2 Timothy Recap

This was Paul’s last letter – written shortly before his execution and in many respects is his last will and testament. The charges against Paul were insurrection against Rome. As a result, all of Paul’s friends that were with him in Rome were also in extreme danger. Paul was found guilty and ordered executed by Nero.

Paul was concerned about the welfare of the churches during this time of persecution under Nero, and he admonishes Timothy to guard the gospel, to persevere in it, to keep on preaching it and, if necessary, to suffer for it.

Paul is suffering in chains, in a cold dungeon. His purpose in writing is really twofold: (1) he is lonely and he wants Timothy to come to Rome since only Luke is with him and no one else could minister to his needs as well as could Timothy (2) since he is about to die, he must encourage Timothy to continue in the work of the ministry. It is now a crime to be a Christian. It is dangerous to be seen with Paul now. Only Luke is with Paul and such faithful ones as live in Rome still in hiding. The tradition is that Paul, as a Roman citizen, was beheaded on the Ostian Road just outside of Rome.

·    KEY VERSES:

·      2 Timothy 2:8: Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach.

·      2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

·      2 Timothy 4:5: But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

·      2 Timothy 4:6-8: As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

In chapter 2, Paul uses seven figures of speech to describe a disciple of Christ who’s striving to serve the Lord and win the crown:

·      A SON -- should follow Paul’s example and teach others, so those can teach others -- verses 1-2.

·      A SOLDIER -- is to "endure hardness" or hardships and avoid the entanglements of the world--to please the One who made him a soldier -- verses 3-4.

·      AN ATHLETE -- he is to contend for the reward.  He is to abide by the rules -- verse 5.

·      A FARMER -- must labor before he partakes of the fruit -- verse 6.

·      A STUDENT -- must correctly teach and properly handle the Word of God -- verse 15.

·      A VESSEL -- a vessel must be clean to be usable -- verses 20-21.

·      A SERVANT -- a disciple is a servant, gentle, apt to teach, patient -- verse 24.

Paul wanted Timothy to stay faithful to Paul’s message and to pass on the Gospel to others. He wanted Timothy and us to be special utensils made of gold and silver, not ordinary cheap wood and clay utensils, so that God can use us.

Paul warned Timothy (and us) what the last days would be like:

• Demon activity at a very high level.
• People loving themselves and their money.
• People would be boastful and scoff at God and would be ungrateful.
• They would be unloving, lack self-control, prideful, seeking pleasure at all costs.
• They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.
• They will put on a false religious front, will reject the Gospel and will go after false teaching and myths that appeal to them.

In view of the last days, we need to remember that ALL scripture is inspired by God (God breathed). Scripture will keep us from being deceived and will prepare us for the storm that will be coming.

Paul knows the time of his execution is rapidly approaching and he hopes to see Timothy one last time. Most likely, Timothy never saw Paul alive again. Thus Paul’s life ends in service to his Lord and in emulation of his Lord, for the Lord Jesus, too, was all alone in his death, his friends having deserted him.

2 Timothy 4

The NLT lets us down here because most manuscripts have oun ("therefore") in the beginning of this verse. So, we need to recheck the previous verse:
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
(1) I *solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday **judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom:

• *solemnly urge: 1 Timothy 5:21: I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.
• **judge:
• John 5:22,27: In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, … And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.
• Acts 17:31: For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
• 1 Corinthians 4:5: So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.
• 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
• 1 Peter 4:4-5: Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

(2) Preach the *word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching

• *word of God: Goes once again back to 2 Timothy 3:16.
• Whenever the word of God goes forth from our lips, we need to remember that ". . . It shall not return to Me void.. . . " Spurgeon was once testing an auditorium in which he was to speak that evening. He stepped into the pulpit and loudly proclaimed, "Behold the lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." Satisfied with the acoustics, he left and went his way. Unknown to him, there were two men working up in the rafters of that large auditorium, neither one of them Christians. One of the men was pricked in his conscience by the verse Spurgeon quoted and became a believer later that day! Such is the penetrating power of God's eternal word
• Paul challenges us to pass the faith on to the next generation. He is clearly passing the torch on to Timothy, and likewise he is urging Timothy to pass the torch on to others, who in turn will pass it on to others.

(3) For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
(4) They will reject the truth and chase after *myths.

• *myths: These myths are the pagan myths (Greek – muthos). Romanism absorbed many of these myths.
• When a man rejects God's truth, it isn't that he believes in nothing: he will believe in anything. Even evolution and communism become a religion.

(5) BUT YOU should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

• Paul was evidently very concerned about Timothy’s ability to carry on the task when he apparently was easily intimidated. In this era and country, we have no real concept of “suffering for the Lord” – as compared to Christians in Muslim countries, in North Korea, in Stalin’s USSR, in Hitler’s Germany and in Nero’s Roman Empire, nor even what it was like to die for the truth of the Word when the Roman church hounded, persecuted, tortured and killed Bible-believing Christians who refused to bow to the idolatries of Rome.

(6) As for ME, my life has already been poured out as an *offering to God. The time of my **death is near.

• This verse starts with the Greek word gap (For), going back to verse 5.
• *offering: Paul is referring to an Old Testament ritual that accompanied certain sacrifices. The Law mandated that when a worshiper brought an offering, part of it was consumed upon the altar and part was given to the priest for his own use. When the offering was consumed by fire, the worshiper would sometimes pour a “drink offering” of wine upon the burning sacrifice. All the wine was to be poured out. None was to be given to the priest. As the wine hit the burning coals, it evaporated and a sweet smell rose from the altar. The drink offering was a symbolic way of saying, “I gladly give all that I have to the Lord. By speaking of his death as a “drink offering,” he was saying to Timothy, “When you hear of my death, don’t think that Nero has executed me against my will. I gladly lay down my life for my Lord. Nero cannot take my life; I gladly offer it to Christ. My own blood will be like the wine of the drink offering, gladly given to the One who loved me and gave himself for me.” It was Paul’s way of saying, “Don’t weep for me, Timothy. Know this: When I die, I will die smiling.”
• **death: The word for “death” ("departure" in the KJV) (analusis) basically means "to unloose." It was used of "unyoking an animal from the shafts of the cart or plow"; of "loosening the ropes of a tent"; and of "loosening the mooring of a ship." Tradition is that Paul was led three miles out of Rome and beheaded by the sword, that three of the guard were converted on the way and that they too suffered martyrdom later on for the Lord Jesus.
• Acts 20:24: But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
• Philippians 1:23-24: I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
• Possibly even before this letter reached Timothy, Paul's head had been severed from his body by the sword of a Roman soldier, somewhere along the Appian Way. Thus, this great man of God died just as he had lived--as a living sacrifice.
• The idea of a drink offering is first presented in Genesis 35:14, where Jacob poured out a drink offering before the Lord as a sacrifice

(7) I have *fought THE good fight, I have finished THE **race, and I have ***remained faithful.

• Acts 20:24: But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
• **race:
• 1 Corinthians 9:24-25: Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
• Philippians 3:12-14: I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
• Hebrews 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
• ***remained faithful: William Hendricksen has summed it up well:
• ". . . Against Jewish and pagan vice and violence; against Judaism among the Galatians; against fanaticism among the Thessalonians; against contention, fornication and litigation among the Corinthians; against incipient Gnosticism among Ephesians and Colossians; against fightings without and fears within, . . . " Paul had "kept the faith."

(8) AND NOW the prize awaits me—the *crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the **righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to ***his appearing.

• *crown:
• 1 Corinthians 9:25: And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. (KJV)
• James 1:12: God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
• Revelation 2:10: Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:19: After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you!
• 1 Peter 5:4: And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
• **righteous judge: As contrasted to Nero, the unrighteous judge. The judgment seat of which Paul speaks is a reference to the judges’ seat in the Olympics.  It’s not the Superior Court judge.  But it’s the judges in the Olympics. When you have run your race and you’ve come now before the judges.  They place on your head the laurel wreath.
• ***his appearing: Titus 2:12-13: And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
• 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

(9) Timothy, please come as soon as you can.
(10) *Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia.

• *Demas:
• Colossians 4:14: Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas.
• Philemon 1:24: So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers.

(11) Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry.

• *Luke:
• Who wrote the book of Acts and probably wrote down Paul's words here.
• Acts 15:36-40: After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.

(12) I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

• Tychicus is on his way to relieve Timothy at Ephesus. When Paul wrote the letter to Ephesus and also to Colosse, Tychicus was the messenger who took the letter back to Ephesus.  He was the minister at the church in Ephesus.

(13) When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially *my papers.

• *my papers: Greek the parchments.  Apparently, Paul had to leave Troas quickly or he was rearrested in Troas.

(14) Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done.

• Alexander instigated his arrest.

(15) Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said.
(16) The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them.

• Under Roman law, accused prisoners underwent a preliminary hearing before their trial. At this hearing, witnesses could speak on behalf of the accused. In Paul's case, no one had come to his defense. This was probably because when Rome burned in July of A.D. 64 Nero blamed the Christians, and from then on it was dangerous to be a known Christian in Rome. Neither local Christians nor Paul's fellow workers were willing to stand with the apostle,

(17) BUT the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from *certain death.

• *certain death: Greek from the mouth of the lion.

(18) Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
(19) Give my greetings to *Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus.

• *Priscilla: She and her husband Aquila were now back at Ephesus.
• Acts 18:2: There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome.

(20) *Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus **sick at Miletus.

• *Erastus: Erastus, it is thought, was the treasurer of the city of Corinth.  In fact there is a plaque there on the pavement, which says, “This section of the pavement was donated to the city of Corinth by Erastus” in Latin.  Paul calls him the chamberlain or the treasurer of the city of Corinth, so there is an interesting archaeological discovery that confirms Erastus was the treasurer of the city of Corinth, even as Paul makes mention.  So he stayed at Corinth.
• **sick: In Acts 19:11, 12 and 28:8, 9 Paul miraculously healed all those who were sick and in need of healing. Yet, here Paul is unable to do what God had previously given him the power for and is forced to leave Trophimus unhealed. This would seem to indicate that even during the lifetime of the apostles, God was significantly withdrawing miraculous gifts, especially healing. As the apostle's doctrine was increasingly accepted and trusted, the purpose for miraculous signs was increasingly unnecessary.
• Philippians 2:25-27: Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

(21) Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.

• Most likely, Timothy never saw Paul alive again. Thus Paul’s life ends in service to his Lord and in emulation of his Lord, for the Lord Jesus, too, was all alone in his death, his friends having deserted him.

(22) May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.
John Fox in his classic work, Fox's Book of Martyrs, writes, "Timothy was the celebrated disciple of St. Paul, and bishop of Ephesus, where he zealously governed the Church until A.D. 97. At this period, as the pagans were about to celebrate a feast called Catagogion, Timothy, meeting the procession, severely reproved them for their ridiculous idolatry, which so exasperated the people that they fell upon him with their clubs, and beat him in so dreadful a manner that he expired of the bruises two day after."
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NOTE:
Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
Sources and References are on-line at:
http://2timothy-study.blogspot.com/2011/03/2-timothy-references.html