Paul's second letter to Timothy
This is Paul's final and most personal letter.
He wrote it from yet another time in prison.
It is addressed to Paul's dear co-worker and protégé, the young Timothy.
We do not know how much time exactly has passed since he wrote 1 Timothy
but we can see that Paul's situation has changed and for the worse.
He is imprisoned in Rome, which could refer to his time under house arrest that was mentioned in Acts chapter 28
or it could be that he was released from that imprisonment,
had another long season of ministry and then was arrested again in Troas.
Either way, Paul says, he is in the middle of his court trial.
It is not going well.
He is pretty sure he is not going to survive this one.
Out of this very dark situation, Paul appeals to Timothy
who, it seems, is still on assignment in Ephesus.
He asked Timothy to come be with him in prison
so Paul can pass on to him the church planting mission he started.
The letter's design is pretty simple.
There are two large sections where Paul challenges Timothy first to accept his calling as a leader.
Then, before he comes to Paul,
to deal with the corrupt teachers that are still causing problems in Ephesus.
After this Paul concludes the letter.
Paul begins by thanking God for Timothy and his family,
specifically for his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice.
They immersed the young Timothy in the story of the Old Testament Scriptures.
They instilled in him a deep faith in the Messiah Jesus.
Because of that firm faith, Paul offers his first challenge to Timothy.
He calls him to reject any temptation to be ashamed of the good news about Jesus
or of Paul, who is suffering in prison for announcing that good news.
The reason Paul needs to emphasize this is the negative stigma
that he gained by his frequent times in prison.
It made many of Paul's coworkers, in fact, doubt his calling as an apostle.
He mentions two guys: Phygelus and Hermogenes.
They deserted Paul because they were ashamed of being associated with Paul, who was an accused criminal now.
So Paul asked Timothy to reject any fear of shame and to come see him.
Paul knows that this is a costly request.
It could put Timothy at risk.
So he reminds Timothy that Jesus' grace is a source of power, which is really important.
You are going to need it because following Jesus is not easy.
It requires everything that you have.
Paul likens following Jesus to enrolling as a soldier who is striving to please their commanding officer.
Or it is like an athlete who is training their body for a competition.
Or it is like a hard-working dedicated farmer.
All three of these metaphors involve a person who is committed to something bigger than themselves
and who is willing to sacrifice and endure challenges to accomplish a greater goal.
Of course, the highest example of this is Jesus himself.
Because of his commitment to the Father, he suffered crucifixion by the Romans.
Similarly, Paul himself is now suffering in a Roman prison.
Hardship and sacrifice are inherent to the Christian life.
This is why Jesus' resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope.
Or, as Paul puts it in a short and very powerful poem,
if we died with him then we will live with him.
If we endure then we will reign with him.
If we deny him then he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful, he will remain faithful, for he is unable to deny his own nature.
God's love for our world has opened up a new hope through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
So for those who will take the risk of trusting and following Jesus, God promises vindication and life.
For those who reject him, God will honor that decision and do the same.
But people's faithlessness will never compel God to abandon his faithfulness
So Paul calls Timothy to faithfulness, knowing that it may come with a cost.
Paul moves into the second half of the letter,
calling Timothy to confront the corrupt teachers in Ephesus before he comes to Rome.
Their teaching is spreading in the ephesian church like a cancer.
They have targeted and corrupted a number of influential women in the church.
These are likely the wealthy women the ball had to deal with in his first letter to Timothy.
He does not offer much detail about the teachers bad theology.
Timothy already knows about it.
He does give us one hint
He says they teach that the resurrection has already taken place.
We do not know if the teachers are following a Greek philosophical rejection of the whole idea of bodily resurrection
and they think it is only really about spiritual experience.
Or it could be that they have simply distorted Paul's teaching about the resurrection life
that begins now through the power of the Spirit.
Either way, the problem is that they have abandoned the robust future hope of resurrection and of new creation
They have embraced instead a private, hyper spiritualized Christianity that is disconnected from day-to-day life.
So Paul calls Timothy to raise up faithful leaders who are going to teach the real good news about Jesus.
They should avoid senseless arguments that result from debating the teachers.
In contrast, Timothy and his leadership team are to keep the main thing the main thing.
They should focus on the core storyline and message of the Scriptures.
In Paul's day, this meant primarily the Old Testament.
These scriptures, Paul says, are able to give you wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in the Messiah, Jesus.
He is saying the whole point of the scriptures
is to tell you a unified story that leads to Jesus and that has wisdom to offer the whole world.
Paul talks about scripture's nature and purpose.
He says all Scripture is divinely breathed literally, "God's Spirited".
It is a reference to the Spirit's role in guiding the biblical authors
so that what they wrote is what God wanted his people to hear.
God speaks to his people in the scriptures for a very practical purpose
He says they are useful for teaching, telling me things I did not know before.
They are useful for challenging,
getting in my face about the things I say I believe but I do not actually live consistently with.
They are useful for correcting me, exposing my messed up ways of thinking and behaving.
And they are useful for training me in righteousness, showing me a new way to be truly human.
This is also that God's people will be prepared for doing good.
Paul closes the letter by reminding Timothy that he is probably not going to make it out of prison alive.
So he asks Timothy to come as soon as possible before winter.
He does not want to freeze in his cell.
So he is going to need his heavy coat that he had to leave behind
Also, could Timothy please bring those personal documents that he left in Troas, likely when he got arrested?
He also mentions Alexander who is an especially dangerous man that Timothy should avoid.
He is probably responsible for Paul's most recent arrest.
Paul concludes by mentioning how nearly everyone has abandoned him in prison.
His only source of comfort now is the personal presence of Jesus
who stands with him and will deliver him, even if he dies.
So, the letter ends
The letter of 2 Timothy stands as a reminder
that Paul's very influential life and mission were marked by persistent challenge, suffering and struggle.
Following Jesus involves risk and sacrifice.
It means inviting tension and discomfort into your life.
These things are not a sign of Jesus' absence.
Rather, as Paul discovered with generations of Christians after him,
that precisely in those dark and difficult moments,
Jesus' love and faithfulness can become the most tangible in real.
That is what 2 Timothy, Paul's final letter, is all about.