One More Thing…

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!... The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:16–22)

Paul's final word is grace — a closing benediction from the apostle who was rescued, transformed, and preserved for a heavenly kingdom.

Just One More Thing

Anyone who knows me knows I'm something of an Apple fan. I've used Apple computers since grade school, bought the first iPod at the end of 2001, and saved up for my first Apple laptop. For nearly twenty years, two or three times a year, the CEO of Apple gives a keynote address, and the fans all tune in like it's "Apple Church." For many years it was Steve Jobs, the original evangelist of the cult of Mac.

The really good keynotes always ended the same way. Right when you thought it was over, the screen behind him would go blank and the words "one more thing" would appear. He'd say, "But there is just one more thing," and the crowd would cheer, because it was always something everyone had been waiting for.

I bring that up because as we come to 2 Timothy 4:16–22, it's as if Paul is saying, "There is just one more thing." I've called this series Last Words, because these aren't only Paul's last words to Timothy, his close friend and son in the faith — these are really his last words, period. That's significant when you consider that about a third of the New Testament consists of letters Paul wrote. And his one final word is a word of encouraging grace.

How It All Began

Before we consider that one more thing, it's important to be reminded of the history of the one writing these words. About three decades earlier we're given insight into how it all began — not just his ministry, but the church itself.

Jesus had promised in Acts 1:8, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." One chapter later, at the Jewish feast of Pentecost — fifty days after Passover and ten days after Jesus ascended — the Holy Spirit was poured out on 120 people gathered for prayer. By the end of that day, the group had grown to three thousand. Shortly after, the number grew to five thousand.

But in Jerusalem, the epicenter of Judaism, there were problems. Through Acts 3, 4, and 5 the Jewish religious leaders sought to stop and destroy this movement. They brought in Peter, James, and John — leaders of what was called "the Way," likely because of Jesus' words in John 14, "I am the way." They forbade them from teaching in Jesus' name, threatened them, beat them, imprisoned them, and even threatened execution.

Gamaliel's Warning and Saul's Resolve

When it reached that point, an old Jewish sage named Gamaliel spoke wisdom: if this movement is of God and you fight against it, you will find yourselves fighting against God; if it is not of God, it will come to nothing. There is great wisdom in that word.

But at least one person who likely heard that counsel was unmoved — Gamaliel's own primary pupil, Saul of Tarsus. He was a young man so committed to his Pharisaism, the faith of his fathers, that he made it his aim to destroy the followers of the Way. It almost seems as if Saul said, "Gamaliel, I understand you, but this is absolutely not of God."

That resolve came to a head in Acts 6 and 7 with a young preacher and servant named Stephen. When he proclaimed the resurrection and power of Jesus of Nazareth, the people were filled with wrath, dragged him outside the city, and stoned him to death. Acts 7:58 tells us those who stoned Stephen laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Saul effectively oversaw the execution of the first Christian martyr.

After that, he became an outright persecutor of the church. Acts 8:1 says a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and the believers scattered into Judea and Samaria. "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison." Notice the irony: what forced the believers out to Judea and Samaria — exactly as Jesus foretold in Acts 1:8 — was Saul's own persecution. God works all things together for His purpose.

The Road to Damascus

Saul couldn't tolerate the movement spreading. In Acts 9:1 he was "still breathing threats and murder against the disciples," and he obtained letters from the high priest to the synagogues of Damascus, intending to bring back any followers of the Way — men or women — bound for trial.

But on the journey, "suddenly a light shone around him from heaven, and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'" Remember Gamaliel's warning — if you fight against God, you will find yourself fighting against God. That is a fight you will not win. Saul asked, "Who are You, Lord?" And the Lord answered, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

When Saul heard "I am Jesus," his heart must have skipped a beat. A goad was a pointed pole a plowman used to keep stubborn oxen moving. Jesus was saying, "I'm doing something here, and you're kicking against the goads." Trembling, Saul asked, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" The Lord said, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." It's almost as if Jesus said, "Go to your room, and I'll be with you in a few minutes."

Saul was led blind into Damascus, where he spent three days in darkness — surely replaying everything he had done in opposition to the very One he had just met. Then God spoke to a faithful Christian named Ananias, who was understandably concerned. But the Lord sent him with a prophetic message (Acts 9:15): Saul was a chosen vessel to bear Christ's name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel — and he would suffer many things for that name.

Saved to Be a Transformed Vessel

From the very point of his conversion Paul had two prophetic words: you are a chosen vessel, and you will suffer for My name's sake. The former blasphemous, insolent persecutor who caused so much suffering would now preach the faith he once sought to destroy — and suffer for the name of Christ.

This is point number one: one of the greatest evidences of God's mighty power is our transformation. Saul was so drastically changed that his life turned 180 degrees. As a sign of it, he set aside his given name — a great name in Israel, shared with the first king from the tribe of Benjamin — because he was now focused on another name: Christ.

Your testimony of how God took you from blind and lost to found in Christ is part of that same power. Revelation 12:11 says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." For some of you the transformation is more dramatic than for others, but Christ comes in and changes us from the inside out. Never neglect sharing what God has done in your life.

Thirty Years of Faithful Labor

Saul the zealous persecutor became Paul the passionate apostle — a former terrorist who brought havoc to the church became its chief evangelist. From Acts 9 on he joined forces with Barnabas, Silas, Luke, Titus, Timothy, Gaius, Priscilla, and Aquila, spending the next thirty years preaching the gospel.

On his first missionary journey (Acts 13) he went with Barnabas to Galatia, planting churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe. On his second (Acts 16) he went with Silas to Macedonia — Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea — then into Greece, to Athens and Corinth. On his third (Acts 18–19) he went into Asia Minor, staying three years in Ephesus, teaching daily in a school while his disciples planted churches throughout the region — likely the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3, plus others like Hierapolis and Colossae.

As he traveled, Paul pastored these churches in a unique way: through letters. I'm grateful he did, because the epistles to the Galatians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, Romans, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, Philemon, Titus, and 1 and 2 Timothy are life-transforming Scripture. Though Paul called himself the least of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:9) and the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), he understood he was saved by grace, for God's purposes, to fulfill God's plan, for God's glory.

Saved by Grace for God's Purposes

This is point number two: we have been saved by the grace of God to fulfill the purposes of God for His glory. You are saved by grace, not of works, lest anyone should boast — and saved for a purpose. God has a will, a plan, and He desires those rescued by His grace to fulfill it for His glory.

That is exactly what Paul gave himself to. In 1 Corinthians 15 he wrote, "I am what I am by the grace of God, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." Looking back at the executions he oversaw and the Christians he persecuted, he said he had to leave that behind and "lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me."

It begs a question for us: has the reality of God's grace toward us hit us enough that we realize how great His salvation is — and has it ignited in us a passion for following Jesus?

A Life of Suffering for His Name

From day one Paul knew he would suffer for Christ's name. In 2 Corinthians 11 he recounts what that looked like. "Five times I received forty stripes minus one" — the traditional Jewish punishment, capped at thirty-nine. That's 195 lashes. "Three times I was beaten with rods," the Roman punishment. "Once I was stoned" — which happened in Galatia, a surreal echo of the Stephen he once watched die. He was shipwrecked three times then, and at least once more after.

He continues: "in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness — besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches."

I stumbled on an article last week reporting that 60% of millennials say life is more stressful now than ever — and the top stressors listed were things like losing your wallet, traffic, a dying phone battery, slow Wi-Fi, forgetting passwords, and washing dishes. Reading Paul's actual experience puts that in perspective. No wonder he wrote in 2 Timothy 3:12 that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." For thirty years, that had been his daily life. And now he faces his very last trial.

A Word of Encouraging Grace

"At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them." This is Paul's "one more thing" — and though it doesn't sound like it at first, it's a word of encouraging grace.

Consider what came just before it. In verse 10, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." In verse 14, "Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works." Imagine being one of Paul's close associates who, for some circumstance, wasn't there at his moment of trial. You read those hard words, and then you hear that Paul has been beheaded for his faith — which happened shortly after this letter was written. You would feel what psychologists call complicated grief.

One of the most difficult things to endure is the death of a loved one, especially by suicide. I've walked alongside people through that horror, and no one who has endured it escapes the haunting questions: What if I had been there? Was there something more I could have said or done? I suspect there were people in Paul's life — close friends — who weren't there at his moment of need. With this single word, Paul graciously releases them: "May it not be charged against them."

This is point number three: those who understand grace are most often the most gracious. Paul knew when a hard word needed to be said — about Alexander, about Demas; perhaps that word even led Demas to repent. But because he understood the grace of God so deeply, he releases the others from any debt they might feel they owe. Having freely received grace, we are to freely give it. Grace is rare in our culture, so when you are gracious, it stands out.

The Lord Stood With Me

He continues in verse 17: "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion."

This is point number four: the Lord will stand with and strengthen us to fulfill His purpose and plan. Thirty years earlier, Paul had watched a mob stone Stephen. Acts 7:55 tells us Stephen, "full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." As they stoned him, he cried, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," and, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." That whole picture surely lingered long in Paul's mind. The same Lord who stood for Stephen now stood with Paul.

"I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion," he writes in verse 17, and in verse 18, "The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" We can't be sure exactly what the lion refers to — Nero, the Jewish leaders, or the accuser who prowls like a roaring lion. It doesn't matter. What matters is that Paul knew he had been, and would be, delivered by Christ Jesus.

Our Hope Is Not This World

Remember, he knows he's about to die — "the time of my departure is at hand" (4:6). He isn't getting out of this with his life, yet with great faith he says the Lord will preserve him for His heavenly kingdom.

This is point number five: we will be preserved unto, and glorified in, God's heavenly kingdom. That is our hope. Church, we need to be reminded constantly: our hope is not this world. It's not your IRA, your 401k, Social Security, Medicare, or retirement in this life. If that's your hope, it's not a good hope. Our hope is that we will be preserved and glorified in God's heavenly kingdom.

This was Paul's hope. Years earlier, imprisoned in Rome, he wrote in Philippians 1:19–21: "I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." That is faith.

Grace Be With You

Finally come the last greetings: "Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick. Do your utmost to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen."

Paul's one more thing — the very last thing he leaves us — is grace. He was the apostle of grace: "Grace be with you. Amen."

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your grace. None of us standing here today are deserving of it, but we are so grateful. Thank You that You who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive Your righteousness and stand before You as righteous because of what You have accomplished by Your grace. So I pray that You would pour out Your grace upon us, Your church, in abundance — and that we who have freely received it would freely give it to others. Fill us with Your grace until it overflows from us. I thank You for the life and ministry of the apostle Paul and all we have learned through his letters over these years, and I pray You would continue through these words to transform us. We praise You, Jesus. It's in Your name we pray. Amen.