Faith in the Fight

Good morning everyone, I am Nate Gustafson, the Location Pastor for our coming third location.

Have you ever had a week where your life or faith felt like a house of cards, ready to collapse? Maybe because of a big tragedy or maybe it was just a series of 'small' things: a cold shoulder from a friend, a mounting pile of bills, or a nagging sense of loneliness or doubt that you can't quite shake. You feel like your faith is being crushed by your circumstances, and like God is silent.

And as your faith feels fragile, its so easy to respond out of fear, anxiety, or anger, that you regret later.

If you’ve ever felt that way, so have I. In fact, even one of the giants of the faith wrestled with these feelings.

Today, we’re looking at the Apostle Paul’s final words before his execution. He’s sitting in a damp, dark Roman cell you see depicted here

Most scholars believe he was in the dungeon, the lower level, of Rome’s Mamertine Prison you can —cold, deserted by his closest friends, and under intense spiritual attack.

What he is facing is beyond what most of us can imagine, it would cause our faith to collapse, Paul draws upon a strength that isn't his own.

Paul shows us how to have a firm faith in the fight of life—how to rise above suffering, to be the incredible people God made us to be.

Grab your Bible or the one under your chair and open to 2 Timothy 4:9 on page 814. Find the big number 4 and the small number 9. At Renovation Church, we believe the Bible is the lamp of truth in the darkness, so every week we open it together physically to dig in…

2 Timothy 4:9-18

9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.

Okay, so that was a lot of details and names (which I expertly pronounced, pretty impressive, actually I am totally guessing, everytime you read names like this in the Bible, just say it with confidence, and people will be like, ohhh, nailed it.).

Now, when we look at the context of 2 Timothy and the details of these verses , Paul is GOING THROUGH IT. We see that he is facing…

The physical battle of living in a dungeon with little light, facing execution at any time, and the cold winter on the way which is why he needs his coat.

The relational battle of deep pain and isolation as a close friend Demas gave up on the faith and abandoned him, then many of his good friends had to leave to do other things, and Alexander fiercely attacked him, relentlessly.

But there is MORE, lets look at

15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Here we get more details of his struggle…

We find out that he was on trail, for his life, and everyone deserted him.

Then even deeper, he is facing a fierce Spiritual battle with our evil enemy— described here like a lion.

Now, I want to be clear, the LION described in this passage, that I will be using throughout this message is our Spiritual Enemy, the devil.

Clearly, Paul is facing ALOT, yet in verse 18, Paul says the Lord will rescue him from every evil attack and bring him safely into His 'heavenly kingdom.' Paul knows his execution is near. He's not expecting God to spare him from death. So what kind of rescue is he talking about?

Paul is stating that he was rescued from abandoning his faith in God, who would bring him into eternal life THROUGH death.

I think this is the key: Paul knew that our spiritual enemy greatest victory would not have been Paul's death, it would have been Paul's unfaithfulness.

So, the first truth you need to understand from this passage is that

You will face the lion

As Peter says, in 1 Peter 5, the Devil is our spiritual enemy that prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He attacks believers through suffering, loneliness, doubt, and even the betrayal of others, aiming to weaken and destroy our trust in God.

For Paul, the lion's mouth was the very real temptation to look around his freezing dungeon, see the empty courtroom where his friends abandoned him, and conclude that everything he had preached was a lie.

It would have been so easy for Paul to just give up, to think, why did I give my life to serving, loving, and helping others, experience eternal life, if I was just going to end up in this situation.

Yet Paul’s faith was ready for suffering. He didn’t see his relationship with God as an escape hatch to avoid challenges. He expected hardship and found deep peace in Christ even when his world was completely chaotic.

Too many of us have a faith that is contingent on comfort. We consciously, or unconsciously believe the lie that Christians shouldn’t suffer.

So, when the hard hits, we often throw our trust in God out the window.

Years ago, I played football at Centennial High School, and as a Quarterback, I took some massive hits. On one play I’ll never forget, my lineman blocked the wrong way, and gave a huge 250-pound lineman a free run at me. I didn’t see him coming, he hit me in the back and drove me into the ground so hard that everyting hurt, like I think I felt my eyelashes hurting…Nothing hurts more than a blindside hit.

Imagine if I went back to the huddle and said, 'Forget the playbook! It doesn’t work, just hike the ball and we’ll all run around screaming.' That would make NO sense.

Yet, that’s what we often do when life blindsides us. We get hit, our faith in God gets tested, so we throw out God’s playbook for how to face challenges, and we fall into anxiety, hopelessness, or fear. And things only get worse.

Paul lived IN Jesus in a way that kept his faith from being devoured by difficult circumstances. He learned to lean in with God’s power, naming the hard he was facing while still trusting God and he is showing us a path for how we can do the same.

Look back again at verse 17 and 18, in the midst of all that he is facing, he finds his strength because “The Lord stood by his side, gave him strength, delivered him from the lion's mouth and every evil attack.

So, in life,

You will face the lion, but the Lord will stand by you and strengthen you,

Christians, do you KNOW THAT GOD stands with you in whatever you are facing? Do you trust that he is there to give you strength?

All too often, we lose faith in God during difficult times. However, this passage shows that God's presence—standing by Paul, giving strength, and rescuing from the lion's mouth—does not mean removing him from the struggle. Similarly, for us, it often involves building our character so we don't break while facing the fight.

Through God’s power, Paul was rescued from the lion because the horrors of the dungeon and the fear of impending death didn't turn him into a bitter, cynical shell of a man.

God’s power enabled him to accomplish so much in the fight, just look at the details of the passage.

V17 Through God’s presence at his trial, he was able to share the gospel with countless people, living out his life's purpose to help others be saved for eternity.

V14 + 16, He was set free from bitterness through God’s grace so he could offer forgiveness to those who hurt him and refuse to try to get revenge,

Through it all, He learned to live dependent on God’s strength, experiencing a closeness with God that enabled him to overcome incredible opposition, living in the peace, love, and power we all long for.

And God can do the same for you today!

With his permission, I want to share how God strengthened one of the guys in my House Church, lets call him Ray. Recently, a YouTube video trying to destroy the credibility of the Bible challenged his faith and triggered a crisis in his heart. For a couple of days, he was spinning—frantic, anxious, and questioning everything. Finally, he texted me and our friend Jack. He said, 'Guys, I need prayer. I feel like my faith is under attack. I'm doubting the Bible, and it’s terrifying. I'm trying to cling to Christ resurrected with everything I have.'

Jack and I immediately texted back to set up a time to pray, and Jack reminded him, 'You don’t have to be the strong one right now—that is God’s part!'

Can we pause for a moment and see how important that is! We need to get better at reaching out! Paul does this very thing, In v 9 and 11, Paul asks for Timothy and Mark to come quickly to support him.

Too often we face challenges and just sit in them by ourselves, when reaching out for prayer and encouragement would completely reshape our battles.

The crazy thing is, 2 hours before Ray texted, I was literally studying 2 Timothy 4. This passage. I don't know if you've noticed, but the Bible is crazy long—what are the chances I would be studying this passage in that moment?

But God's timing is perfect. We got on the phone, and as Ray shared his struggle, I realized: the lion was trying to devour his faith. I shared exactly what God was teaching me about standing firm in faith in the fight. Ray broke down and began to cry, because the wisdom God had shown me a few hours earlier was exactly what he needed to hear in that very moment.

Then we read 1 Peter 5:6-9 - 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Ray was vulnerable, by opening up, we together humbling ourselves together before God in our struggles, we experienced God's mighty hand lifting us up.

We encouraged each other to hand our anxieties over to God because we know God cares.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Together we talked about the devils lies to attack our faith and then destoryed those lies by sharing God’s truth with each other, which helped us stand firm.

When we face trials together, Christ uses them to bring about growth and maturity that will last for eternity.

Looking back, Ray shared that he made one big mistake: he waited a couple of days to ask for help. He just let himself spin. Y'all, we do this way too often.

Waiting to reach out is like being on a plane in an emergency where the cabin looses pressure. The oxygen masks drop, you’re struggling to breathe—but you just stare at the mask and refuse to put it on. That would be crazy, just put the mask on!

We put the mask on spiritually by reaching out for God's power right away through prayer, community, and truth.

See, One of the ways God’s strengthens us is to have healthy relationships with others, even when it is hard.

Often, the Lion will tempts us to be bitter, to hold on to the past, to refuse to forgive. The reality is, holding onto bitterness is like drinking poison, and hoping the other person gets hurt.

Yet in God’s strength, Paul chose forgiveness, Even though many deserted him.

Just look at v16 where he writes “May it not be held against them.” Paul chose forgiveness and found true freedom.

And that forgiveness created space for him to welcome Mark back into ministry. In the Bible, in Acts 13 and 15, we read that years earlier, they had a massive public falling-out when Mark abandoned Paul during a time of hardship as they traveled to share the gospel. Yet now, he was a blessing to Paul in ministry.

So, God will strengthen us through restored relationships and community.

It is time to take action, to acknowledge that God is calling you to stop isolating like Ray almost did? God wants to strengthen you through his truth!

So here’s the question:

(Walking in God’s Strength): Who is God calling you to actively reach out to in your challenges, for prayer, truth, and encouragement?

Know that as you do, it will be a blessing to them as you open up, and it will give them the chance to open up with you!!

Now, one thing that we read in this passage in v13 may seem inconsequential, but the implications are huge if we want to walk in God’s strength.

We know the Romans threw Paul in this dungeon to break his mind, but he refuses to give in. Look how in V13, Paul asks for his coat to stay warm and his scrolls to keep studying.

Too often, when we hit a tough moment, we are so quick to give in to the negative circumstances or thoughts.

Instead, we need to ask: “What do I practically need to walk in God’s strength through this challenge?” (this question should go below the question above on the same slide.) For all of us that means digging into God’s word daily!

It should also mean getting an incredible book to challenge and inspire you from our library!

For others, we desperately need a nap in the name of Jesus! Can I get an amen?? We need to learn to REST.

In struggles we often keep pushing and scrolling and scrolling, and our lack of sleep is making it hard to process anything in a healthy way!

I hope you are seeing how clear it is that we can’t always escape challenges, we can do so much to stay healthy in the middle of it. Focus on taking positive steps, dwelling on God’s truth and love, and avoiding the things that make the challenges so much harder.

In v18, Paul points out a deep truth that gives us ultimate hope in the face of the challenges of our world. -

It says: The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.

Which leads us to the final part of what God shows us through this passage:

You will face the lion, but the Lord will stand by you and strengthen you, and He will bring you safely to your heavenly home.

Since we know Paul was eventually executed, what does it even mean when he says God will bring him 'safely to his heavenly kingdom'?

Paul understood the implications of the eternal life we have in Jesus, which led him to write earlier in his life in Philippians 1:21, For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. How is death a gain?

Earlier, in 2 Timothy 4:6, Paul states, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near."

Now, the Greek word for "departure" in Paul’s day literally meant the "unmooring of a ship," untying the ropes to set sail into open water which is what a ship is made for!

Paul saw his impending execution not as a wall that he's crashing into but as a ship being released from the harbor to begin the great voyage—he saw that God was going to bring him safely into heaven through death.

C.S. Lewis, when talking about this reality, said that all of our time in this world is just the cover and title page of our life. At death, we are finally 'beginning chapter one of the great story... in which every chapter is better than the one before forever.”

Let that sink in…

For those who have given their lives to Jesus, you WILL pass through death on this earth, whenever it comes, to eternal life.

IT IS TRUE, THAT GOD'S GOING TO BRING YOU HOME TO HEAVEN,

it is true that all will be made perfect, for eternity,

which is so much longer than our short time and struggles here on earth.

Unfortunately, too many of us suffer from what pastor Paul David Tripp calls 'eternity amnesia'—constantly forgetting eternity, and living as if 'now' is all there is.

When Christians forget that this broken world is just a temporary preparation for eternity, we spiral into worry, frustration, and misplaced hope. We let the struggles of our day completely throw us off our path with God.

We must remember eternity, that God guarantees our final destination which means he also guarantees the daily grace we need to be strong in the journey.

Since we know how the story ends, everything changes.

It reframes all of our challenges today. It gives us a reason to press on and to be thankful, even when nothing in our current circumstances seems to be working.

This is why Paul writes in V18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Let's now read Paul’s final words to Timothy…

2 Timothy 4:19-22

19 Greet Priscilla[a] and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. 21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.[b] 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

Paul’s final words to Timothy display the urgency to act we see throughout the book. In verse 9 and verse 21, he tells Timothy to act quickly, before winter comes. Paul knew winter made sea travel impossible. If Timothy delayed even a little, he’d be stuck until spring—and by then, Paul would likely be dead.

Similarly, If we are going to live in the strength of God, in the face of the lion, we must be ready to act whenever God calls us to. Too often, we deny the power of God in our lives by waiting.

There’s an old story told by William Barclay about three apprentice devils plotting to ruin humanity. The first says, 'I’ll tell them there’s no God.' Satan says, 'Won’t work. Deep down, they know He exists.'

The second says, “I will tell them that there is no hell.” Satan replied, “That won’t work because there is so much evil on earth, they know there must be a hell.”

The third devil smiles and says, 'I’ll just tell them there is no hurry.

“Go,” said Satan, “tell them that and you will ruin them by the millions.”

We have to wake up to how the lion tries to convince us to do later what God is calling us to do NOW. We buy into the lie of I can just do that later, procrastination is keeping us from so much life and strength in God.

So, seek his power, wisdom, and love now.

Do whatever it takes to dwell in his truth now,

Establish connections with other Christians that you can go to in challenges now

living the purpose he has given you now,

knowing that

You will face the lion, but the Lord will stand by you and strengthen you, and He will bring you safely to your heavenly home

Gospel presentation:

At the end of his life, Paul was completely confident that God would bring him safely to His heavenly kingdom. But how could he be so sure? Because he trusted Jesus!

The question is, are you sure what will be next for you after this life? Jesus is standing by your side right now, asking to come into your life. Don't put it off anymore!

He wants to save you, from the eternal death that sin has caused in our lives. See sin is choosing to ignore God, to do what is evil..

The Bible is clear, a perfect God cannot overlook evil, there must be justice which means we deserve eternal separation from him, in Hell.

But in the greatest act of love in history, Jesus didn't abandon us. He stepped into the lions mouth, taking the punishment of justice for us. He took our death on the cross so He could give us His life. It is this beautiful exchange.

So that anyone believe in him as their savior and leader, could be rescued from eternal death and given eternal life. An eternity, where every chapter gets better and better.

Let’s just have everyone bow their head and close their eyes now. 

If you’ve never done this before, and you want to believe in Jesus and turn your life over to Him  

I urge you to respond. 

If that’s you, as a way to mark this day, and tell Him that you believe, in just a second, I’m going to ask you to raise your hand. 

Everyone has their eyes closed, so don’t think about that. 

If you need to tell Jesus that you believe, and you need His forgiveness…

If you’re ready to surrender to Him…

Raise your hand. 

For those of you with your hands raise, I want to pray with you.  

The Bible says we should believe in our hearts, but also confess Jesus with our mouths as our savior. 

So would you just repeat this out loud after me…whether you’re a brand-new believer or have been one for quite some time. 

Repeat after me

Dear God

I confess to you, that I have sinned against you.  

But God I believe, that you sent your Son Jesus, to take my place

And God I thank you, for forgiving my sins.  

And now I commit, to following you, with my life.  Amen.  

For those of you that just gave your life to Christ, I’ll come back up and give you some next steps at the end of the service.