Christ—such as Luke (see v. 11).
B. The strengthening from the Lord—however it came about—had a purpose. Paul wrote that it was “so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.” And this is a truly remarkable statement. It is remarkable, of course, in that it is what the Lord had promised to him would happen. In various places, Paul affirmed that the Lord called him to preach the message of the gospel to the Gentiles (see Acts 9:15-16; 22:21; 26:19-23; Galatians 2:9; Ephesians 3:8-9; Colossians 1:24-27); and no doubt, his sense of calling from Christ sustained him and motivated him. But it is also remarkable in the fact that it actually happened! Here we are today—a part of the Gentile world that is spread across the globe—believing on the Jesus that Paul preached two-thousand years before. To think of the fact that this poor, persecuted preacher—sitting in an obscure prison cell somewhere awaiting execution—could expect that his message would be proclaimed in such a way that “all the Gentiles might hear”, and that it actually happened, shows that it was God’s doing and not man. How glad we should be that the Lord strengthened him. It was for our sakes that he did!
C. Note also this remarkable affirmation: “Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” When Paul told Timothy this, was he speaking of something literal? Some have doubts that it could be so; because Paul was a Roman citizen, and Roman citizens were not typically thrown to the wild beasts. But Paul’s case may be exceptional in many ways—including that one! It may also be that he speaks figuratively of the Lord’s deliverance from Satan—who is likened in Scripture to a roaring lion (see 1 Peter 5:8). However it is to be understood—literally or figuratively—Paul affirmed that he was delivered in the past. And the Lord’s manifest faithfulness in the past was the basis of confidence for the future.
III. HOW PAUL COULD EXPRESS CONFIDENCE ABOUT THE FUTURE (v. 18).
A. Paul affirmed in closing, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.” How could he say this when he knew that he was about to die (vv. 6-8)? It may be that he means this in the same way that the three friends of Daniel spoke of their confidence of deliverance. They affirmed that God was able to deliver them from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar—either though a miracle, or through the death of the furnace (Daniel 3:16-18). In any case, they would be delivered—and so would Paul. He would, without fail, stand before the presence of the Lord’s glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24).
B. The greatest expression of Paul’s confidence may be what he says at the end of this passage. “To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” For Paul, this was not just a wish. It was a confident expectation. And it was based not on human resources, but on the Son of God. May we have our confidence in Him—and like Paul, we will be able to stand upon that confidence in our moment of greatest trial.