You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. When he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me. May the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. This is God's word.
Does that day have any bearing on today?
Paul uses a phrase here and says that day. He's used this phrase already before in this letter and he'll use it again. Paul seems to be consumed with this phrase, that day. Which day is he speaking about? Well, the day of judgment, the last day. You can find this in Isaiah 64, 4, 1 Corinthians 2, 9. You find these words throughout the Bible, that day, a day that all of God's people should be looking forward to, a day of rejoicing, a day of gladness, a day when the trumpet will sound and the Lord will come back. Are you looking forward to that day? And that's the encouragement that Paul has been giving to Timothy.
Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, verse 7, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control. How can he say that? Because he said, Timothy, look forward to that day. Don't be overly consumed with today. Yes, of course, all things matter. I like to catechize the baseball players at Harrison High School and really the old head coach catechized me. And I asked the question to the players, what matters? And their response is, everything matters, coach. Yes, everything does matter. The details matter because God is in the details. And today does matter because today is the Lord's day. It's not your day, my day, it's his day, a day we should worship him. We should spend time resting and worshiping the Lord. But it's not just about today, it's about that day, a day when he will settle all accounts. And that's a day we should all be looking forward to. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come, please. We would love to see your return. We would love to see the day when there's no more sin.
Isn't that good enough? We usually rush to sorrow and sickness, but to have no sin, me, have no sin. I look forward to the day when I have no sin because my wife and kids will tell you I am a certified sinner.
Paul says, are you looking to that day, Timothy? And by the way, Timothy, I not only like to give you high theology, but I'm going to give you practical theology. Paul's going to give Timothy two examples. He's going to give an example of people who look to today as the most important day, and so they have short-term vision. They're selfish people, vigilance and homogenies. That's group number one. And those people turned away from Paul.
Then there's group number two, on a syphilis in his household, and they refreshed Paul. There's your points for today. Number one, turned away from me. That's what Paul says. And number two, they refreshed me. Two kinds of people. People who either look to today as the most important day or that day as the most important day, which will change today. It will change how you relate and love other people and how you will worship God through your life. So number one, let's take a look at turned away from me from verse 15. Go back to the text. He says, you are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are figilists and homogenies. What happens when people only look at today? Well, they turn away.
That's what he says here. Paul's describing what's going on there, and that people had turned away from him. Paul went to Ephesus, Paul preaches the gospel, Paul evangelizes, people come to faith. He sets up Timothy as the new pastor of the first Presbyterian church in Ephesus. Okay, I might be stretching it just a little bit. But Timothy's now the pastor. Paul's writing the letter to Timothy to encourage him. And he says, you're aware that they turned away from me. You know, you can follow Paul's historical account in the book of Acts. In Acts chapter 19 verse 9, it says that Paul not only preached the gospel, but he also taught the gospel. He said that last week, didn't he? From the text before, he said he preached and he taught. He preaches the good news, but he also enters into the hall of Tyrannus and he reasoned with them daily. This is Paul having a daily Bible study. You know, that would be a good philosophy for any ministry that they might give people multiple exposures to the gospel daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.
Just a good idea. Where does it come from? The Bible. Amazingly enough, if we just read our Bible and followed what the apostles did, it might be helpful to the people of God. It might be helpful to reach more people who don't know God. Says he went to the hall of Tyrannus in the middle of the day when everybody's taking a siesta. It's too hot for Tyrannus because he's not going in to philosophize. He might perspire. Paul goes in and preaches. He's like a Baptist preacher. He's wiping his head. He's drenched with sweat. He's preaching. He's teaching the good news. He's fired up about Jesus. He's sweating to death. It's a good cardio exercise. He doesn't care because people were coming to faith in Jesus Christ. He sets up shop in a secular place in a city so that people come and hear the good news and he reasons with them. He's not afraid to have a dialogue, to answer their questions. And he tells Timothy, this continued for two years, two whole years he does this kind of ministry. This is Acts chapter 19, verse 10, it says, this continued two years so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. Sometimes you just have to keep doing the same thing for a long time and God will bless it. And he blessed Paul's ministry there in Asia. But many of these people were just along for the ride with the emotions and the excitement. And here Paul says, you're aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me. They only cared about today and not that day. Look at the word aware in this text. He says, you are aware, Timothy, you're aware. Now we've already seen this Greek word oida, which means you have personal experience, personal knowledge. You know, the location there in Asia, you know, the capital is Ephesus. You've been the minister there, you know, these people. And in second Timothy chapter four, verse 16, he says, at my first offense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. They turned away from me. Paul's in isolation.
None of us were created for isolation. Paul was in isolation. Many of the people that he had preached the gospel to had now turned away. They were apostate. And Paul says here they turned, which is a negative connotation. They turned. Why is it negative? Because they turned away from something that's positive, something that's helpful, something that's beneficial.
These are like many of the people who walked through COVID and they did not return to their churches because maybe the Lord was actually sifting. God never misses the opportunity to use big and small things to strengthen those who are truly his. And Timothy is looking to his mentor and he sees him locked up in prison all alone and he says, they turned away from me.
You can hear the sadness in Paul's voice. They turned away.
Yes, Paul's a high intellectual, but Paul had feelings.
Paul says, I love those people. They turned away though. I thought they were, they were Christians. I thought they were walking with the Lord. It was only a show.
This should grieve our hearts when we know of people to do the same thing. You see them around the things of God and yet they walk away. This hurt Paul's heart so bad that he wrote about another guy in second Timothy chapter four verse 10. He says, for Demas in love with this present world had deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. He calls out another one. He says, I thought this guy was a Christian. I thought he was walking with us. I thought he was a part of the family and well, he's in love with the present world. Do we know anyone who's in love with the present world? Is it hurting your heart to see them walk away from the things of God and be lured and enticed by the things of this world?
Who are all these people though in Asia? I mean, it seems like a very broad term, right? Well, he gets specific and I always like to say, let's go back to the text. Look at verse 15 with me. He says, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. Uh oh, Paul did it. He named two people and he says, Phygelus and Hermogenes turned away from me. He got really specific. Paul names these people. 2,000 years later, we're still reading about Phygelus and Hermogenes. How would you like to be akin to those guys?
Yikes.
What do we know about these men? They're sinners.
What do we know about these men? Well, they're renegades. They turned away.
Paul sets them out as a bad example. Men who were only concerned with today and not that day. And you can almost hear Paul speaking to these men with Galatians 1, verse 6. I'm astonished that you're so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.
Paul was so full of Christ that he was not afraid to rebuke men, openly rebuke men in a letter to the church that would be circulated among other churches. Paul did this in 1 Timothy. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1, verse 19 and 20, he says, but rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I've handed over to Satan that they may not learn to blaspheme. Hymenaeus, Alexander, Phagelus, Hermogenes. Paul's a bad boy, isn't he? Because we can't do this in the contemporary church anymore, can we? We can't call out men who have drifted, who have become apostate.
Now some pastors will do it in our day, but very few. And Phagelus and Hermogenes were prominent men in Asia. That's all we know about these men. But Paul says, they've turned away. They turned away from me. They've turned away from Christ.
And Paul calls them out by name. Why? Well, first Paul named them to shame them.
I mean, this is shameful. As this goes around to the various churches, these men would have been shamed. Scripture is very clear that when men or women attempt to harm the gospel or create disunity and tension in the church, that a good elder should publicly shame them. But it's probably safe to say that Paul actually implemented Matthew chapter 18. Most assuredly. He probably went to them. He spoke with them. And then what does Matthew 18 tell us? Well, if they won't turn, tell it to the church. Paul told it to the church. Not only the church in Ephesus, not only the church in the first century, but to the church in 2023. Even the church today says, man, don't be like a Phagelus or Hermogenes.
What's Paul doing? He's doing exactly what Jesus has commanded us to do. So Paul first shames them openly, and Paul names them like any good pastor should do. He doesn't give them code names. He doesn't speak under his breath. He openly says, here are these two guys. They're bad examples. They're bad apples, and they poison the church. They're ravenous wolves who are trying to break up the flock.
Third, Paul names them, hopefully, to deter future Phagelus and Hermogenes. I don't know if that was the right way to say that.
Isn't that good that a pastor would love his flock so much that he would actually publicly name these people who are trying to scatter, who are trying to poison the church?
Fourth, God, the Holy Spirit, allows Paul to publicly shame them because he puts it in the canon of Scripture. You know, Paul writes multiple letters to Corinthians, and one of the letters we don't actually have because God, the Holy Spirit, said, no, Paul, you went off the rails and you sinned on this one. I can't let the people see it. And so we can't find that letter. There's reference to that letter, but we don't know where that letter's at. And amazingly enough, God, the Holy Spirit, says, there's my stamp of approval. Put their names in the book. Let everybody know.
Now that's when you know you've really messed up, when God says, we're good to go. I mean, this is kind of like Judas, isn't it? There's a long line of people who are around the things of God. They know some things of God. They know Scripture. People who are around Jesus, they get to see the miracles and the wondrous works. And yet in the end, they turn away.
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Judas's, Phygelus, Hermogenes. These are men in the Bible that we need to actually teach our kids about. Hey, you got these guys? And then there's some other guys that we need to look at. And here he says, be careful, because these are the kind of people that get close to you, and they're just waiting for a moment to stab you in the back.
They are like what I like to call cerebral assassins. They move in close. They get to know you. They act like your good friends. They support you. They help you. And then they look for that right opportunity to have their way with you. John Calvin preached a sermon on this passage, and he says, so when we see a whole country turn against God, we should say God is able all by himself to defend his truth. Yes, he is able to guard even when a whole country turns away. You know, Paul gave a strong condemnation to the Galatians. He says, but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be accursed. Therefore, those who are only concerned with today will turn away. But what about those who have their eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith? Well, they refreshed me. That's what Paul says here in verses 16 and 18. Go back to the text. This is point number two. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. When he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you will know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. What happens when people look to that day? Well, Paul says they refreshed me.
Why should the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus? He refreshed me. He revived me. He renewed me. He provided for me. He relieved me of a burden and obligations. Do you know that there's a power of presence? Many of you know this very well. Sometimes it's great just to go visit someone. You don't even have to talk. You can just sit in each other's presence and it's a comforting time.
You know, as a pastor, there are times when people are in the hospital and you go to visit them and you're driving there and you think, I have no idea what to say. Some people you've never even met. They're just a part of the church and you go to do your pastoral duty. You're thinking, what am I going to say to these people? I don't even know them. Sometimes it's just great when they see your face, a warm embrace. You don't have to preach a sermon. You just have to be present.
Onesiphorus was that kind of a man. If you look at the geographical landscape, Onesiphorus would have had to travel over 900 miles to get to Paul. 900 miles. They did not have a direct flight in those days. And he goes to far lengths to refresh Paul. Why?
Because Onesiphorus was more concerned with that day, the day that was to come in the future. And Onesiphorus refreshed Paul, a time of refreshing.
Presence and provisions go a long way. And Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul's chains. This would have been a cultural stigma.
You don't hang out with people who are in prison. But he goes to prison to spend time with Paul, to refresh him, to encourage him. And Paul says, that encouragement was so key for me. And Timothy, I want to encourage you. There's someone in this congregation that has a phrase he uses quite often. He'll say, be encouraged. Now some of you already know who I'm talking about. If you don't, ask around. You'll quickly find out he is a man of encouragement.
Onesiphorus says to Paul, basically, I bear in my body the marks of Jesus. I'm not ashamed of your chains, Paul.
I love you, Paul. I'm here to help you, Paul. You know, this is another great reason why we should do prison ministry. My dad did this years ago in Cartersville when he was a pastor there. Started a prison ministry. Guys who are not going to come to your church, obviously. But you go to minister to them, to preach the gospel, to see lives transformed. He likes to tell the story of one Sunday when he was preaching, and they were singing, I'll Fly Away.
Maybe they got a little excited and a couple of guys flew away over the back gate and took off. They found him later on. The gospel will move you. It moved Onisiphorus greatly to travel a long distance just to be with Paul, to encourage Paul, the power of presence. Don't overlook it, please. You can do it for someone in your life today, just being there for them.
Writer of Hebrews says, for God is not unjust, so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. This is what Paul's saying about Onisiphorus. He was a man who was willing to serve. Are you willing to serve? Are you willing to care for others? Are you willing to give up time, talent, and treasures to minister to other people? I've seen many of you do this over the years. You are, you are an Onisiphorus, and that's a huge encouragement. But do you know Onisiphorus was storing up treasures in heaven, not just here on earth. Paul wasn't able to pay him or give him anything. He was coming just to minister to Paul. Isn't that great? You see the super apostle Paul, who writes most of the New Testament, being ministered to by Onisiphorus. Who is this guy? He's not mentioned very much in the New Testament, but every time you see a big name, high profile pastor, there's an Onisiphorus somewhere encouraging, supporting that minister.
And I have a number of these kind of men in my life. If you don't have someone there to encourage you, begin to pray today. Ask the Lord to bring those kind of people into your life. And the best way that you can actually find an Onisiphorus is for you to be one.
You go encourage somebody. And it's amazing how the Lord begins to attract like-minded people, so that they would encourage one another. And Paul is doing this for Timothy. Timothy, stay focused on that day. First Corinthians 10.13, Paul says, no temptation has overtaken you that is uncommon to man. God is faithful. God is faithful. And he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with a temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. We do not seek the compliments of man as Christians. We are actually called to be contrarians, to go the opposite direction. And that's what Onisiphorus did for Paul.
And Paul says, may the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onisiphorus. Look back at the text. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onisiphorus. He didn't just say Onisiphorus, he says his household.
This is why, men, it matters what you're doing. You can either be a blessing or a curse to your family. The way in which you live out your life, encouraging others, supporting others, helping others, the Lord sees your works. He sees what you're doing.
And your actions actually not only touch you, but touch the lives of your family after you for many generations. Therefore, Paul says here, don't be overly concerned with today, but that day. The great day when Christ will return, when all counts will be settled. Because no one's getting away with anything.
That's the truth. No one. And on one hand, that's really comforting. On the other, it's really scary. Because if you know that you're a sinner, you're thinking, my goodness, I'm not getting away with that sin, and that sin, and that sin. But there is a way of escape through the Lord Jesus Christ. Because our sins can be cast on Christ. And Christ can take on that curse for our sin, so that we can receive blessing from the Father.
Does that day have any bearing or weight on your life?
That day, that's another promise from the Lord. We should stand on the promises of God. They're all through his scripture, and many times we overlook them. We don't look at the details, because what matters?
I was trying to catechize you there, but you're all good Presbyterians, so you won't speak.
Everything matters. Everything matters. Why? Because of that day. That day that's coming.
I want you to think about the Good Samaritan for just a minute. Which day was he fixated on? When we read the story of the Good Samaritan, we see that there were two men that were fixated on today. It was the priest and the Levi. And yes, I know all the historical context. They couldn't touch blood, and they couldn't go to worship at the temple. I know, I understand. But sometimes religious people get so fixated on today and on their calendars. Our calendars can be our slaves. Make us slaves. Tell us what to do. There are masters saying, you gotta go here, you gotta go do this, you gotta do that, you gotta do this thing, you gotta go do that. You don't have any time for that, you gotta move on. Think about the Good Samaritan.
Luke actually says in Luke 10.33, he had compassion. It's a very full and robust term in the Greek. It means that he loved God and loved people, and he was willing to stop what he was doing in order to help, in order to refresh someone who needed his help.
You know, Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. And Jesus Christ says that he came not to do his own will, but the will of him who sent me. Jesus Christ was not overly concerned with today, he was concerned with that day. Jesus Christ travels a long distance, travels from heaven to earth, to come down to refresh us, no better, to redeem us from the curse. The Lord Jesus Christ is always behind every text, and he's behind the Apostle Paul, driving him now, even as Paul writes this from prison. And Paul says, it's not about me, not about my woes, not about my problems, not about my cares, it's about encouraging other Christians as they walk through their daily lives. So Timothy, be encouraged. Remember Onesiphorus, you remember all his work in Ephesus, he was right there with you, and now he's right here with me. Are you willing to be like Christ and travel great distances? Do you know a Phygelus and Hermogenes in your life today? But better yet, do you know an Onesiphorus? But even better yet, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, the one who traveled a great distance to save you, to redeem you? And if you do, and you know that on that day, it's coming. And on that day, you will hear, well done, good and faithful servant, because of what Christ has done on your behalf. And you know that now, today, he'll never leave you nor forsake you. He'll be with you always to the end of the age. Paul says, will you refresh other Christians? Will you refresh others with your presence, provisions, your time, and your talent?
Let us pray.