In a world of uncertainty, He is an unchanging Savior. Praise the Lord for that truth. I invite you to turn with me for the final time in this series to 2 Timothy chapter number 4 as we conclude our series from 2 Timothy in chapter 4 verses 9 through 22. 2 Timothy 4 verses 9 through 22. It was on July 19th of A.D. 64. that a fire broke out in Rome, destroying 10 of the city's districts. The inferno raged for six days and seven nights, flaring sporadically for an additional three days. And though the fire probably started accidentally in an oil warehouse, rumors swirled that the Emperor Nero had ordered the inferno so that he could rebuild Rome according to his own liking. Nero tried to stamp out the rumors, but to no avail. Then he looked for a scapegoat, and since two of the districts were untouched by the fire, were disproportionately populated by Christians, of course Nero shifted the blame to them. The Roman historian Tacitus tells us the rest of the story here. He says, but all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, this is on the back of your notes for you, as well as projected on the screen, the propitiations of the gods, none of this did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration, which is an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property, that it was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite torture on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty of being Christians. Then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much for the crime of firing the city as of hatred against mankind. Whatever that means, it was general, and it was a generic charge that Nero leveled against the Christian community, blaming the burning of Rome on the Christians. It is probable that the Apostle Paul was in Rome at the time. We know that Paul was imprisoned in Rome on two different occasions, once just before this event, and then again just after this event. It appears that he visited Crete and Corinth sometime during the interim, but ultimately he died a martyr's death in Rome, and most likely for the very same or similar charge, hatred against mankind. But did the Apostle Paul hate mankind? We know that before his conversion, of course, he persecuted the church of God. Acts chapters 9, 7 through 9 tell us that. But then his life mission became the salvation of the Gentiles. And he was even willing to be accursed from Christ for the sake of his own brethren, the Jews. He wrote to the Corinthians that he would gladly spend and be spent for their souls. So it's really hard to to believe that Paul was guilty of hatred against mankind. And now I think that Paul's final farewell before his death in AD 67 gives us some further insight into his approach to people. In these final verses of this final letter that Paul wrote before his death, he named people, 20 different people are named or listed in 2 Timothy 4 verses 9 through 22 and it really demonstrates a different spirit from Paul than hatred for mankind. And folks, our lives are full of people and relationships with people. And we have family and friends and neighbors and coworkers and Christians, brothers and sisters. We could make a list similar to what we're given here by Paul. And these relationships are sometimes a blessing, sometimes they're a burden. Some people you can't live with them, some people you can't live without them. Some people are kindred spirits, they're soulmates, they're bosom buddies, they're best friends, other people. It's like goodbye and good riddance, right? But whatever the case, when it comes to the end of life, it isn't about things, it's about people. And such was the case for the Apostle Paul. I've titled our final study here from these verses, Final Farewell, Insights into Paul's relationships. Let's pause briefly for prayer and then we'll study the scripture. Lord, God in heaven above, we hallow your name. We bow our heads in our hearts in submission before your sovereignty. And Lord, we think of the people that you have put in our lives. Lord, some are a blessing, some are a burden. Lord, we ask that you would help us practically to deal with people as you would have us to deal with them. Lord, as we read of the Apostle Paul's relationships and his approach to each of them, I pray that you'd give us insight and understanding so that we can make practical application to our own lives. We commit our study to you now. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. The Apostle Paul's final words before us are not about orthodoxy or right doctrine. Neither are his final words before us about orthopraxy, that's right practice. But rather, his final words in his final letter before us are about people, about relationships that he shared among those in the family or the household of God. Look at verse number nine, 2 Timothy 4 verse nine. Paul writes to Timothy, be diligent, Timothy, to come to me quickly. As Paul faced the end of his life, he longed for the company of Timothy. Why Timothy? Well, we know from 1 Timothy 1, verse 2, that Timothy was Paul's son in the faith. We know from 2 Timothy 1, verse 2, that Timothy was Paul's beloved son. Timothy traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys, and now Timothy is pastoring the church in Ephesus, and Paul wanted Timothy to come to him, to visit with him, just as any of us would want those that are dearest to us to be closest to us at the end of our lives. But then Paul writes the following verses, and he writes of so many other people, some 20 different people, and I've categorized, I've arranged these people into categories with the preface, how to deal with. How to deal with the first category, how to deal with people who disappoint us, number one in your notes. How to deal with people who disappoint us, and unless you live under a rock or on a deserted island, you have suffered disappointment when a friend has let you down. or abandoned you or betrayed you. In fact, even at the suggestion this morning, perhaps you're thinking of a name, perhaps you're picturing a face, maybe it's an unpleasant thought. How do you deal with people who disappoint you, disappoint us? Look at verse number 10. For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world and has departed for Thessalonica. Letter A, the first name is Demas. Demas is short for the longer name Demetrius, Philemon 24, Colossians 4 verse 14 explain that Demas was a key leader in Paul's ministry but something happened along the way and Demas deserted Paul is how the ESV and the New American Standard translate it. Verse 10 tells us that he fell in love with the present world. Now it may be that Demas grew tired of the dangerous travel and he wanted the safety and the security of his home. It may be that Demas grew weary of the long journeys and he wanted the rest and the relaxation of home. There's nothing wrong with that necessarily. It may be that Demas had given himself and given himself and given himself so much he longed to indulge himself. with the good things in this life or the pleasures of sin. It may be that Demas was never a true believer. 1 John 2 verse 15 says, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And maybe his heart was a rocky place, perhaps stony ground, just enough soil to make his conversion look promising. but not enough to bring full salvation. And so in the heat of affliction and persecution, it became so fierce that he withered and fell away. Of course, I'm referring to Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed and the soils in Matthew chapter 13. But in any case, he forsook Paul. He deserted Paul. He abandoned Paul. So while we don't know the specific circumstance, we do know that Demas was a disappointment to Paul. How do you deal with people who disappoint you? There's another name that's listed here in these verses, one who was a disappointment to Paul. Look at verse 11. Verse 11, only Luke is with me, Dr. Luke. Get Mark and bring him with you for he is useful to me for the ministry. A second would be Mark. Now, Mark's story is similar to Demas' story. Mark was part of Paul's missionary team on his first missionary journey, but Mark departed from Paul, leaving halfway through that trip. You can read about it in Acts 13. Barnabas wanted to include Mark on the second missionary journey, but Paul said, no way. He deserted me. He defected on the first missionary journey. He disappointed me. There's no way we're taking him along on the second missionary journey. And consequently Paul and Barnabas parted company over Mark. You can read about it in Acts 15. Yet now in these final days of Paul's life he asked to see Mark once again. So evidently something changed. Either Mark changed or Paul changed. Perhaps both of them changed. And so Paul wants Mark to come because he's useful for ministry again. And of course we know that God used Mark to pen the second book, the second gospel in the New Testament, the gospel of Mark. But how do you respond to people who disappoint you? How do you deal with people like Demas and Mark? Look ahead to verse 16. At my first defense, Paul says, no one stood with me, but all forsook me. How about this? Letter C. Letter C is everyone. Everyone. and Paul had a preliminary hearing before the Roman authorities, what he calls his first defense, but no one stood with Paul to back him up. They all forsook him, and it reminds me of Jesus and his disciples. After three years of an intense and intimate relationship with Jesus, hearing everything that Jesus taught and seeing all the miracles that Jesus performed and living with Jesus and journeying with Jesus, Judas betrayed him, Peter denied him, and all of the other disciples, they fled and hid when Jesus was arrested and tried. And so, in our text, there's a group here of nameless individuals or unnamed others who failed to stand with Paul when he needed them most. They abandoned him in his darkest hour during his greatest need. Folks, how do you deal with these people who disappoint you? and who disappoint you to this degree. I know that you have one of these people in your life. Perhaps you're thinking of them. Perhaps you're picturing their face. Maybe you're sitting right next to them. What do you do? Notice Paul's response at the end of verse 16. The end of verse 16, may it not be charged against them. Folks, this is a profound insight into the heart of Paul and a powerful Bible principle. No matter the betrayal or the abandonment or the disappointment, Paul graciously forgave these people. He's dropping the charges, if you will. Now, humanly speaking, this is not our practice. When we are hurt, we hurt in return. When we are offended, we offend in return. We try to settle the score, we try to get even, and in a pathetic sort of way, we find a bit of satisfaction in retribution that is the punishment of those who have failed us. But at the end of our lives, when we are preparing to die, we might gain some clarity So take a note from the apostle Paul that even though Demas forsook him, even though Paul abandoned him, and even though no one stood with him during his first trial, Paul wanted to forgive them at the end of verse number 16. You say, well pastor, you have no idea what so and so has done to me. You have no idea what they've done, okay. But we have no idea what our sin did to the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet when hanging on a cross, he said, Father, forgive them, for they don't even know what they're doing. How do you deal with people who disappoint you? I don't have a blank for you to fill in, but there's plenty of space, white space there in the margin, and you might fill in this. You might fill in or create a bracket. You forgive them. You forgive as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you. Forgive those people. all those people who disappoint you. Secondly, how do we deal with people who oppose us, who oppose us? Look at verse 14. In verse 14, there's another name that Paul names. It's the name Alexander the coppersmith, verse 14. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. You might fill in letter A, Alexander. Now Alexander was a common name. There is an Alexander mentioned in Acts 19 who risked his freedom and his life defending Paul in Ephesus, Acts chapter 19. It's possible that this is the same man. However, Bible scholars believe that Paul is referring to a different Alexander, the Alexander that is named in 1 Timothy 1 verse number 20. Turn with me there just a few pages back to 1 Timothy 1 verse number 20. In fact, let me pick up in verse 18, 1 Timothy 1, verse 18. This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecy previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some, having rejected concerning the faith, have suffered shipwreck, of whom are, here we go, Hymenaeus and who? And Alexander. whom I delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." It appears that Alexander was part of a faction in Ephesus that was anti-Apostle Paul. Perhaps they opposed his apostleship. Perhaps they scorned his letters. Perhaps they were Judaizers, insisting that Christians follow Jewish laws and customs. Perhaps they perverted Paul's teaching and preaching. But at any rate, in 1 Timothy 1, verse number 20, Paul names Alexander as one who was removed from the church for the purity and the protection of the church. We might understand this to be an exercise, an example of church discipline. But yet now, years later, in his second letter, his second epistle, in 2 Timothy 4 verse 15, Paul is still writing about Alexander. For not only was Alexander anti-Apostle Paul, he was anti-Pastor Timothy. And Alexander still opposed the message and the ministry of God's men. How do you deal with those who oppose you and who don't go away? They're still around. They're still opposing you. Back to 2 Timothy 4, look at verse 17, the end of verse 17. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. Now, Paul's not referring to the physical danger of a big cat. but rather the threats of Satan himself, our adversary, the devil who walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Peter said in 1 Peter 5 verse 8, look at verse 18, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work. The evil work in verse 18 is the activity of evil workers. like Alexander, who Satan used to oppose the good work of the preaching of the gospel so that the Gentiles might not hear, up in verse 17. So Paul is describing the opposition of evil spiritual warfare at the hand of, I'm going to say, evil workers. Evil workers. Now we're all familiar with Paul's thorn in the flesh in second Corinthians 12 Paul wrote unless I should be exalted above measure. A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. And it's only speculation as to what Paul's thorn in the flesh was. Many believe that it was a physical ailment like poor eyesight. Others believe that it was some life-dominating habit, a vice, that Paul constantly battled. But I would also speculate, could it be that Paul's thorn in the flesh that messenger of Satan to buffet me was a person or persons who were opposed to the ministry of the Apostle Paul, someone who harassed Paul, an evil worker who did an evil work. How do you deal with these people? Of course, we know from 2 Corinthians 12, Paul said that God's grace was sufficient for him. His strength was made perfect in Paul's weakness, and I'm quoting 2 Corinthians 12 verse nine, but then specifically from this text, look at verse 17. How do we deal with people who oppose us? In verse 17, what does Paul say? That the Lord will stand with and strengthen you. Look at verse 18. The Lord will deliver and preserve. So folks, this morning I would say to you, how do you deal with people who disappoint you? You forgive them. How do you deal with people who oppose you? There's no blank to fill in, but there's plenty of white space there on the margin. You depend on the Lord for strength and deliverance. You depend on the Lord for strength and deliverance. And folks, these are lessons that I am continually learning in my personal life and my pastoral ministry. If you care about mankind, either the lost sinner or the saved sinner. If you are not an enemy hostile against mankind, as Nero's accusation of the Christians, there will be times when you must forgive those who disappoint you and depend on the Lord for strength and deliverance from those who oppose you. That was Paul's approach. Now, there's another category of people that are named here in these final verses, and that's number three, people who are separated from us. People who are separated from us. Now, in contrast to the first two categories of people, there are some people who we long to be with. We enjoy their company. We're encouraged by their presence. It seems that at times those people that we want to be with are separated from us because they've moved away due to a job transfer or perhaps they're traveling or deployed in the military. More than ever, we live in a mobile transient society in which people come and go. I grew up in New York. My wife grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. We now live in Minnesota, but our children are going to college in South Carolina. We're separated from some whom we love. My folks have gone to heaven, and I miss them. And for many different reasons, we are separated from those whom we love. And in verse 11, Paul explains, verse 11, that only Luke is with him at this time. Verse 11, only Luke, Dr. Luke is with me. So look at verse nine again. Be diligent, Timothy, to come to me quickly. And then look at verse 21. Do your utmost, Timothy, do your utmost to come before winter. People who are separated from us first, it's of course Timothy, the recipient of this letter. And there was a special relationship between Paul and Timothy. In fact, this passage is bracketed by Paul's request for Timothy to come to him, verse number nine. come to me quickly, and verse 21, come before wintertime. Why? What's the sense of urgency? Well, if you look back to verse number six, the time of Paul's departure is at hand. And so there's an urgency to Paul's request for Timothy to come if they're to ever see each other again in this life. But it wasn't just Timothy. Beyond Timothy, there were others. who were separated from Paul. Look at verse number 19. Greet Prisca and Aquila, or Priscilla and Aquila. They were the fellow tent makers who served with Paul in Corinth when he stayed in their home. And then when Paul left for Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla went with Paul to Ephesus to minister with him there. Also look at verse 19 again. He mentions the household of Anesiphorus who according to chapter 1 verse 16 often refreshed Paul and was not ashamed of Paul's chains. Look at verse 20. In verse 20, Paul mentions Erastus in Corinth and Trophimus in Miletus. And there is a network of believers that spanned hundreds of miles. And in verse 21, Paul sends greetings on behalf of all the brethren that were with Paul in Rome, separated from all the other brethren in the other cities and the other churches. And so we could simply say this. We could call them friends. They were fellow believers, friends. And how do you deal with these people? How do you deal with friends who are separated from us? The answer is in verse 22. Look at verse 22. The Lord Jesus Christ be with you. With your spirit, grace be with you. Amen. How do we deal with those who are separated from us? Folks, we commit them to the Lord, and again, there's no blank for you to fill in, but there's plenty of space, so go ahead and write it down. We commit them to the Lord. Paul would never again see these people, so he left them in the Lord's hands. Folks, forgive those who disappoint you. and depend upon the Lord for strength and deliverance from those who oppose you. And then for those who are separated from you, commit them to the Lord. We frequently and casually say goodbye to each other. Many, many times on a regular basis we conclude our phone calls with goodbye. And perhaps when we leave this service this morning we might greet one another there as we're headed to our cars in the parking lot and we might say goodbye. But do you know the history and the etymology of the greeting goodbye? It's sourced in Middle English, and it's short for, God be with you. Jeremiah Rankin often heard his fellow believers saying goodbye to one another when their Sunday services were dismissed for the week. Knowing the history of the greeting goodbye, he penned these words. You know them well. They're on the back of your notes. They're on the screen. God be with you till we meet again. By his counsel's guide, uphold you. With his sheep securely fold you, God be with you till we meet again. God be with you till we meet again. Neath his wings protecting hide you. Daily manna still provide you. God be with you till we meet again. Folks, it may be that the Apostle Paul was executed for hatred against mankind, whatever that means. along with thousands of other Christians of his day. Yet it appears to me that Paul didn't hate mankind. He cared. He cared for people. And I don't know if you have a relationship that is strained or broken in your life. At times there's no remedy and you carry that hurt. At times you can restore what's been lost. But in every case, we can commit one another to the Lord and pray for God's grace in their lives. Those of you that have received correspondence from me, even perhaps just an email exchange, you know that I always conclude my letters or my emails with this, grace and peace, Pastor Matt. That's not original with me. I borrowed it, I stole it from the Apostle Paul. That's how he introduces his letters. That's how he concludes his letters. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you all. And whether we meet again, or whether our paths never cross again, God be with you, goodbye. Grace to you. And I commit you to the Lord. Let's pray. God in heaven, we thank you so much for the Apostle Paul and his care for people. Lord, there's no evidence that he demonstrated hatred against mankind, but rather, Lord, he forgave those who disappointed him. And Lord, he depended upon you for strength when people opposed him. And Lord, for those that were separated from him, he committed them to your care. Lord, may we do the same. May we be mindful that at times we've disappointed you, yet you've forgiven us. We've opposed you, but yet you have not abandoned us. Lord, I pray that you would help us to make practical application in our lives from this text. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.