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You can turn in your Bibles to 
2nd Timothy chapter 4. We're coming to an end of this 
particular epistle, but that end is not tonight. We'll have 
one more message from 2nd Timothy 4 tonight. We're going to take 
up verses 9 to 13. Paul sets forth a few personal 
requests for Timothy. I think they teach us something 
concerning the apostle, things that we ought to imitate. in 
our own lives and in our own hearts. This is certainly a biblical 
concept. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says, 
imitate me as I imitate Christ. Same sort of thing in Philippians 
chapter 3 at verse 17. And so far as Paul was a faithful 
man, we ought to be imitators of him in that faithfulness. But I do want to read the chapter, 
and as I said, we'll focus on verses 9 to 13. But beginning 
in verse 1, I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing 
in His kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of 
season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching, 
for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 
But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, 
they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn 
their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things. 
Endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. 
Fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured 
out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at 
hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, 
there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 
the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not to 
me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing. Be 
diligent to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me, having 
loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica. 
Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, 
for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with 
Carpus at Troas when you come, and the books, especially the 
parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did 
me much harm. May the Lord repay him according 
to his works. You also must beware of him, 
for he has greatly resisted our words. At my first defense, no 
one stood with me, but all four shook 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. 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. Well, 
let us pray. Father, we thank you for this 
epistle of Paul to Timothy and for the things that we have seen 
and learned from it. We pray that you would guide 
us tonight by your spirit, help us to learn practical lessons 
from the life of a godly man. And may we indeed seek to put 
these things into practice in our own lives. May we see and 
value and prize those things that are held forth in such a 
passage as this. And we pray these things through 
Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Well, just to give you 
a bit of an overview or structure as to what Paul does in verses 
9 to 22, he brings the letter to a conclusion, obviously. And 
remember, this is the last letter of the Apostle Paul. He's already 
declared, he's already stated, he's already asserted the fact 
that he is going to die. Verse 6, I am already being poured 
out as a drink offering. and the time of my departure 
is at hand." He can look back over his life and he can muse 
on the fact that he had fought the good fight. He had finished 
the race and he had kept the faith. And we saw the reason 
he was able to say that in his 11th hour is because he faithfully 
did that in hours 1 to 10. He was a man who fought, a man 
who ran, and a man who kept. And as a result of that, when 
he comes to die, he's able to say he had done those particular 
things. So in verses 9 to 13, he makes 
a specific request from Timothy. In verses 14 and 15, he gives 
a warning concerning this man, Alexander the coppersmith. In 
verses 16 to 18, he updates Timothy on his present situation. Remember, 
he's in a prison. and he is going to die. He updates 
Timothy on what's going on in terms of that prison sentence. And then he ends with greetings 
and some personal words in verses 19 to 22. So I want to look first 
tonight at the command given to Timothy in verses 9 to 12, 
and then secondly the request made of Timothy in verse 13. Note the command in verse 9. 
He says, be diligent to come to me quickly. When we looked 
at 2 Timothy 4, verse 2, I indicated that that was Paul's last official, 
formal, corporate command. Paul tells Timothy, representing 
the entirety of the church for all ages, that he is to preach 
the Word. He is to be ready in season and 
out of season. He is to convince and rebuke 
and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. That is a formal 
request, a formal command with reference to the entirety of 
the church. Verse 9 is personal in nature. Verse 9 is the heart of the Apostle. Verse 9 is an expression of a 
man who's coming close to death, who's sitting in a prison cell, 
and he wants Timothy to come to him. He wants to visit with 
Timothy. He wants to have fellowship. 
He tells Timothy to come to him quickly. The Apostle loved Timothy. In Acts 16, when Paul hears about 
Timothy, he hears what kind of a man that Timothy is. He wants 
Timothy to accompany him on his missionary journeys. Look at 
Philippians chapter 2, where we see the heart of the Apostle 
Paul with reference to this man Timothy. He loves Timothy. He wants to see Timothy. He wants 
to fellowship with Timothy. Notice in Philippians chapter 
2 at verse 19. He says, I trust in the Lord 
Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged 
when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded 
who will sincerely care for your state. Would you ever stop to 
ponder that? I mean, Paul is a hero of the 
faith. We would certainly include in a top five list, you know, 
the Apostle Paul as one of those persons we most want to be like. We want to be with. We want to 
meet. We want to know. We want to enjoy 
communion and fellowship with. Well, we should consider putting 
Timothy on that list, because according to the Apostle Paul, 
Timothy is like-minded to the Apostle Paul. He describes how 
this is the case in verse 21. For all seek their own, but not 
the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know His proven 
character, that as a son with His Father, He served with me 
in the gospel. Therefore, I hope to send Him 
at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me, but I trust 
in the Lord that I myself shall come shortly. So you see, back 
in 2 Timothy 4.9, when Paul says, be diligent to come to me quickly. Now, there's a necessity, there's 
an urgency to be sure. Verse 21, Paul says, come before 
winter. Timothy is to bring Paul's cloak. 
Hence, there is a necessity and an urgency. If Paul doesn't get 
his cloak before winter, he's going to be very cold in that 
prison cell. Again, the modern prisons with, 
you know, electric heat and air and all those sorts of things, 
that's not the kind of prison that Paul was in at this particular 
time. Without a cloak, in a dank, musty, 
cold cell, he would be in straits. So there is that necessity, but 
there's a necessity for Christian fellowship, for what Calvin calls 
Christian John Calvin writes, undoubtedly there must have been 
no trivial reason why Paul called Timothy away from a church over 
which he presided, and at so great a distance. Remember, Timothy 
is ministering in Ephesus. Paul is in Rome in a prison. 
Calvin goes on to say, hence we may infer how highly important 
are conferences between such persons. Now there is that personal 
element in terms of Paul needing the encouragement and the fellowship 
of a Christian brother in Timothy, but as well there is this conference 
in terms of Paul instructing Timothy further so that Timothy 
can carry on the baton with reference to Christian ministry. Calvin 
says, hence we may infer how highly important are conferences 
between such persons. For what Timothy had learned 
in a short space of time would be profitable for a long period 
to all the churches, so that the loss of half a year or even 
a whole year was trivial compared with the compensation gained. 
And yet it appears from what follows that Paul called Timothy 
with a view to his own individual benefit likewise. In other words, 
Paul wanted to see Timothy. Paul wanted fellowship. Paul 
didn't want to be alone. Paul didn't want to whine and 
snivel and grumble and complain and say, oh, nobody loves me, 
nobody cares for me, nobody visits me. Paul writes to Timothy and 
he says, be diligent to come to me quickly. I need you, Timothy. I need encouragement. I need 
Christian conversation. I need Christian fellowship. 
He goes on, although his own personal matters were not preferred 
by him to the advantage of the church, but it was because it 
involved the cause of the gospel, which was common to all believers. 
For as he defended it from a prison, so he needed the labors of others 
to aid in that defense. That's Calvin on this particular 
situation. But I want us to consider how 
important Christian fellowship really is. You know, I wonder 
if we were sitting in a prison cell and we were all alone, if 
we would look back with some degree of shame at all the times 
we missed opportunities for fellowship. At all the times we didn't go 
to church, or we were too tired, or we wanted to be alone, or 
we didn't want to be bothered, or we didn't want to have somebody 
point out our flaws, or bump into us, or say something that 
was untoward. How many times would we regret 
how many times we had avoided Christian fellowship and the 
ability to interact with one another? This is something the 
New Testament puts a premium on. Notice in Acts chapter 2. 
The Apostle, or what we find described by Luke, is what happens 
when a bunch of people get converted. In Acts 2.40 it says, And with 
many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be 
saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received 
his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls 
were added to them. And they continued steadfastly 
in the Apostle's doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of 
bread and in prayers. We pointed this out this morning 
in our study of chapter 26, paragraph 12 and 13. God never intended 
for you as a Christian to go it alone. God never intended 
for you as a Christian to be a maverick, for you to simply 
sit in your living room, unaffected by any living human beings, just 
piping in sermons via sermon audio, which is a good thing, 
but it ought not to cause you to absent yourself from the meeting 
with God's people. The Lord never intended for that 
to be the case. He meant for us to be in society 
with one another in local churches where we would have Christian 
fellowship, where we would have mutual edification, where we 
would encourage one another and help one another and pray for 
one another, where we would hold one another accountable and we 
would rebuke one another when we step out of line. The Apostle 
valued Christian fellowship. We, as God's people, ought to 
value it likewise. Look at the book of Hebrews, 
in Hebrews chapter 3. Just a few specimen passages 
to underscore how important it is to engage in Christian fellowship. Paul, in the eleventh hour, tells 
Timothy to be diligent, to come to him quickly. Paul isn't content 
to sit in this cold prison cell all alone, pining away, whining 
and grumbling and complaining. No, Timothy, I want to see you. 
Timothy, come and visit me. Notice in Hebrews 3.12, Beware, 
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief 
in departing from the living God. but exhort one another daily 
while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through 
the deceitfulness of sin. This is not addressed to pastors. 
This isn't addressed to deacons. This isn't addressed to theologians. It's addressed to brethren. Lest 
there be, beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart 
of unbelief, in departing from the living God. What's a means? 
What's a help? What's an antidote to avoid such 
a thing? But exhort one another daily 
while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through 
the deceitfulness of sins. Notice in Hebrews 10, this whole 
idea of Christian fellowship, camaraderie, brotherhood, being 
with one another. I've met persons before who have 
said, I'll go once on a Sunday, but I won't go again. They're 
not going to take my time from me. Well, first of all, it's 
God's time because it's the Sabbath day. And second of all, don't 
we have the attitude of a David? I was glad when they said unto 
me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Yes, for the Lord, 
but for his people. God loves the gates of Zion more 
than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Why? Because He looks 
down on His people gathered together corporately. There is something 
beneficial in this for the people of God. Notice Hebrews 10 verse 
24, and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and 
good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so 
much the more as you see the day approaching. Let us consider 
one another in order to stir up love and good works, What's 
a means by which we can comply? Not forsaking the assembling 
of ourselves together as is the manner of some. Brethren, be 
a Paul. Enjoy, love, desire, crave Christian 
fellowship. Now noting, or back in 2 Timothy 
chapter 4, Paul gives reasons why Timothy is to come to him 
quickly. That's what we find in verses 
10 to 12. There's reasons why Paul wants 
Timothy to come to see him. Because Paul doesn't want to 
be alone. And with the defection of Demas and the troop movements 
that he's going to describe, Paul will be alone. So Paul doesn't 
want to be alone, so he tells Timothy very specifically to 
be diligent, to come to me quickly. Notice in verse 10, 4, Demas 
has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed 
for Thessalonica. The reference to Demas as a faithful 
man can be seen in Colossians 4. You may turn there. Colossians 
chapter 4 at verse 10. I'm sorry, Colossians chapter 
4, yes, at verse 10, that's not it, it's got to be 17. It's got to be actually 14. Luke, 
the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. Greet the brethren 
who are in Laodicea, and Nymphos, and the church that is in his 
house. Demas is mentioned positively here in Colossae, and the time 
frame is about A.D. 60 to 62, Paul's first imprisonment. Turn over to Philemon, that little 
book after Titus right before the book of Hebrews. Philemon 
is written in the same context. Paul's in prison, first imprisonment, 
A.D. 60 to 62. Philemon, 24. Well, 23. Epaphras, my fellow 
prisoner in Christ, Jesus greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, 
Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers." So, we see that in the span of 
a couple of years, if we date 2 Timothy at around 64 or 65, 
there's not a lot of time that's transpired between that first 
imprisonment and the second. In 2 Timothy 4, after telling 
Timothy to be diligent to come to him quickly, he says, "...for 
Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and 
has departed for Thessalonica." This is not a good thing, brethren. 
Now Calvin and Gil both believe that he didn't commit apostasy. 
I don't know that I could go that far. The language certainly 
sounds like apostasy. Notice, he has forsaken me. Paul uses this language in 2 
Timothy 1 about persons who had forsaken or departed from him. 
And it's certainly not in a favorable light. Demas departed from Paul, 
but it wasn't just that. He has loved this present world 
and has departed for Thessalonica. The fact that Demas is mentioned 
with Aristarchus indicates that Demas may as well have hailed 
from Thessalonica. Aristarchus was from Thessalonica. 
The fact that Aristarchus and Demas are mentioned together 
leads one to conclude that Demas was from Thessalonica. So he 
loved this present world, he had forsaken Paul, and he returns. 
He goes back to the life that he had before. Here's Calvin. He says, and yet we must not 
suppose that he altogether denied Christ, or gave himself up either 
to ungodliness or to the allurements of the world, but he merely preferred 
his private convenience or his safety to the life of Paul. As 
I said, Gil goes the same way. Now, the language doesn't suggest 
that. I don't want to stand against Calvin and Gill. That's never 
a safe place to be. But the language is stark. He 
has forsaken me, and he has loved this present world. Now, I agree with Tozer. I'm not certain that he committed 
apostasy. I'm not certain that he didn't 
commit apostasy. But I am certain this is the 
last word concerning Demas in the entirety of the canon. And 
it's not a good word. It's not a good description of 
a man. It doesn't bode well. I hope 
and I pray we'll see him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. 
I hope and I pray. It was just simply this, you 
know, what Calvin and Gill go on to explain in terms of not 
wanting to be associated with a prisoner and not wanting sort 
of those things. Even then, though, Paul tells 
Timothy he is to join with him in suffering for the testimony 
of the Lord. This is the last word concerning 
Demas, and we ought to take it to heart, and we ought to realize 
that in AD 60-62, Demas was looked upon favorably by the Apostle 
Paul. We get to AD 64-65, and Demas 
has forsaken Paul, having loved this present world. The Apostle 
describes this present world in Galatians 1.4 as a present 
evil world, or a present evil age. And in Romans 12.2 he tells 
us not to be conformed to this world. So it's not a good thing 
to love this world. It's not a good thing to forsake 
the Apostle Paul. It's not a good thing to cleave 
to the world. And there is a contrast between 
verses 8 and 10. Notice, Demas has loved this 
present world. Look at the persons who received 
the crown of righteousness. They are described at the end 
of verse 8. Paul says, and not to me only, 
but also to all who have loved his appearing. It's better to 
love the appearing of Jesus than to love this world. It's better 
to love the appearing of Jesus than to love this present evil 
age. So you see Demas defected and 
this necessitated Paul in telling Timothy to come to him quickly. Notice the departure of others. The following names are not governed 
by the verb forsaken or by the participle having loved this 
present world. Rather, they are governed by 
departed. In other words, these men left 
Paul not for some malicious reasons, not because of anything evil. 
It wasn't a forsaking because they loved the world, but rather 
they had other ministry commitments. And so they leave Paul. Note 
the first one is Crescens. This is the only time that he 
is mentioned in the Bible. We certainly don't know a whole 
lot about Crescens. But we do know that he was faithful 
to the Apostle Paul, and because of his departure, this necessitated 
Paul asking Timothy to come to him. We notice next Titus. Titus is a well-known fellow 
worker of Paul, mentioned in 2 Corinthians, and also, obviously, 
in the book of Titus. Next we have Luke, Luke the beloved 
physician. Have you ever mused on the wisdom 
of the Apostle Paul? Have you ever considered just 
how smart the Apostle Paul was? He goes on these missionary journeys 
into various places, and who does he bring on his missionary 
team? He brings a beloved physician. 
Paul was smart, brethren. If you're going to go into places 
unknown, it wouldn't hurt to have a man who knows his way 
around a stethoscope. So Paul takes Luke. Luke was 
his beloved physician, his beloved friend. Luke is mentioned favorably 
in Colossians, Philemon, and the we sections in the book of 
Acts. You'll know that Luke wrote the 
Gospel of Luke. You should know that Luke wrote 
the Book of Acts. And there are sections in the 
Book of Acts where the narrator describes it as we. We went into 
such and such a place. We witnessed such and such a 
thing. That is when Luke is personally present with Paul on these particular 
journeys. You can see those we sections. 
In Acts 16, 10-17, Acts 25-21, 18, and Acts 27-28, 16. So you see what Paul is saying, 
Timothy come to me quickly, because all these other men are leaving 
me and I don't want to be alone. Not that he had some fear of 
being alone, but he wanted Christian fellowship. He wanted conversation. 
Now the next man is quite interesting as well. Get Mark and bring him 
with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. I want you to 
see something about this man Mark. Turn to Acts chapter 12. 
Acts chapter 12. I think there's another practical 
lesson that jumps out at us here. from 2 Timothy 4 concerning the 
heart of the Apostle Paul. Notice in Acts chapter 12 at 
verse 25. And Barnabas and Saul, that's 
Paul the apostle, returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled 
their ministry. And they also took with them 
John, whose surname was Mark. This is the same Mark that Paul 
refers to in 2 Timothy chapter 4. John Mark, the author of the 
second gospel. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Now notice in Acts 13. Paul and 
Barnabas are separated by the Spirit to be sent out on a missionary 
journey, on a missionary enterprise. Notice in verse 4, so being sent 
out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from 
there they sailed to Cyprus, and when they arrived in Salamis, 
they preached the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. 
They also had John as their assistant. That's John Mark, the same one. Notice in verse 13, they are 
in the midst of this first missionary journey. Verse 13, now when Paul 
and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga and Pamphylia, 
and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. So John 
Mark agreed to go with Paul and Barnabas on this first missionary 
journey. Whatever happens, according to 
verse 13, John Mark cuts bait and he goes back to Jerusalem. 
Now notice in Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. They're getting ready to go out 
on the second missionary journey. Acts 15 verse 36. Then after 
some days Paul said to Barnabas, let us now go back and visit 
our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of 
the Lord and see how they are doing. Now Barnabas was determined 
to take with them John called Mark. I really think this is an important 
lesson. I know it may not seem like it, but just try and stay 
with me for a moment. This is the same John Mark that 
had departed from them on the first missionary journey. Barnabas 
was his cousin. Barnabas says to Paul, let's 
take John Mark with us. Verse 38, Paul insisted that 
they should not take with them the one who had departed from 
them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. Paul 
says, I don't want him to go with us. I don't need a flake. I don't need somebody who's committed 
to going until the going gets tough and then he returns back 
to Jerusalem. Paul says, I don't have time 
for such things. I'm reading between the lines, 
but I think this is something to the effect. And then we see 
that this caused a rift between Paul and Barnabas. Verse 39, 
Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one 
another. And so Barnabas took Mark and 
sailed to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended 
by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria 
and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Now one more stop before 
we return to 2 Timothy. Look at Colossians chapter 4. Here's the point. Here's the 
rub. Paul didn't hold grudges. Paul 
didn't eternally write people off. Paul didn't say, you know, 
you turned against us or you departed from us in that first 
missionary journey. You're done, John Mark. There's 
no more usefulness for you. There's no more hope for ministry 
for you. You're done. It's over. You showed 
yourself, whether it was immature or not ready or not at the point 
where we could trust you. Paul doesn't do that. He is not 
a grudge bearer. He is not a grudge holder. Notice 
in Colossians 4.10, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you 
with Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. Notice the parentheses, about 
whom you received instructions. If he comes to you, welcome him. Don't keep him away, don't hold 
him at arm's length, don't say, well, you're the guy that departed 
from Paul in that verse. No, Paul says don't do that. 
Welcome him. We get to the end of Paul's life 
in the eleventh hour and we get this statement, get Mark and 
bring him with you for he is useful to me for ministry. You 
see, brethren, at one particular point in time, John Mark was 
not useful to Paul for ministry. But over time, with growth and 
maturation, John Mark became useful for ministry. Paul's not 
sitting in his prison cell in the eleventh hour counting the 
grudges that he has over people that have wronged him. I think 
this is something that finds safe harbor in the hearts of 
some of God's people. We look at everybody who's potentially 
ever done us anything wrong and we make a mental note and we 
keep them on the list and they'll never get off of that list to 
that place of freedom and liberty and full acceptance. Brethren, 
do not be one who holds a grudge. Do not discount the power of 
the Holy Spirit in so working in a John Mark to bring him to 
a place of utter and complete usefulness, such that when Paul 
is in the eleventh hour, he says, get him and bring him to me because 
he's useful to me for ministry. He became useful to the apostle 
Peter. 1 Peter 5, verse 13. Peter refers favorably to John 
Mark. Mark wrote the second gospel. It was probably at the bidding 
of Peter. John Mark had this eyewitness 
sort of approach to his gospel because he was a good friend 
with Peter. You see, brethren, if it's not 
a moral failure, John Mark wasn't looking at porn, he didn't commit 
adultery, he didn't sin himself out of the ministry in that regard, 
but perhaps it was an immaturity at one time, but that ought not 
to serve as a means to keep a man out and from usefulness forever 
and ever. No, the apostle has a large heart 
and he is of a forgiving spirit. And then the last fellow mentioned 
is Tychicus. It's literally Tukikon, if you 
want to Greek. It's easier to say Tichycus, 
I guess, than Tukikon. Tukikon sounds like a bird in 
the tropics somewhere to me, a little bit. But Tukikon is 
mentioned in Acts 20 at verse 4, Ephesians 6, Colossians 4, 
and in Titus. And most likely he was the one 
that carried the letters from Paul to Ephesus and to Colossae. And note here the wisdom of the 
apostle. Pitch a Kiss is going to go to 
Ephesus. Timothy, I've called for you 
to leave Ephesus and to come and have conference and fellowship 
with me. But we're not going to leave the flock unprotected 
at a time where there's false teachers, where there are men 
who are desiring to be teachers of the law, men who are engaged 
in the study of all kinds of weird and wacky things. We don't 
want to leave them without a shepherd. So he sends Tychicus to cover 
for Timothy so that Timothy can come and visit with the Apostle 
Paul. And this is the observation I 
want to make here before we move on. Paul is not just wasting 
time. I mean, I've got to tell you, 
the thought of getting thrown into prison, you know what first 
pops into my head? I'll get some time to sleep. 
Maybe that's not the best thing, but he needs to sleep. is sleep. I hope it's a decent mat so I'm 
not tossing and turning too much, but not that my dear wife doesn't 
let me sleep, but there's a lot of time on your own sitting in 
a cell, and probably you get a few extra hours of shut-eye 
during the week if you manage things properly. And then I think, 
read! Well, we see that Paul has the 
same thought here. You know, I imagine there's a 
lot of time to waste sitting in a prison cell, but not Paul! 
So you always have this vision. On a military base, there's usually 
a command post. And the command post is where, 
if something happens, the base goes into battle array or goes 
into some contingency plan, the generals, the high-ranking officers, 
go to that command post, and it's from the command post that 
they move the troops. It's from the command post that 
they engage in the strategy. Send this one here, send this 
battalion there, send this flight there, send this squadron here, 
fly the B-2 over there, drop a payload there. That's what 
the commander's doing in that command post. That's what Paul's 
done with his prison cell. He is strategizing for the advancement 
of the gospel. He is strategizing in terms of 
his relationship with Timothy. Timothy, I want you to come to 
me so you can encourage me, but I want to further teach you so 
that when you return to Ephesus, you'll be more equipped and more 
able to instruct others. We'll send Tychicus there to 
cover for you while you're gone. I want you to bring Mark, too, 
because he's useful for me in ministry. We might have a place 
for him here in Rome. I love Luke. Luke is a proven 
dear brother. He's got his hand in a particular 
pie, and we've got Crescens doing his thing. Paul is moving troops. Paul is the commander. Paul has 
taken that prison cell and made it a command post for the advancement 
of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's truly amazing. Learn 
from the Apostle in his eleventh hour. So that's the command. 
Notice finally the request. Verse 13, he says, bring the 
cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come. Again, 
notice in verse 21, do your utmost to come before winter. We learn 
here, Paul's not an ascetic. He doesn't think it's somehow 
virtuous to suffer. Well, I'm a minister, I'm a minister 
of the gospel and I'm a prisoner of our Lord, so I just need to 
be cold. No, bring my cloak. This was a large, heavy garment. It was probably similar to a 
poncho. It had a hole, so you'd put it 
over your head and it would rest on your neck, and it was such 
that it was able to keep you warm, both in travel and in sleep. Paul's not an ascetic. He doesn't 
think it's somehow virtuous to sit and freeze in a prison cell. 
He says, bring the cloak and hurry, because winter's coming. There is a common sense intrinsic 
in this section of Scripture that we would do well to imbibe. We're not somehow more holy and 
more virtuous if we suffer cold. We are not somehow more holy 
and more virtuous if we go through hardships. Now, certainly we 
do go through hardships for our Lord, but brethren, if we can 
get a cloak and have a cloak, we ought to praise God for the 
cloak. I shared with the confession 
study a few weeks ago, we were talking about paying pastors 
or paying ministers, the whole idea of pastoral remuneration, 
and I shared a quip about Spurgeon, and I qualified it there. It 
may have actually happened to Spurgeon, or it may be one of 
those sort of, you know, pseudographical stories that have attached themselves 
to Spurgeon. But Spurgeon was riding in a 
train, and he was sitting in the front row, or in the first 
class. I would imagine a train back 
in England in the day was similar to the airplanes of today. They 
make us slobs walk by all those people, lounging in the lap of 
luxury. It's like, here's what you don't 
get. We walk right past those first-class 
persons to the coach, where we moo like cattle as we're wedged 
in there. So it could have been perhaps 
similar to that. So Spurgeon's sitting in his 
front first-class seat, and another minister comes onto the train, 
and he notices Mr. Spurgeon sitting there in first 
class. And this particular minister says, I'm going to go back to 
coach to spare the Lord's money. And Spurgeon says, I'm going 
to stay right here in first class to spare the Lord's servant. And I think that's wise. I'm 
not saying every pastor should fly first class. But there is 
a principle here. There's nothing intrinsically 
holy about being cold. Paul wants his cloak. Paul wants 
to put it around his head so he can snuggle up and not freeze 
to death in the prison cell. It will be Nero who takes Paul's 
life, not the cold. Learn from Paul and use your 
head. And then notice, Paul says, and 
the books, especially the parchments. All the book lovers in the church 
are going, yeah, this is great. Look at Paul. I'm going to lean 
on two men here to describe what I think is going on here. First 
of all, the identity of the books and the parchments. What are 
they? Does Paul like a good mystery novel? Does Paul like to pass 
the time with the latest romance? It's all about Sudoku or whatever, 
you know, puzzle game. He cannot say, you know, that's 
necessarily evil. But what does he mean by the 
books, especially the parchments? Kruger says, there is little 
doubt that the books is a reference to the books of the Old Testament, 
most likely on scrolls. The term parchments is noteworthy 
because it is not a Greek word at all, but a transliterated 
form of the Latin membrane. The same word used by Marshall 
and Quintilian to refer to parchment notebooks. I've seen that elsewhere 
in the literature. Parchment notebooks. Why would 
Paul have parchment notebooks? One even suggested that because 
of his trade as a tent maker, perhaps he had a hand in developing 
such things. Well, why would the Apostle Paul 
need parchment notebooks? Because you see, when the Apostle 
Paul sat in a prison cell, he didn't doodle. He didn't waste 
his time. He wrote letters to men like 
Timothy. Kruger says, thus we have a suggestion 
here that such notebooks were used alongside the books of the 
Old Testament. What did these notebooks contain? There are a number of possibilities, 
such as excerpts of Jesus' teachings, or early Christian testimonia. These were Old Testament proof 
texts supporting messianic claims about Jesus, or even copies of 
Paul's own letters. Maybe Paul wanted to study Romans 
while Paul was in a Roman prison. He is subject to that word. You 
can't say, well, Paul wrote it, so he's... Paul wrote it under 
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Paul is as duty-bound to everything 
he penned as you and I are. So that's the identity, probably 
the Old Testament and some sort of parchment notebook that had 
the sayings of Jesus, comment on the Old Testament texts that 
apply to the Lord Christ, or even Paul's own writings. Now 
in terms of the necessity of such a request, I lean on Spurgeon. He says, some of our very ultra-Calvinistic 
brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his 
sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. It's 
kind of interesting, isn't it? He says, a man who comes up into 
the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot, and talks 
any quantity of nonsense is the idol of many. If he will speak 
without premeditation or pretend to do so, and never produce what 
they call a dish of dead men's brains, oh, that is the preacher. He says, how rebuked are they 
by the apostle? He is inspired and yet he wants 
books. He has been preaching at least 
for thirty years and yet he wants books. He had seen the Lord and 
yet he wants books. He had had a wider experience 
than most men and yet he wants books. He had been caught up 
into the third heaven and had heard things which it was unlawful 
for a man to utter, yet he wants books. He had written a major 
part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books. The apostle 
says to Timothy, and so he says to every preacher, give thyself 
unto reading. He says, the man who never reads 
will never be read. He who never quotes will never 
be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts 
of other men's brains proves that he has no brains of his 
own. Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our 
people. You need to read. Renounce, as 
much as you will, all light literature, but study as much as possible 
sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers and expositions 
of the Bible. We are quite persuaded that the 
very best way for you to be spending your leisure is to be either 
reading or praying. You may get much instruction 
from books, which afterwards you may use as a true weapon 
in your Lord and Master's service. Paul cries, bring the books. Join in the cry. Amen. Well, in conclusion, we 
ought to take heed in light of Demas. Again, I'm not so convinced 
he never committed apostasy. I'm not convinced he did commit 
apostasy, but he certainly, according to 2 Timothy 4.10, was not in 
a good place. He had forsaken the Apostle Paul, 
and he loved this present world. That is a terrible thing. He 
departs for Thessalonica. Not that it's wrong for a man 
to return home, but if it's because he has a love for the world, 
that is something we need to take heed to. We need to watch 
and pray. We need to be careful. We need 
to persevere. And in that vein, there are several 
things we need to consider with reference to Paul. Our desire 
for fellowship. Do we in the eleventh hour want 
to see a Timothy? Our function in terms of the 
gospel. Are we such that we will sacrifice 
everything for the advancement of the cause of God and truth? 
That's what Paul is doing. That's what is indicative of 
the apostle. He is strategizing for the furtherance 
of the gospel. We learn from Paul that he was 
not an ascetic. An ascetic is somebody who thinks 
that it's wrong to be comfortable. It's wrong to be too much comfortable, 
it's wrong to worship comfort, but it's not wrong to have a 
cloak when it's winter out. Get a cloak! Get dressed. Be warm. As well, we see in the 
Apostle Paul, in this eleventh hour, a man who has studied tirelessly, 
nevertheless, wants his books, especially the parchments. So 
it's much better to follow the example set for us here by Paul 
rather than Demas. And never forget, the reason 
that Paul was in that prison was for the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. It was for the testimony of the 
Lord Himself that Paul found himself in this place. Well, 
let us pray. Father, we thank you for the 
Word of God and we thank you for these lessons and pray that 
we would take heed to a man like Demas and we would seek, by your 
grace, to be careful and to be watchful and to be prayerful 
in our lives, not to grow attached to this world, not to grow in 
love with this world, Keep us, cause us to have a healthy balance 
and to have a healthy pursuit of those things most necessary 
in terms of your kingdom and your righteousness. We ask that 
you would go with us now and watch over us in this coming 
week and cause us to bring glory and honor to you. And we ask 
through Christ our Lord. Amen.