Last Words

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (2 Timothy 1:1-6)

Paul's final letter, written from a death-row cell, shows us how to face the worst circumstances with power, love, and a sound mind.

A New Series in Paul's Last Words

We're beginning a new series in the book of 2 Timothy, Paul's last words to Timothy—but also his last words to the church. That's why we're calling this series Last Words.

Coming into 2 Timothy feels like a bit of an accomplishment. For the last ten years here at Cross Connection, we've been on a journey through the New Testament that began in the book of Acts in November of 2008. It took us a long time, because every time we reached a point in Acts where one of the New Testament letters was written, we stopped to study it. Most of the New Testament is comprised of letters—epistles written by apostles like Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John—and sent to churches or individuals. Acts is the history book of the New Testament, and during its timeline these letters were written.

Most of the letters of the New Testament were written by the Apostle Paul—thirteen of them. Second Timothy is Paul's last letter, which is why I'm calling this series Last Words. These are Paul's last words—hopefully not mine. There seems to be in our minds that last words carry more weight, and as we go through these chapters, we're going to see some really important and weighty things Paul speaks to his dear friend Timothy.

Paul and Timothy

Timothy had been with Paul through most of Paul's ministry. Paul met him when Timothy was probably a late teenager, around sixteen or seventeen, living in the Greek city of Lystra. Paul saw the call of God upon his life and brought him along to do the work of the ministry. Timothy was with Paul during the second missionary journey (Acts 16), the third missionary journey, and on into Jerusalem. He was with Paul as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, the Corinthians, the Romans, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, and to Philemon.

They were very close—Paul looked at him as a son in the faith and writes to him that way. We can feel the emotion of the letter: "I know of your tears," Paul says. Timothy has been weeping for Paul because of Paul's present circumstance. It's also likely Paul is writing through dictation to a secretary, because by this point his eyes had become dim. He couldn't see well. Anyone relate to that? I'm almost forty, and I've had to start wearing glasses more—not enjoyable.

How Paul Ended Up in a Roman Prison

Second Timothy was written around AD 66, with Paul in the city of Rome. To understand why, you have to rewind to the end of Acts. Paul had gone to Jerusalem to bring a financial gift from the churches of Greece, Macedonia, and Asia to the struggling Christians there. While he was there, a riot broke out—as often happened wherever Paul went. It's been said that whenever Paul arrived somewhere there would either be a riot or a revival, and odds are there would be both.

A group of Jewish assassins—the Sicarii, the dagger men—vowed not to eat until Paul was dead. Through a series of events, the Romans took him into custody, which ultimately became his protection. Realizing he wouldn't get a fair trial in Jerusalem, they moved him to the coastal city of Caesarea, where he spent two years incarcerated awaiting trial. When the process dragged on, Paul appealed to Caesar—his right as a Roman citizen—and that placed the responsibility on Rome's armies to deliver him to the capital. Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial, around AD 64.

Apparently the justice system moved slowly, and Paul was released around AD 64-65, though told he'd have to return. After Acts, he revisited churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, probably Corinth, and Ephesus. He left Timothy behind in Ephesus and wrote him 1 Timothy. He sent Titus to Crete and wrote him a letter as well—both of which we studied last year. Then Paul returned to Rome to stand trial, which brings us to AD 66.

Why This Imprisonment Was Different

By this point Paul had already had one trial, probably in a lower court, and it apparently went poorly—he's no longer under house arrest but in real prison. Part of the reason is the political climate. In AD 64 the great fire of Rome occurred, and many historians and contemporaries believed Nero himself was behind it. That doesn't bode well for an emperor, so Nero needed a scapegoat. He chose the Christians—people who stood outside the normal life of Rome, who weren't involved in the games, the debauchery, or the temples. They were an easy minority to blame, and public opinion turned quickly against them.

Paul was a leader of this sect called Christians. It's believed that by AD 66 the Apostle Peter had already been put to death—crucified outside Rome, and church tradition says he asked to be crucified upside down, feeling unworthy to die as Jesus had. So Peter is likely dead, and Paul sits in a horrible prison awaiting a final trial, knowing he would ultimately be beheaded at Nero's command.

A Spirit of Power, Not Fear

What's striking is that Paul understands time is short. He writes in 2 Timothy 4:6:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

He knows Peter has been martyred. He knows Christians throughout Rome are being beaten, burned, and thrown to wild beasts. This departure is not to Spain—it's departure from life. You would expect a man in such excruciating circumstances, facing martyrdom, to be anxious and fearful. Yet he writes:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

How can someone have such an outlook? How can he say "that I may be filled with joy" while facing death? The opening verse of 2 Timothy gives us a few things to consider in answering that question.

Point One: Once You Meet Jesus, Your Life Will Never Be the Same

Paul writes, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ." An apostle is one sent with a message, and for nearly thirty years Paul had been on mission with the message of Jesus. He had met the resurrected Jesus—after the crucifixion and ascension—even though before that he had been a persecutor of Christians. His name was Saul of Tarsus, and he made it his goal to destroy the church. He had already overseen at least one execution of a Christian in Acts 7.

On the road to Damascus, going to arrest believers, Saul encountered the risen Jesus (Acts 9). A great light from heaven, a booming voice: "Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" "Who are You, Lord?" "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." His life was radically transformed in that instant. Jesus told him to go into the city and wait—the divine equivalent of "go to your room." Blinded, Saul waited three days. Then God spoke to a Christian named Ananias, telling him to go and pray for Saul. Ananias protested that this man was bad news, but God said:

He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. (Acts 9:15)

And now Paul is about to stand before Emperor Nero, fulfilling that very word. Notice, too, that Jesus revealed how many things Paul would suffer for His name's sake. Knowing this, Saul immediately began to preach that Christ is the Son of God (Acts 9:20), and he did so for the next thirty years.

I was talking with a man in our church this last week who shared his testimony. He said, "Before Christ I was a total narcissist. I took a narcissism test scaled zero to forty—celebrities and politicians score around twenty, and I scored thirty-four." After becoming a Christian and letting God work in his life, he took the same test and scored a six. How does that happen? Once you meet Jesus, your life will never be the same. Many of you can say that's exactly your testimony.

Point Two: Sometimes We Suffer While Doing the Will of God

Paul says he is an apostle "by the will of God." From day one, Jesus showed him the many things he would suffer—and yet Paul still set out to do that work. Following Jesus does not mean you'll never suffer. Sometimes we suffer while doing the will of God.

We seem to think that if we were doing God's will, everything would be smooth sailing. But that's not what we see. Did Jesus do the will of the Father? Yes. Did He suffer? Yes. Peter suffered, Paul suffered, and throughout Christian history many committed to God's will have suffered.

The wonderful thing about suffering in the midst of God's will is that it's not for nothing. God, by His power and sovereignty, works in and through that suffering for His glory. Everyone suffers, Christian or not—but only the Christian can suffer for the glory of God.

You can also know your suffering is for your continued growth. Paul learned this in 2 Corinthians 12, where he describes a physical infirmity. Three times he asked God to take it away, but God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, and My power is made perfect in your weakness." God sustains us through suffering for His glory and uses it for our transformation.

And your suffering is temporary, resulting in eternal blessing. Paul writes:

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

This is the same man who said five times he received forty lashes minus one—meaning he was whipped a hundred and ninety-five times in his thirty years with Jesus. Three times beaten with rods, once stoned with rocks to the point of death, shipwrecked and spending a night and a day in the deep. And he still calls these "present troubles small."

Think of it like an investment account. The suffering you experience in Christ is being invested into God's kingdom, producing eternal dividends of reward. Paul could say our present troubles are small in light of eternity, and they won't last long, yet they produce a glory that vastly outweighs them and lasts forever.

Point Three: We Can Face Any Trouble With the Promise of Life in Jesus

Paul concludes verse 1: "according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus." He knew the time of his departure was at hand, yet he held the promise of life in Christ. We can face any trouble if we have that promise.

How do we get it? The answer is simple—it's the most translated verse in the Bible:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

I was recently listening to the atheist Sam Harris, who claimed it is pitiful to live your life in hope of another life—live this life, he says, it's great. But he doesn't know the power of living with the hope of eternal life. His life may be great, but there are countless people throughout human history who have experienced the fall in terrible ways, who will never have it as good as he does, and all they have is suffering. To tell them this life is all there is, that's obnoxious. Drop a man in the middle of sub-Saharan Africa for a lifetime and see how that goes. We can face any trouble if we have the promise of life in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, I pray that everyone standing in this room this morning has met You and experienced Your power to transform—that, like Saul of Tarsus, once someone meets You their life is never the same. Lord, I know there are people standing here right now going through suffering, who have wondered if maybe they're just not doing what You want. Would You remind them that sometimes we suffer even while doing Your will?

Lord, I thank You for the hope we can have because of the promise of eternal life. Because You died for us, we don't have to experience eternal death. Thank You for that. I pray for those here who don't yet know the promise of life—draw them to Yourself, that they would know it and experience the joy of that hope.

If that's you this morning, and you don't know the promise of life in Jesus Christ, I want to give you a chance to receive it. It's a free gift of grace as you put your trust in Jesus. Pray with me: Dear Jesus, I know that I need You. Would You come into my life, forgive me of my sin, and help me to follow You by faith.