04 II Timothy 1:15-18 - Dare to be an Onesiphorus

Christopher Freeman

Title: Dare to be an Onesiphorus

Text: II Timothy 1:15-18

FCF: We often struggle being aware of the danger of apostasy.

Prop: Because it is not certain who will depart the faith, we must hold fast and keep the good thing entrusted to us.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Timothy chapter 1. As we close out this first chapter of II Timothy today, and knowing that the start of chapter 2 will be a passage requiring more time for us to expound, I think I’ll take the opportunity now to review what we’ve learned so far in II Timothy.

For the book itself, we know that it is a few years separated from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Much has happened in that time. First, Timothy has had some success in forming the church there in Ephesus around the gospel of Christ. He is not failing what is mentor asked of him only a few years prior. However, what we do know is that hostility and opposition to the gospel is growing in the area. How do we know that? Well Paul has been arrested once again. This time is different though, and Paul knows it. What is so different? Well, Paul is not going to be released. Whether by intuition or by revelation from God, Paul knows that he will not make it through this imprisonment. He will be executed soon. And so, Paul’s primary reason for writing this more personal letter to Timothy is to encourage him to take up Paul’s mantle and carry on in the ministry.

Paul’s concern for Timothy is that he not give in to timidity or fear but that he would fully rely on the power of the Spirit of God which is in Him, to continue to boldly proclaim the gospel, and to hold fast and persevere through persecution. Paul encourages Timothy, and believes Timothy can do this, first because he has been convinced that Timothy’s faith is genuine. And if his faith is genuine, Paul knows that the Spirit of God is with Timothy to accomplish all that God would ask of him. Paul knows this to be true, because Christ and the Spirit have kept and protected him in his ministry.

So Paul lifts up the glorious gospel of God’s saving power and grace, gifted in Christ, before time began. It is for this gospel that Paul now suffers, and it is for this gospel that Paul is preparing Timothy and the church there to continue to cling to and suffer for.

We left the text last week with Paul imploring Timothy with that common tension in the scriptures. A command given with the expectation that God will see it done. Paul keeps the gospel with which he has been entrusted by the faith and love that are in Christ. And he calls Timothy to keep that same gospel in the power of the Spirit of God. And so, shines brightly, the common conundrum. Humans are called to do something for the Lord, but are unable to do it without first being what God has made them to be. With God all things are possible… but with man it is impossible.

And so now Paul concludes his thoughts on holding fast and protecting the gospel with examples. 1 verse of many bad examples, and 3 verses of 1 good example. If you look closely, you will also note the primary theme of the Pastorals flowing through this text. Doctrine received in true faith produces people conformed to Christ. We’ll see people here, who although not denying or affirming a confession, do deny or affirm the doctrines by whether they are or are not conformed to Christ.

It should be a powerful and interesting albeit short message for us today.

I am in II Timothy chapter 1 starting in verse 15. I am reading from the NET which you can follow on page 1342, or in whatever version you have.

Transition:

Let’s dive in this morning to see these examples of those who hold fast, and those who do not.

I.) There are many who look like Christians who will depart, so we must hold fast and keep the good thing entrusted to us. (15)

a. [Slide 2] 15 – You know that everyone in the province of Asia deserted me

i. “Province of” is added for clarity in the text. The NET does not wish us to think the whole of Asia is in view.

ii. We saw this when we looked at Tychicus who was from the province of Asia.

iii. This refers to the southwestern part of Asia minor, probably around the Aegean coastlines.

iv. Now when Paul says that everyone in the province had deserted him, does everyone mean everyone?

v. This seems extreme.

vi. Furthermore, Timothy and Onesiphorus (On-uh-siph-or-us) whom Paul names in this text, have not deserted him, and they are certainly from Asia or in Asia at this time. Therefore, we must put a limit on what Paul means by everyone. We see two options.

vii. Either that Paul is saying that those in Rome from Asia have deserted him, or more likely Paul uses hyperbole to emphasize that many had deserted him from the province of Asia.

viii. Finally, what does it mean that he was deserted? Are we talking about apostasy or just that they are ashamed of Paul’s imprisonment?

1. In favor of this being a personal abandonment we have a few points.

a. Paul calls out several people in this book for departing the faith.

b. In each case, Paul speaks clearly about their defection from the gospel itself.

c. Here Paul makes it clear it is a defection from him.

d. Furthermore, the two men he mentions are not included later for having apostatized.

2. In favor of this being both personal abandonment and apostasy, we have a few points.

a. Paul has already linked his imprisonment with the gospel of Christ in verse 8.

b. Paul has historically had issues with people rejecting his apostleship and therefore his teaching. And if we remember from I Timothy – this was probably the case in Ephesus.

c. The preceding and following context of this seems to indicate that what Paul is offering to Timothy are two examples of what not to do and what to do. And in the preceding verses it is clear that Timothy must hold fast to the gospel.

d. And in keeping with the overall scope of the pastoral epistles in general – we know that to cite unchristlike lifestyles would be the same as citing apostasy to a certain extent. Not all denials of the faith are by our words or affiliations. Some of them are from our lifestyles.

ix. All this considered, I think given the context, it seems best to understand that Paul means that these people have deserted him and by extension, his gospel.

b. [Slide 3] Including Phygelus (Fih-Jel-us) and Hermogenes (her-mah-joe-knees).

i. What is clear in this text is that when Paul singles out these two men as those who have abandoned him and the gospel, it should be shocking to hear.

ii. What is not clear in this text is anything else about these men.

iii. This is the only mention of their names in the New Testament.

iv. So all we can do is draw upon this text, and here is what we know…

v. These men appeared to be loyal to Paul and the gospel – but when the going got tough, they deserted Paul and his gospel.

c. [Slide 4] Passage Truth: Int his first verse, Paul teaches Timothy with examples. He shows two men who were loyal to Paul before, along with many others in the province of Asia. And what is clear is that no one saw their desertion coming. And yet, here they are. They have used this opportunity to desert Paul and even his teachings for another gospel.

d. Passage Application: So Timothy’s imperative from the previous section endures. He must hold fast and keep the truth of the gospel with which he has been entrusted.

e. [Slide 5] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the rest of scripture, unfortunately we see countless examples of those who were thought to be loyal to God and His servants, turn and go after other gods. Before Christ was revealed many Israelites abandoned Yahweh in favor of Baal, Ashteroth, and other would-be gods. And even after the cross, we see people know the truth and walk away. I’d like to say that this doesn’t happen anymore – but alas, it happens often. Either by their words or actions, many high-profile Christian leaders have rejected the gospel of Christ, either replacing it with Christ plus something, or rejecting Christ altogether. I say all this, not to worry you, but to help you to realize that apostasy is not something that is uncommon.

f. Broader Biblical Application: What does that mean for us at CBC? Every single person Paul has mentioned and will mention has made a profession of faith, has served in the church, and were considered part of the covenant community. Yet when Paul was thrown into prison for his teachings – they abandoned him and his teachings. It is not enough for us to confess what we believe one time and rest in that confession. The Lord Himself tells us that those who deny Him before men, He will deny before the Father. True, genuine, saving faith, is one that endures. And while that doesn’t mean perfection or even that we will never doubt, it does mean that God’s true people will not permenantly walk away from the faith – no matter how hard they are pressed. Therefore, my friends, we MUST hold fast and protect the truth of the gospel that we have been entrusted. Do not listen to men who talk about the bible – listen to the bible. Even me. Don’t take what I say without pause. But search the scriptures. Not what someone says about the scriptures, but the scriptures themselves. Then consult what the church has taught down through the ages. If what you believe has been taught as orthodoxy, and has been widely accepted, then you must hold fast to its teachings! There are teachings that are widely accepted in Christendom today that have no history in the church before the 1600s and some even more recent. Meaning that just because you have always been taught it, doesn’t mean it has always been taught. How could this have happened? People neglected to hold fast to what they were taught and instead invented novel doctrines to assuage their itching ears. And they passed those novel doctrines to more and more people. And it spread like gangrene. But we must hold fast to the truth that we have received from the apostles. And as Paul said earlier, we can only do this through the indwelling of the Spirit and love and faith found in Christ.

Transition:

[Slide 6 (blank)] We have seen Phygelus’ and Hermogenes’ negative example of those who did not endure in belief and good works. But is there a positive example that we can look to? Certainly Paul, but is there no one else who is enduring?

II.) There are some who will continue to endure in faith and good works, so we must hold fast and keep the good thing entrusted to us. (16-18)

a. [Slide 7] 16 – May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus (on-uh-siph-or-us),

i. So the first question is, obviously, who is Onesiphorus?

ii. And, again we have to say – we don’t know.

iii. Here is what we do know. Later in the letter – like at the end – Paul tells Timothy to greet the family of Onesiphorus. So, we know that Onesiphorus is from Ephesus.

iv. Here Paul asks the Lord for mercy to Onesiphorus’ family. Why?

b. [Slide 8] Because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my imprisonment.

i. Because we know absolutely nothing about this man it is difficult to understand what Paul means here.

ii. But as Paul continues it becomes clear.

c. [Slide 9] 17 – But when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me

i. Paul asks for mercy on the family of Onesiphorus because he was not ashamed of Paul being imprisoned for the sake of Christ.

ii. Not only was he not ashamed, he came to Rome, sought out Paul and ministered to his needs there with Luke.

iii. This is the first indication that Paul’s imprisonment was not like his previous house arrests. Since he was difficult to find in Rome, it seems that he was probably in a cell somewhere obscure.

iv. But Oneshiphorus sought him to the extent that he would find him.

v. For all of this Christ-like love, Paul desires that all his family would be blessed by God while he is away serving Paul.

vi. But the temporal needs of his family is not Paul’s only wish for Onesiphorus…

d. [Slide 10] 18 – May the lord grant him to find mercy from the lord on that day!

i. A couple things here.

1. Mercy here most assuredly refers to God’s chief mercy in salvation. However, this poses a problem for us.

a. After all the glowing words about this man, why would Paul put this in wish or prayer language? Shouldn’t he be surer about the nature of Onesiphorus’ faith?

b. Consider the context. He is sure and has been persuaded about Timothy’s faith. But there are many others who he thought were legitimate and have since walked away.

c. It is not wrong, and perhaps intensely biblical for us to always hopefully pray for the endurance of someone’s faith. This sounds like a slight and maybe even doubting Eternal security… but in reality, we must understand that true believers endure to the end. And there are many who do not endure to the end.

d. So Paul’s prayer, really, is that Onesiphorus is a true believer. Which should be our prayer for one another.

2. Secondly, it is good to take note that in order for Onesiphorus to find mercy on the day of judgement, the same Lord who will be his judge must grant that ability to him to find it. I don’t want to delve too deep into that because that isn’t Paul’s point here – but it is worthy to note the phrasing there. That to find mercy from God, God must grant us to find it. Our searching will do us no good until God allows us to find it.

e. [Slide 11] And you know very well all the ways he served me in Ephesus.

i. Finally, Paul as an aside to Timothy stresses again the history of this man with reference to serving Paul.

ii. While Paul was in Ephesus or Rome – Onesiphorus was there to help him.

iii. This is what true children of God do.

f. [Slide 12] Passage Truth: So Paul gives Timothy a second example. This time he gives a positive example of who to emulate. Just as abandoning Paul meant abandoning the gospel, so caring for Paul means caring for the gospel. Further we are reminded of the overall teachings of all the Pastoral epistles. That doctrine, received in true faith, produces people conformed to Christ. What Paul is saying is that Onesiphorus is conformed to Christ – therefore, he seems to have received doctrine by true faith.

g. Passage Application: And so, before, Timothy was encouraged to take up Paul’s mantle and follow his example. Now he is encouraged to follow the example of Onesiphorus as well. A true servant of Christ and is holding fast to it. Timothy must hold fast to His confession and keep the gospel pure both in belief and action.

h. [Slide 13] Broader Biblical Truth: As we saw in I John, as Eric, CJ, and Jerry preached as I was away, and as the whole of scripture affirms – the only way to have assurance of our faith being real and genuine is to observe the fruit of that faith. When Christ uses parables to speak of crops bearing fruit and a harvest that is coming where the wheat and tares are separated – the harvest is the final judgment. A man’s life will be measured by all that God does through Him. He must finish the race. He must fight the good fight. He cannot produce fruit for a time and then be barren at harvest time. Such fruit would be useless to the famers to which Christ told the parable. Rather, the only crop that is useful, is one that bears fruit until harvest. Certainly, whoever is God’s true child can never lose that status. God knows who are his. But, how do we know we are His? It is only by our love, faith, power, self-control, and general outpouring of the Spirit’s power in us.

i. Broader Biblical Application: So at CBC, we must understand that holding fast to our confession is certainly to continue to believe the right things, but it is not this in exclusion. But it is also continuing to bear the fruit from a heart invaded by the Spirit of God. There have been many pastors, preachers, evangelists, and apologists through the ages and recently who have believed all the “right” things. But lived lives of unrepentant sin. They will be numbered among those who cry out “Lord, Lord – have I not prophesied in your name, and in your name cast out demons and done many miraculous works.” And He will say to them “Depart from me, lawbreaker, for I never knew you.” My friends, we must hold fast to our confession, we must keep the good thing entrusted to us, not just by continuing to believe, but also by continuing to obey.

Conclusion:

So what does this mean for us here at CBC? Well let me give you a little “state of orthodoxy” update.

[Slide 14] 3/2018 – Christian band underoath – openly walked away from Christianity

5/2019 – Christian of 40 years, Pastor of 20 years - Dave Gass – Left his wife and denied Christ

7/2019 – Well-known Christian author – Joshua Harris- separated from his wife, apologized to the LGBTQA+ community, denied Christ

8/2019 – Hillsong Worship Leader - Marty Sampson- Denied Christ

2/2020 – Social media personalities - Rhett and Link or The Bently Brothers – Denied Christ

5/2020 – Singer in the band Hawk Nelson – Jon Steingard – Denied Christ

2/2021 – Christian Apologist for more than 40 years – Ravi Zacharias – Had deep sexual appetites and addictions that he failed to repent of and succeeded to hide until his dying breath.

4/2021 – Contributor to Desiring God Ministries – Paul Maxwell – Has denied Christ.

These folks are either the same as Phygelus and Hermogenes or the opposite of Onesiphorus. Some of them have been in ministry longer than I have been alive. And yet by their confession and their lifestyles, they have proved their faith to still be a dead faith.

All these details about our world today are both shocking and discouraging. Not just for the body of Christ and the testimony of Christ in the world, but also because we look inward and wonder – if they fell, how can I not? If it were possible for someone to work in ministry for decades, and still fall away, how can I hope to be saved?

[Slide 15 end) Read the words of Paul. I know whom I have set my faith and he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me. So keep the good thing entrusted to you through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. My friends, if it was only you, you could not hope to hold fast to the confession and protect the gospel. But if the Lord is with you, if He is in you, if you are in Him – then my friends there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.

He is able to keep us from falling! Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

You say, but everyone thought that these people had that same Spirit in them. They even thought they had that Spirit in them. How can I be sure that He is in me?

Hold fast! Endure! Bear Fruit! Obey the Lord. Work out your own salvation. Not in your own strength. Not in your own effort. Not in your own gumption. But in fear and trembling. In humility. In awe. WHY? Because God is the one in you, giving you power and desire to be and do all that He has asked of you.

But my friends… it is not a sprint. It is a marathon.

My friends… it is not a playground slap fight. It is war.

How do you know you have the Spirit? Believe God and keep believing God. Obey God and Keep obeying God. If you are able to do this… then the Spirit is in you.

Why must that be our conclusion?

Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood… but against unholy, ungodly, powerful beings in this dark world.

To endure… it cannot just be us. For if it is… we will fall. But greater is He who is in us, than He who is in the world.

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