Disciple, Show Yourself Loyal!
2 Timothy 1:8-18
Eight days after the Americans first entered the city of Falujah, Iraq in the recent attempt to take
the city back from insurgents, a pair of Marines wound their way up the darkened innards of a
minaret, one of the towers in a mosque. As the Marines inched their way along, a burst of gunfire
rained down on them, fired by an insurgent hiding in the top of the tower. The bullets hit the first
Marine in the face, his blood spattering the marine behind him. Lance Corporal William Miller,
age 22, the first marine up the steps, lay in silence, mortally wounded.
“Miller!” the marines called from below. “Miller!” But there was no answer. With that, the
Marines near-mystical commandment against leaving a comrade behind, seized the group. One
after another, the young marines dashed into the minaret, into darkness and gunfire, and wound
their way up the stairs.
After four attempts, the Texan’s lifeless body emerged from the tower, carried by his comrades
choking and covered with dust. With more insurgents closing in to join the battle, the Marines
ran through volleys of gunfire back to their base. 1
It is as the writer of that article said…The marines have a near-mystical commandment that a
comrade will not be left behind. In other words, at the heart of what it means to be a marine, is
loyalty…to the cause and loyalty to each other.
Loyalty is at the heart of any meaningful movement or group enterprise. Listen to the first part of
the scout law…A scout is trustworthy, loyal… Listen to the 4-H pledge…I pledge my head to
clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty…
But loyalty is not just for Marines and Scouts and 4-H club members, loyalty is to be at the heart
of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, too. In fact in 2 Timothy 1:8-18, Paul’s
challenge is “Disciple, Show Yourself Loyal” And if ever there was a call to the church of
Jesus Christ that needed to be heeded…it is the call to loyalty to the Savior.
If you have your bibles with you, turn with me to 2 Timothy 1, verse 8,…2 Timothy 1, verse
8…as we explore this challenge to loyalty together. As we said last time, the context of 2
Timothy is Paul’s imprisonment in a Roman dungeon. It is the darkest of times for Paul. Many
of his closest associates have deserted him. False teachers are making inroads into the church.
And Paul can do nothing but pray and exhort those who follow after him in the next leg of the
race.
On your sermon notes,
I. Show Yourself loyal to Christ and the Gospel (vs. 8-10)
8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join
with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us
to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and
grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has
1
Dallas Morning News, Sunday November 21st, 2004, page 1A, 22A
now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed
death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2
Vs. 8 Paul urges Timothy to not be ashamed to testify about Jesus. I don’t think this means that
Timothy was ashamed. I won’t go into the details but you can argue from the verb tense that this
wasn’t something Timothy necessarily struggled with on an ongoing basis3
On the other hand, we must admit from a human point of view there are aspects of the gospel
that we can find ourselves ashamed of. And I have in mind all of those interactions that you and
I have over the course of a normal week with people in the world where we are afraid to speak
up for the Lord and the gospel. The gospel message can seem like mere foolishness. Paul said
as much in I Corinthians: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing…
Think about it….at the heart of our faith is the celebration of a crucified God. At the heart of our
faith is a hero, Paul, who is imprisoned and chained like a common criminal. And that can all
seem like foolishness. It seems that many associates saw the way that Paul’s last days were
being spent in that cold dark Roman dungeon and they couldn’t accept him or the faith he
professed. What kind of successful ministry is this! They were ashamed of him and his message.
Sadly, you and I can be ashamed of the true celebrity of our faith-- a crucified savior.
It takes courage to stand up and say, “My best friend is a crucified Savior”
When you and I take a stand for Christ at school, at work, with our friends…the person at the
grocery store….they will probably scoff: “Ah…that’s foolishness…what’s your problem…get
real…come into the 21st century… But we must out of loyalty to our Savior stand up in our work
places, stand up in our schools, stand up in our family get-togethers as we gather during the
holidays and say, “The answer to your deepest questions, the solution to your greatest problems
is “Christ crucified”
In the most recent Time Magazine, Billy Graham was interviewed: Ten Questions for Billy
Graham. Listen to question 8 and Graham’s answer:
Beyond politics, are their issues such as poverty, famine or the aids crisis that you’d like to
see Christians embrace now? Graham’s answer. As an evangelist, I try to address how the
Bible speaks to personal and societal problems. I will probably mention all of those issues and
more in my upcoming crusade sermons. The big issue is sin. From the very beginning man
rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and that has been inherited by the entire human race.
It’s a problem all over the world and in our own hearts. That’s why the gospel of Jesus Christ is
the answer to sin, because when he died on the cross, he took the sins of world upon him.
I know that thousands reading Time Magazine said, “What? That’s foolishness!” But Graham
was not ashamed of the gospel.
Jesus said some strong words in the gospel of Mark which you and I must hear and heed. In fact
I’m convinced we must let these words haunt us into loyalty to Jesus our savior. Listen to Jesus’
words—Mark 8:38
2The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
3
Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, page 119, volume 2
38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the
Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy
angels.”
4
As disciples of Christ, we must be loyal to the Savior.
Paul urges Timothy, there in verse 8, to not be ashamed to testify about the Lord but to join with
him in suffering for the gospel. And how should he suffer? by the power of God. When you
and I hear testimonies of those who suffer for Christ, we wonder if we could do the same. And
the promise is that if we are called to suffer, he will empower us at just the right time when we
need it.
There is another point that we must make from verse 8. Though Paul was held in a Roman
prison, note how he calls himself Christ’s prisoner—So do not be ashamed to testify about our
Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. Paul is absolutely convinced that the Lord is sovereignly
behind all that has transpired in his life.
In verses 9 and 10, Paul digresses to the gospel and why the “the gospel is worth our loyalty”
And these verses are packed with spiritual golden nuggets. On your sermon notes, I’ve
summarized the truths that Paul packs into verses 9-10
1. We have been saved and summoned by God to a holy lifestyle
vs. 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done
but because of his own purpose and grace.
We were saved and called (the great King of the Universe summoned us to Himself) not because
we were good, not because we were worthy, not because we had accomplished a certain
amount—we were saved and called because of his own purpose and grace.
Listen again to these familiar words from Ephesians
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 5
You see there will be no boasting in heaven. “Well I taught Sunday school for many years.”
“Well I gave lots of money to the church” “Well I was involved in AWANA or I read my bible
faithfully”or “I was a good person” There will be no boasting in heaven.
Salvation is not earned. Salvation is a free gift. But we must accept the free gift. There must be
a specific time when said, “I’ll take it!, “I’ll take Christ’s gift of salvation offered to me” Have
you done that? Have you said…Jesus I receive your work of paying for my sins on the cross. I
trust you for my salvation. Have you done that?
But notice there in verse 9 that there is a further point…we were saved and called to a holy life.
4The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
5The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
This, too, is an important thought. We all know Christians who say that they are saved and yet
they live like the devil. Such so-called Christians have missed the point—God saved and
summoned us to a holy life. And we can but wonder if they are truly saved. A truly saved person
will not persist in their sin and will evidence desire for the things of God. Does that describe
you?
John writes in his first epistle 1 John 1:6
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by
the truth. 6
Verse 9 here in 2 Timothy merges obedience into God’s plan of salvation. Obedience does not
merit salvation, but neither is it optional. It is part of God’s plan.
Well there is a second critical truth that is packed into verses 9-10
2. We were given grace in our union with Christ before the beginning of time
I get his wording from the end of verse 9. Can any of us really get our arms around this? That
we who are in Christ were given grace, were empowered and given favor by God before time
began? Now why would this be an encouragement to Timothy? Why would it be an
encouragement to you and I? Timothy, your salvation was on the heart of God before you were
born. Timothy your salvation is prehistoric. Timothy your salvation is older than the hills. Your
salvation is no small thing. The good news of the gospel is worth your loyalty, Timothy, because
it is so significant.
The third truth packed into verses 9-10 is
3. God’s plan and purpose for our lives became crystal clear with the epiphany of
Christ
Jesus
God’s plan and purpose for our lives was not completely clear…in fact it was hidden until Jesus
Christ came in the flesh…until he made his appearance on earth.
A. He put death out of commission!
Vs. 10 who has destroyed death. The Greek word there in verse 10 translated “destroyed”
means “abolished, rendered idle, inactive and inoperative” What does Paul mean that death is
destroyed? He means that death has been deprived of its force, its, influence, its power, its sting.
As 1 Corinthians 15:55 says, “O Death, where is thy sting?” O grave, where is thy victory?”
I love to discover these things in the scriptures first hand. “Life after death”, though
foundational to our Christian faith, can seem too good to be true…almost like a fairy tale. And
then I see it again in black and white in the scriptures and I am again reminded of the wonder of
it all. Timothy, Paul says, see it in black and white... Jesus destroyed death. But he didn’t just
destroy death….
B. He opened to us the shining possibilities of the life that is eternal!
6The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
This is from the end of verse 10 and has brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel
The word immortality there in verse 10 means incorruption—and it’s the word that refers to the
resurrection body. Our present body is corruptible; it dies and decays. But the glorified body we
shall have when we see Christ will not be subject to decay or death. Paul is saying in verse 10,
that the gospel in a very special way brought to light what life after death was really all about.
In the Old Testament the doctrines of eternal life, death, resurrection and the eternal state were in
the shadows. Here and there you find glimpses of light; but for the most part, the picture is dark.
But then Jesus Christ shone his light on death and the grave.
Listen to this quote by a scholar named Driver:
“The gospel first gave to a future world clearness and distinctness, shape and outline; the gospel first made it
a positive district and region on which the spiritual eye reposes, and which stretches out on the other side of
the grave with the same solidity and extension that which the present world does on this side of it.”
Do you see what he is saying?
We could imagine a line on the dais here separating this world from the next. Everything in this
world has definition. We can see specific outlines and shapes. Everything—trees, and rocks and
mountains—is distinct. But across the line, as we look into the next world everything is
shadowy. There are no distinct shapes. But this verse says the gospel (use a flashlight) brought
to light the area across the line. “Oh look…it is a positive district and region…there are shapes
and contours and outlines…it is as solid over there as it is on this side of the line. If you’ve read
the final book in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis seemed to try to drive
home this idea. Heaven was more real than earth.
But how did the gospel do this? How did the gospel shine the light on every thing across this
line I Corinthians 15:3-4 tells us that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that
he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures….and I
Corinthians 15:4 says he appeared to many…the risen Christ appeared to many, he ate with his
disciples…He conversed with them…He commissioned them….We got a glimpse of what life
was like on the other side..we got a glimpse of a risen Christ in a glorified incorruptible body….a
light was shined on everything across this line.
Think about the amazing truths in these two verses, vs. 9-10… Isn’t such a message worth our
loyalty?
Well Paul transitions to his own life and the example that he has set for Timothy.
II. Keep Before You the Loyalty of Christ’s Servant (vs. 11-12)
11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why
I am suffering as I am.
These three roles—a herald, an apostle and a teacher—express the three distinctive ways in
which Paul served the gospel.7 He was a herald, the first to bring the glad tidings of the good
news of the gospel. He was an apostle commissioned by the Lord. And he was a “teacher”
explaining God’s truth with a view to edifying the church. And it was because of these three
roles that he was suffering as he was. And the unstated encouragement to Timothy was “join
with me in suffering for the gospel”
Paul continues in verse 12 Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed,
(Notice that Paul doesn’t say, “I know what I believed…he says I know whom I have
believed—Christianity is at the core a relationship with Christ.) The tense of the verb believed
indicates that his belief occurred in the past but continues unabated to this date. It is like
hammering a nail through a board and clinching it on the other side. It is there to stay.
I know whom I have believed and am convinced, another perfect tense verb, He is persuaded
and he is immovable. You could not budge him. I know whom I have believed and am
convinced that he is able (God is all-powerful) to guard (a military term meaning to defend,
keep watch)8 what I have entrusted to him for that day.
9
The words “what I have entrusted to him” are one Greek word, a word which means “deposit.”
In classical Greek, from my reading, the word always implied a situation where one, in
preparation for a long journey, would deposit his money and other valuables with a friend,
trusting him to restore the deposit on his return. 10. “Here… I’m going on a trip. Keep this safe
until I return”
Paul knew that God would safely guard his deposit. But, what was it that Paul deposited with
God?
Well Paul, at his conversion, gave up everything and deposited his very life with God. He
deposited his work in the ministry with God. He deposited the churches he had founded with
God. He deposited the converts he had made with God. Paul had taken all of himself, all of his
work, everything that had value to him and deposited it with God. He was fully convinced and
persuaded that God was able to safeguard it until that day.
That day…the day in the future when he would appear before Christ….the day of Judgement
Peter, in I Peter 4:19, used the same Greek word when he wrote this to suffering saints, So then
those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves (same word—deposit
themselves) to their faithful creator and continue to do good.
Well the chorus of that hymn, “I Know Whom I Have Believed” makes a lot more sense to me.
Let’s sing it one more time before we go on. You’ll see it on the front of your bulletin
But I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I’ve
committed unto Him against that day.
7
8
NIV Application Commentary, Liefield, page 235
Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Wuest, page 124
9The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
10
International Critical Commentary, Lock, 2 Timothy, page 90
Well in verse 13-14, Paul turned from the example of his life to the example or pattern of his
teaching.
III. Show yourself loyal to the “sound teaching” you have received (vs. 13-14)
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in
Christ Jesus.
Timothy was to view what he had heard from Paul as the essential outline or sketch of sound
teaching (literally “healthy doctrine”) 11 It was the model or pattern of doctrinal truth that was to
be followed scrupulously as it was passed down from one generation to another. In other words
there was a definite outline of doctrine in the early church, a standard by which teaching was
tested.
But there is another important thought in verse 13. Timothy is urged to keep the pattern of sound
teaching with faith and love. Orthodoxy is always to be tempered with “faith and love”. I have
enjoyed our journey through church history. The pages of Church history are filled with stories
of Christians who missed this crucial point. Christians, in defense of a doctrinal position, were
regularly persecuting other Christians. Anabaptists, who believed in baptism as adults were
drowned by Calvinists who believed in infant baptism. Huegonots were tortured and burned at
the stake for their different beliefs. We could go on and on. Orthodoxy is always to be
tempered with faith and love.
Paul reiterates his challenge in verse 13, in the next verse , verse 14
14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy
Spirit who lives in us.
12
Notice that the word “deposit” is used in verse 14. And it’s the same word that showed up under
the surface in verse 12. But here the reference is not to depositing something with God but the
deposit that has been left with Timothy. Timothy is urged to “guard, to watch, to defend” the
good deposit—the body of truth-- that was handed down from Paul.
Timothy, as the pastor of the church of Ephesus, was responsible to preserve sound teaching
from becoming corrupted through distortion, dilution, deletion, and addition. And he was to do
this with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Before we move on, let’s ponder how Paul has used this word deposit in two different ways. On
the one hand, Paul has deposited his life, his soul, his ministry with God who can be trusted to
guard it well. And on the other hand he has deposited “sound doctrine” with Timothy and he
exhorts Timothy to guard “sound doctrine” well. Can’t that be a picture of your life and mine?
Depositing the welfare of our life with God on one hand and yet urging that those who follow us
be found faithful in guarding the truth.
Well Paul moves in verses 15-18 to some specific portraits of loyalty and unfaithfulness. And
this seems to put flesh, literally, on all that he has been saying.
11
Bible Knowledge Commentary, page 751
12The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
IV. Portraits of loyalty and unfaithfulness (vs. 15-18)
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus
and Hermogenes.
Paul’s statement, here in verse 15, is almost astounding and the subject of much debate. Did
everyone in the province of Asia desert him? First of all, what does Paul mean by the province
of Asia? The term Asia in the New Testament does not mean the continent as it does today.
Let’s locate the province of Asia on a map
POWERPOINT
Asia
The capital of the province of Asia was Ephesus a city that Paul spent nearly three years in on his
third missionary journey. While Paul was in Ephesus, his preaching reached every nook and
cranny of the province. Acts 19:10 tells us that. So there are lots of believers in the province of
Asia. Interestingly enough, the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation were all
located in the province of Asia13
Did everyone in the province of Asia desert him? Some think that Paul is exaggerating. Some
think that Paul has in mind representatives of the Asian churches who came to visit him in his
imprisonment. Perhaps Phygelus and Hermogenes were leaders of such a delegation. 14 And then
we can askWas their desertion personal or doctrinal? In other words were they ashamed of Paul
and his chains or did they doctrinally defect? We can only speculate.
But the main point is they were unfaithful to Paul. They were un-loyal. But there was one who
was loyal—Onesiphorus. And to his story Paul turns in verses 16-18.
16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed
me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he
searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy
from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in
Ephesus.
15
Onesiphorus was a shining example of loyalty. His name means “profit bearing” and he
certainly was a profitable friend to Paul16
His home was probably in Ephesus. We get that from verse 18. And he may have been part of
the leadership of the church there. And we know, verse 16, that he often refreshed Paul while in
prison and was not ashamed of Paul’s chains.
The word refresh there means to cool again. “Bracing me like fresh air” is the way the
Amplified Bible translates Onesiphorous’ actions. The Modern English translation says it this
13
14
Wiersbe, Be Faithful, page 126
Ibid, page 126
15The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
16
Ibid, page 127
way: “Many times did that man put a fresh heart into me.” We should not underestimate
the ministry of refreshment that we can offer each other! How did Onesiphorous refresh Paul?
He visited him, he prayed for him, perhaps he met some of his needs. Simply said, Paul was on
his mind.
Verse 17, says that when Onesiphorous was in Rome—take a look at the map again—the
distance between Rome and the province of Asia (where Ephesus was) was between 600 to 700
miles as the crow flies. Certainly at those times the journey was difficult and such a journey
required several legs on a ship. But Onesiphorous was loyal and loyalty demanded such care for
a friend. Like a marine he would not abandon his comrade. When he was in Rome, he searched
hard for me until he found me.
Many scholars think that Onesiphorus had died by the time that Paul was writing this epistle.
1.) The household (family) of Onesiphorus is spoken of the present tense (vs. 16 May the Lord
show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus) while Onesiphorus’s actions (vs. 16-17) are
spoken in the past tense.
2.) Paul’s prayer wish for Onesiphorus (vs. 18) relates to future mercy on the day of Judgement.
3) at the end of the book of 2 Timothy, once again the “household of Onesiphorus” is mentioned
in closing rather than Onesiphorus himself (2 Timothy 4:19)
And all of this brings up a theological issue. If Onesiphorus is really dead at the time of the
epistle and Paul is really praying for him, then you have theological justification for “prayer for
the dead”
Catholic theologians have used these verses, along with verses in the Apochryphal book of 2
Maccabees, to justify prayer for the dead.
But it can be argued that Onesiphorus could still be alive but just separated from his family and
secondly that Paul isn’t really praying in these verses but offering a prayer-wish similar to times
we would say today, “God bless you.” If you look at the form of Paul’s intercessory prayers for
people in other places, they are very different than these “prayer-wishes” recorded here.
Well where have we been this morning? We introduced the message with the idea that
organizations or movements, to be successful, must have loyalty. And we said that our faith is no
different. Paul exhorts Timothy to loyalty in the verses we have covered—loyalty to the Lord,
loyalty to the gospel and teaching that has been given him. Paul then offers negative and
positive examples of loyalty to further challenge Timothy’s resolve to show himself loyal.17
As we close this morning, think with me about your interactions this past week. Have you been
ashamed of the Lord or the gospel? Were there times when you felt like you should say
something but didn’t? Would you gladly stand up in front of your peers at work or at school and
say, “My best friend is a crucified Savior” Listen again to Jesus’ words:
Mark 8:28-38
17
Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, page 752.
38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
18
18The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.