Friendships that Betray and Bless - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

If you can please stand up again. I've been reported that there are some things happening in the nation of Israel, excuse me, at Lebanon, specifically. And, we have some people that are personally messaging some from the church, friends and family. I'm not too certain about the details, but there has been some kind of issues with, explosions and things that are affecting the gas lines. And and so now they are they have they have suffered enough, but now they are, seeing much, complications in terms of even the hospitals and how people are gonna be able to be maintained and taken care of.

So, things are looking very dire. There's risk of plugs being pulled and and many victims that are about to come about as a result of this. So we've been requested to pray for that nation this morning. And so would you just engage your hearts in faith that we serve a God who can revive nations and he can pour out his spirit. Father, we come before you, Lord, and we stand in the gap for the nation of Lebanon.

And Lord, we just ask in Jesus' name that you provide your miraculous power upon every complication there, Lord. We know that people in here have friends and family who are there and who are suffering. They have suffered and they're still suffering, Lord. And we're just asking that you would have mercy, oh God. Have mercy on this nation.

We pray, Lord, that through this, there would be a great cry toward the heavens and that, Lord, you would answer and that not one person would fail to realize that whatever happens is a result of the name of Jesus Christ. And so, Lord, we pray for your namesake. May this be an opportunity for you to be exalted and glorified in the Middle East. We ask, oh God, that you would raise up men of faith in this moment, in that place, that would stand, Lord, as beacons of light and would be examples of trusting in you. Lord, give the leaders wisdom.

Lord, let their knees hit the floor and let them call upon your name, oh God. Let it be shown through this that the prophets of Baal, no matter how much they cry out to their gods, will never receive an answer. But Lord, may those who represent you prove as Elijah did that there is one and true living God who answers when their people cry. And so we pray, oh God, that we would hear reports of a turnaround, that something would shift in Lebanon, and that there would be great salvation as a result. We ask these things with no doubt in our hearts that you are the God over the nations, including Lebanon.

In Jesus mighty name we pray, amen and amen and amen. We may be seated. Thank you for praying. If you're joining us for the first time, we are in a series in the book of second Timothy. And so please meet me there in second Timothy chapter one, and place your finger there in verse 15.

Paul continues to write to his faithful disciple and son of the faith, and he writes as we continue. You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phagalus and Hermogenus. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. But 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 well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

Heavenly father, this is your word. Lord, we pray for a special grace to preach it and to deliver it in a way that every man would disappear except the god man Christ Jesus. We ask, lord, that our hearts would be encouraged and stirred by the truths found in these verses and that we would be sanctified and we would be molded into the image of the one that we worship. Oh God, speak to our hearts. Bring salvation to this house.

Bring revival to this house. And Lord may you have what you desire from us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You and I would think that at this point of the Apostle Paul's life, after all that he sacrificed for the gospel, after all the people he touched through his Christ like example and sacrifice, after all the turbulent travels that he made to the churches that he planted, that the support system that the apostle Paul would have would be mountainous, that it would be enormous, that it would be unmatched.

I can't help but think of the imagery reading these verses of something in the Old Testament that when Moses and the leaders of Israel requested jewelry and precious stones and materials to build the tabernacle, there is one point where the people so came with devotion and with a willingness to give whatever it takes that Moses himself had to say enough. We have more than enough. You you don't have to continue here. We can stop now. The support was overwhelming, and you would think that Paul, at this point, ready to die, would be able to say the same thing to Timothy like Moses did.

I am overwhelmed. Those in Asia have come to me in the droves, and it's almost too much. But we don't read that. When you continue in this scripture, you realize that it's the exact opposite that this man experienced. All that are in Asia turned away from me.

This great apostle, this missionary, this man who preached the glorious message of salvation, who was a vessel to bring about miracles, who was a selected instrument that would be granting divine revelation for the rest of human history, is now sitting in a damp, miserable, dark hole all alone. The days of having somebody with him in a prison cell where he can sing hymns and pray at midnight are long past. This man now is dealing with the harsh reality that almost everyone he knows turned their backs on him. But in what way, as we read here, did they turn away from him? It seems as though they deliberately chose to not come to his defense or to speak up of his innocence.

Because you read that at the end. It says, no one came to my defense, meaning that it was possible for people to come and step in and say, hey. This man is innocent. He doesn't deserve to be in jail, yet no one came. And perhaps it was even more than that.

Perhaps it was people Christians, disciples that he raised up, people that witnessed the power of God through him when he passed through Ephesus in different places. They even said, we don't know who Paul is. We have no association with this man for fear that they would face the same fate as him being imprisoned for the truth that he proclaimed, denying their relationship with this father of the faith for the sake of self preservation. And when we parallel this verse with the following ones, we can make the clear observation that no one even had the decency to visit him, to visit him, to just step into the place and check up on him and and provide encouragement to endure this difficult trial. No one had the integrity to even step foot there, lest people would think that they are connected to him.

I read these verses, and guess what? I'm sure you too feel the same way. It's disheartening. But I'm also glad that the Holy Spirit found it necessary to include such verses. Why?

Because it is an honest commentary on the Christian experience. Today, I wanna talk to you about, through these verses, friendships that betray and friendships that bless. Because you and I are susceptible to experiencing both. And I want you and I, just in case, to know how to deal with betrayal because the bible has a lot to say about it. But also, I want you and I to see what it means to be a committed Christian to fellow Christians.

When we read this verse in verse 15, you are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are two specific men. The point that I wanna drive into our hearts this morning by the spirit of God is that great men and women of God are not exempt from great pain caused by others. Great men and women of God are not exempt from experiencing great harm, pain, disappointment from others. We have heard many times already that this text encourages us how to endure the pressures of persecution and being reviled for the gospel that we preach and believe in. That is to be expected.

That is basic Christianity. Any true sincere follower of Jesus Christ is aware that this world will resist and hate you for what you deem to be true. But what is unexpected for many believers, even sincere followers of Jesus Christ, is not what the world will do to you, but even the possible rejection and abandonment of those who once served with you, who once walked in the ranks that you walked in. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with that notion. Listen.

That somebody you've discipled or been discipled by, somebody that you poured your heart into, that you sacrificed time and energy for, someone that you were blessed by, that you were blessing, would treat you all for a sudden with an attitude or with a series of actions that would be deemed fit for an enemy. Serve Jesus Christ long enough and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Now, we're not speaking here of Christians that make mistakes and that sin against a brother or sister and realize and repent of it. I'm talking about serious offenses that don't make sense in the scope of Christian behavior. I'm talking about ongoing behavior that has no sign of remorse, no sign of grief, no sign of regret, no sign of repentance.

I'm talking about what many men of God experienced in this book. From old to new testament, you'll realize something, that one of the greatest griefs that a true sincere follower of Jesus Christ will face and feel is the betrayal of a friend. Listen to what David said in Psalm 55 verse 12 to 14. For it is not an enemy who taunts me, then I could bear it. It is not an adversary who deals insolently with me, then I could hide from him.

But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together within God's house. We walked in the throng. See what he's saying here? What I'm experiencing right now, this pain, this disturbance, it would make sense and I can handle it if I knew that it was coming from somebody who hated me, from somebody who hates my God and his laws.

I could bear it knowing that this person has an ambition because they do not have a regenerated heart to deal so treacherously with me, slandering me and hating me and gossiping about me because I've said it many times and I'll say it again. If you look at at most of the woes in the book of Psalms, it's not about swords and spears and wars, it's about people speaking about you that is not true. Rumors and lies. And here he's experiencing that, but he goes on to say, the subject of my prayer and the Psalm is not the enemy. It's somebody that I used to talk to in the house of God after service and we used to speak about God's faithfulness in our own lives.

Somebody that I would sit with over coffee, we would discuss ideas for worship songs. Somebody that I would travel to conferences to and we would spend the night in prayer as we desperately sought the Lord. He's saying, this is the kind of person that turned their back on me and it pains me. It grieves me. I'm calling out to God to give me mercy.

Now I read this psalm and I thought to myself, David is the one who is writing this, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it? If you did not know the author of this song, you could easily ascribe it to not David, but Uriah. The husband of Bathsheba. I would think that Uriah would have written these words if he was alive to tell the experience that he felt with David's betrayal to him. Why do I bring up that point?

I bring up the point because this kind of sting, this kind of unbelievable one eighty can come from anyone. It could come from the most unpredictable, the least suspicious. And whether David wrote this before or after the incident with Bathsheba, there is no denying that he caused the same pains to others, specifically Uriah, his friend, one of the mighty men. And I think here that it's appropriate to ask, but how? How does a Paul experience this?

How does a David endure this? How does Jesus experience it? Well, there are many reasons and the reasons are endless. Oh, the causes are many. Regarding Paul's situation, it was persecution.

When persecution comes, it reveals where people really stand with Jesus and fear was exposed and there was a care for self and the citizens of Asia said, we want nothing to do with Paul. And we don't know if they went to the extent of saying, we want nothing to do with this gospel, but saying no to Paul meant a lot. When it comes to the infamous scene here with David, we realize that whoever he was speaking about, it could have been Ahithophel. People believe it was Ahithophel, the wise men in his council group that had the wisdom of God who all for a sudden when Absalom rose up against his own father to take over the kingdom, Ahithophel said, I'm going with him. And started giving advice to David's son of how to kill David.

Why? Bitterness. Bitterness was the reason for his betrayal. David slept with Ahithophel's granddaughter, Bathsheba. Look at the genealogies and you'll discover that.

And so when he found out the news of what he did, he said, from now on, you're a dead man. I'm gonna use my counsel to destroy you. When you think about Moses and the sons of Korah, concerning Korah namely, their father who rose up a rebellion against his authority. Him and Aaron saying, who who do you think you are that you're a leader? We have the same capacity.

Move out of the way. Psalm one zero six sixteen tells us that it was because of jealousy with men in the camp that caused them to try to usurp the authority of one man that God called. When you look at other places, you realize that it's lust, you realize that it's greed, you realize that people are selfish enough to destroy something so sacred and holy as a friendship, like David and Jonathan's for the sake of personal gain. Oh, the reasons are endless and let me give you one more. Satan himself, in order to try to derail a faithful servant of God, is so conniving and so sneaky that even within somebody in that close circle of that man or woman of God, if there's a foothold, he'll use that person to bring about betrayal to ultimately destroy someone else through your life.

I. E. Judas. Judas. The greatest picture of betrayal to the greatest man who have ever lived.

And we are told something about Judas in Luke 22. Listen to these words and verse three. Luke 20 two:three tells us, then Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, who's of the number of the 12. Satan entered into Judas, revealing something about Judas. Satan entered because there was a door with no lock on it.

And the door that had no lock in it was Judas's sense of anger and frustration with the Son of God. Do you know why? Because it came to a point where he realized that Jesus talking about his own death was becoming a reality. And there was a moment there where a woman anointed Jesus head and feet before his entry into Jerusalem, And Judas was there and says, this is a waste. What are you doing?

We could have given this to the poor. And Jesus repeated what he had said so many times. She's anointing me for my burial. And then it finally, it dawns on him. This Messiah, this one who we've been waiting for, this one who recruited us and was willing to give us prominent positions in his kingdom is actually going to die?

You set me up here. If you're gonna die, then I'm gonna get some money out of it. And so he turns around, and because of his greed, because of his ugly nature, and because he had a false view of what it meant to follow Jesus, Satan found a door. I can work through this man. And he does.

And when he works through him, on the same night he goes on to do something that is appalling and that is necessary for discerning people. When you go to Mark's account, we read in verse 14, rather chapter 14 verse 44. Now the betrayer, that's what he's called. See betrayal is heavily influenced by the enemy. And the betrayer who had given them a sign saying, the one I will kiss is the man, seize him and lead him away under guard.

And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, Rabbi. And he put his betraying lips on the perfect cheek of the Son of God and gave a kiss. So many truths to learn from this scene, many heartbreaking truths. And let me give you one of them. Even though someone displays public admiration or affection for Christ, does not mean that their hearts are in the right place.

Here you have Judas showing some kind of affection. Here you have Judas giving a kiss. And I wanna say this, that public affection for Jesus does not equate public intimacy or private intimacy for Christ or with Christ. Oh, you have many people in services just like us, amen. Hallelujah.

Tears during worship. Serve in multiple ministries. Give to churches, but they're betrayers. But they're betrayers. Judas is teaching us that here.

That to everybody in that place, he looked like a friend. In fact, he was so unsuspecting when Jesus, having that last supper with his own, he says, tonight, one of you will betray me. You know what didn't happen? The disciples going, we knew it. It's Judas.

Judas, we found you out. We knew it all along. No. No. No.

No. No. Every single one of them said, is it I, Lord? Is it I? Is it I?

They didn't even think for a moment that Judas would betray Jesus. That's how much he blended in. That's how much he seemed as a sincere follower of this Messiah and even comes with a kiss as a sign of his betrayal, proving once again that there's some evidence of someone where they stand with Christ is not is not to be measured in how they express their devotion to him in the public sphere, in their post, and even what they do. This calls for discernment. It really does.

When we come here back to second Timothy, we realize something, That there are two men that Paul highlights, Phagalus and Hermogenes. And for some reason, he highlights these two men in verse 15 and we don't know why he doesn't explain why he does this, but this is interesting. These are the only names that we see, the only reference to these two men in all of the Bible, and the only connection that they have in the scriptures is to unfaithfulness. Can you imagine that your names in the Bible are just given to that? These two men here are being put on the scene for being people who could not withstand, who could not endure, who could not stand their ground.

And I think to myself, Paul, why these two men? There is many. You said, all who are in Asia. You're saying, there's a general people that said no, that that walked away from you. Why these two men?

Well, here's one thing we know for certain. Paul had a practice that whenever he brought up somebody's name in the Bible, it was not for the sake of slander, it was not for the sake of gossip, it was always for the sake of either warning somebody else or exposing them because their behavior is affecting others. Proof of that. You're in second Timothy. Right?

Go to chapter four. Look at verse 14. He does it again. He names another name. Verse 14.

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be aware of him yourself, for you strongly oppose our message. There is a place to name names. There is a place to warn other Christians.

There is a place for God forbid that even from the pulpit, leaders would have to say, beware of so and so, because of their corrupting influence in the minds of other believers, sincere believers. And it could be that these two men that Paul mentions in this verse, is so that Timothy would be aware because they not only turned their back on Paul, but they began to slander him and give false accusation of why they turned their back on him, so that they could save face. And Paul wanted Timothy to know, I want you to know the true motives behind what these men are saying. I want you to realize that they abandoned me. It's not because of what I've done.

But it could be more simple than that. It could simply be for the reason that these two men in Paul's mind and even in Timothy's mind, were the least suspecting people that would turn away from him. Maybe they were church elders, maybe they were missionaries, maybe they were ministry partners to Paul. And it's as though he's saying, hey, Timothy, even Phileas, even Parmogenes turned away from me. I see the humanness of Paul here.

I see a man who endured much, but can also express pain when he knew pain. I don't see some man that was invincible. I see a man who was very much real with the things that disappointed him and expressing it in a righteous way. And it should be noted that this is not Paul's final thought about this experience that he had. Because had he had stopped here, that would be one thing.

It would encourage us that we can be broken before people. It would encourage us to say, it's okay, like the psalmist, to even cry out to God for what we've experienced from others, the pain and the disappointments. But he doesn't stop here. This is the human side of Paul, but then we see something supernatural in Paul at the end of the letter because he brings it up again. Second Timothy four verse 16.

At my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them. May not be charged against them. You know, it's one thing, as we learned about forgiveness two weeks ago, it's one thing to experience something, and we know forgiveness in a great part is what? Not making it your endeavor and even in your meditation to to try to bring wrath to somebody who hurts you.

But this man goes beyond that. Because we all know vengeance belongs to the Lord. We all know that if somebody's gonna do something to you, you leave God to do the judging work. But Paul goes beyond that. I wanna know what this man had and I want it for myself and I hope you would want it too.

This man not only he could have said, God will judge them and he would have been totally right and totally righteous. He says, no. May the Lord not hold it against them. I'm ease I'm even asking that the Lord Jesus would not discipline for them them for this. I'm asking the Lord would with hand withhold his hand from smiting them and that they would be set free.

How? How do you come to that point? What possesses your heart to actually sincerely say, let my debtors go. Lord, let my debtors go. And I think one strong motivation was because of the mercy that Paul experienced for himself.

A murderer and a persecutor of the church. He knew the depth of forgiveness that he experienced. He knew the mercy that was granted to him, and he could not. He would dare not hold it back from anybody else. Lord, what you did for me, do it for them.

And the greatest way to forgive amongst many reasons is when you understand your depravity, when you understand where you are today and what God will use you for tomorrow is based on the mercy of God alone. And had God been what you and I might want from others, we would hate it. We would despise it. And therefore, we would say, Lord, do not bring it to anybody else. This man understood mercy even in the place where I mean, you're not gonna come to me when you know I'm about to die may not be held against them.

Now when I read these things to you, my goal here is not to make you paranoid about people. You know what I'm saying? It's like, oh, I'm gonna leave here, and I have to question every relationship in my life. Even yours, pastor. I don't know who you are.

It's not it's not a message to try to get you to distance yourself from other people and to question everything. Maybe maybe this person's a Judas, maybe he's a Judas. That's not that's not the point. Because these verses here today are less about warning us of the type of people that can hurt us and turn their backs on us, and more about contrasting two examples of what it really means to be a committed Christian. Because after this negative example from these two men, he flips in verse 16 to speak about one other man.

And he says here, may the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy on the Lord on that day. Listen, that's our focus. This verse is our focus for this morning, not about what other people to do.

Listen. Your duty is not to try to discern what people will do to you. Your duty is to be a person that will bless others no matter what. That is your duty. Your duty this morning is verse sixteen and seventeen.

Why I brought up verse 15 was so just in case you were enduring what this man experienced, you can know you were not alone. You can know that men, great men, faithful men, holy men have been burned by other people, and that this trial, this furnace is not foreign. It's a familiar thing for the saints. Now let's move on from that. Let's move on so we don't sound like victims in life.

And let's look to the example that Paul brings up, the Holy Spirit brings up. He contrasts these two individuals with one. And there are things that we can learn from this one man because just like the two others, he is only mentioned in this book. He's not mentioned anywhere else. And the association that you make with his name has to do with faithfulness, devotion, unbreakable commitment.

But there are lessons. There are lessons here because he's being praised. He's being cherished. He's even being brought before the throne of God. And Paul says, may the Lord have mercy on him on that day.

You think, well, what did he do to deserve such attention for Paul to take time and to take space out of his papyrus to say, look at this man, Timothy? It's because the Holy Spirit wants you and I to know that there is a commitment level that all of us in here can reach, and you don't need a YouTube channel, and you don't need a pulpit, and you don't need a blog to be influential for the kingdom of God. There's three points out of these verse I wanna take concerning this man. And the first one is this. He was a well, a deep, deep well of encouragement.

Notice what Paul says, for he often refreshed me. He often. Now he could've said he refreshed me. No. He says, he often refreshed me.

Every time I came into contact with this man, I was blessed. And the word there, refresh, is is almost to say cool off from the effects of heat. It's as though he replenished me. It's as though I I have fresh energy as as a result of his relationship with me. And I think to myself, well, what did he do?

He could have done many things, but it all had the same effect that this man, Paul, wanted to keep going as a result of his friend. He sensed a fuel and a grace to say, I can keep moving. I long to keep going because of what he's saying, because of his presence, because of his words. And you and I have to understand something. We can become Christians.

We can become Christians so genuine and filled with the Holy Spirit that our presence alone can bring healing to others. Our presence alone can bring healing to others. You and I can be the type of believer that when we relate to other believers, what do you do? You make their burden lighter. They feel a grace.

They feel a a breath of fresh air. They they sense a lightness. They sense a joy because of your involvement and your interaction with them. And Paul says, he often refreshed me. He often refreshed me.

You know what's amazing is that Paul was a revivalist. Paul, when he went into cities, one of two things happened. There were either riots or revivals. Every time he would go somewhere, no matter where it was, he would cause a ruckus for the kingdom of God. And this man, at some points, was so anointed with the Holy Spirit that people would take their napkins, they would come up and rub it on his skin, and then they would go to sick people and lay it on, and they would get healed.

And this man who shook villages and towns and governments, this man had a personal revivalist in his life. This man had one individual that knew how to refresh him as he refreshed neighborhoods and cities and regions. And what's so amazing about this friend is that one godly friend can outdo all the horrific work of 10 professing Christians. One godly friend. Paul says, all in Asia turned away from me.

But let me tell you about one. He often refreshes me. And Paul is praising him for that because he's been revived on so many occasions and you know what I learned from this? That even Paul the Apostle needed to be refreshed. Even the Apostle Paul himself felt drained, he felt tired, maybe he felt discouraged.

And you know what? He wasn't one of those spiritual people that say, yes, you know, the way I feel myself is I climb up that mountain and I fast and pray for three weeks or I isolate myself from everybody else for a few for a few days. All of that is wonderful and all of that works, but he was not ashamed to say, my friend refreshes me. He wasn't less spiritual because of that. He wasn't less godly or less of a man who walks with the Lord because he has long phone calls with people who just say, Paul, it's okay, man.

Just keep going. You've blessed me so much, Paul. You know, if you hadn't passed through Asia in Acts 19, I probably wouldn't be saved. I wanna let you know that your efforts are not in vain. It's okay, brother.

People are weak, they're they're they're turning their backs on you, but I'm here for you. And Paul would sense this energy. He would sense this this this grace filling his soul and saying, yeah, thank you. Thank you. I don't feel guilty when I need to be refreshed by others.

And I finally found a verse to give me biblical reason and commentary of how I feel when I walk into this church for the services. And I see your presence here and I get to shake your hands and hear what God is doing. When I come into this prayer meeting, you've heard me say it many times, I feel refreshed and here's the verse, I found the verse, where Paul himself can say, yeah, that's what I felt too. He often refreshed me. You wanna be a revivalist?

Be a revivalist to the revivalist. Be a revivalist to the one who goes out into the front lines. God may call you into the front lines, but if he doesn't, you can still be a revivalist in a different way. And bless somebody. Bless a hardworking servant of the kingdom of God who's in full time ministry and who is dealing with devils and demons.

And just say, hey, keep going. Keep going. I'm gonna put somebody on blast, and I don't know if he's watching this because he's not from here, he's not even from the state. I wasn't even planning to say this, but I hope it encourages you. He doesn't he doesn't even we don't text often.

I met him once at a conference. He was another speaker. And from time to time he'll send me a voice message. You know who I'm talking about, right? From time to time he'll send me a voice message and sometimes it's like an eight second voice message.

And one time, the latest one he sent me, and all it was was this, Daniel, keep going brother. Keep going. And that's it. And it blessed me. I said, brother, this was the perfect timing.

Thank you so and he didn't answer my text. He just left me the voice message. Daniel, keep going, brother. Keep going. He often refreshed me.

But it's more than that, because he says here, he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. This man was not only someone who was a well of encouragement, he was also there with him through the thick and thin. That's a friend. You know, we can argue that there is great motivation for people to serve somebody else when they have something to offer in return or to be associated with somebody else even in the form of service because they have a prominent position or status in Christian culture, but that was not Paul. Paul wasn't getting much YouTube views on his sermons at this point.

Paul was not getting interview opportunities or conference invitations at this point. He was being pushed into the background. Nobody wanted anything to do with him. And Paul certainly had nothing to offer anybody as he was wrapped in chains. But this friend of his did not determine his devotion to his brother based on what he could offer him or what other people thought about him.

His bold stance for the gospel was enough. His willingness to stand for his Lord was enough. And this man that we read of this morning was loyal in all seasons. Loyal to his Lord and being loyal to his Lord, he was loyal to one of the servants of the Lord. And so he was not ashamed.

He was present when it was easy to be distant. And he was involved even when he knew that there was a high cost to his involvement with Paul. You realize him going to Rome with the Emperor of this time put him at great risk of being arrested himself? Of being thrown into the same cell or being executed even earlier? He could care less.

My brother's in a prison cell. I need to get to him. I'm not embarrassed about his chains. I'm not embarrassed about where he's at. I don't even care what other people are saying about him.

I know he's a man of holiness, a man of integrity, a man of truth. And through him, I'm indebted to him because it's very likely that again in acts 19, as Paul traveled through, that through that missionary work, this man here was saved as a result. So he's saying, I'm gonna go see him. And what's so particularly encouraging about this man not being ashamed of the chains of Paul, go to chapter four again and look here in verse nine and ten. Paul says to Timothy, do your best to come to me soon for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

Demas in other epistles was mentioned more than once. And Demas is mentioned as a ministry partner to Paul, meaning he was a full time preacher with Paul. He was an assistant to this church planter. That was his full time job. This man that we read of in chapter one, we have no indication that he was an elder, no indication that he was an evangelist, all we know is that he was a father of a household and a friend to Paul.

And here you have a man who was not in full time ministry showing more devotion to Christ than somebody who was in full time ministry. Demas went and and he pursued the world though he was in a place where he had the title and he was on the website and people heard him preach. And yet, I see a man here who is a father of a household that showed more steadfastness than some pastor. You think you need to be a pastor, You think you need to have a name? You think you need to write some books for people to see and for God to see that you are a man or a woman of God?

No. You can be a husband. You can be a mother of three. And all you have to do is be unashamed of the gospel and watch how God will use you. He was with him through the thick and thin, even when it would cost him, which brings us to the next point.

17, but when he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me. He searched for me earnestly and found me. Finding people is not as easy back then as it is today. He didn't know find my friends on your iPhone there. This is a man who traveled from Ephesus, because we learned that his household was in Ephesus, he traveled to Rome for one main purpose, I need to find my friend Paul.

And you can imagine what that looked like. You can imagine him leaving his wife and his kids behind saying, I have to go find Paul. I don't know where he is, I don't know what Roman prison he is, but I will find him. And I just wonder what it was like for him to pray as he traveled behind some kind of chariot or something. I wonder what it was like for him to just run through the streets and talk to taverns, people in taverns and Roman officials.

Do you know of this man Paul? Have you heard of him? I think so. He was arrested at this place and and he would run and I I I'm just wondering the meals that he skipped. And the times where he would just sit on the side of the room saying, Lord, where is he?

Lord, where is he? Let me find him. Please, let me find him. Finally, one day, by God's providence, he's led to the right prison and who knows how this Roman official said, yeah, I'll let you in. Come on in.

And he approaches that dark, stingy cell and he sees the the apostle that led him to Christ potentially just sitting there in the corner. Is Paul, I'm here. It's me. I wonder what Paul's eyes look like when he looked up and he heard the voice of his friend. And if I were to describe this kind of effort without telling you the goal of it, you would think that this person is a missionary.

You would think that this person is probably seeking for lost souls and he's wanting to desperately preach the gospel. No. He wasn't running around in some jungle. He wasn't running around trying to plant a church. He wasn't running around doing evangelistic crusades.

He was doing all of this for one sole purpose, to encourage. To encourage. To be present with somebody who needed presence. He was on a mission for a lonely soul. That's it.

All of that, all of that traveling, all of that sacrifice, all of that time set aside, all of that effort, all that weariness to the mind of the body, all of that for one thing, I have to sit with Paul. Do we esteem encouragement to such a value? Do we believe in the potential and the power of such such things? The bible esteems it. The Bible praises it.

But we're chasing after different things, bigger things. The crowds, the numbers. No. Don't limit yourself. Don't limit your efforts and your energy to such a thing.

There are some saints even this morning who are trapped in their homes because of sickness. There are some people who are paralyzed for different reasons within their rooms. And here's an example of a man that Paul praised and was blessed by because of a noble thing of making the effort to just come and be there. I'm sorry if that doesn't impress your spiritual goals, but we have to be sobered and humbled and we need to be brought low to see how this thing really lives out. And now we might not relate because we're not living in a day yet where pastors are being arrested yet.

We're not living in a day in which Christians are being thrown into cells. But I look at this attitude of a man who knew the value of his own presence, not in pride, but in humility and in a sense of duty as a fellow brother in Christ. And I wonder, this attitude coming from him, is it seen in us when it comes to our local churches? Is it seen in us in how we approach the assembly of the brethren? Do we see that kind of devotion and determination and undistracted pursuit to be present knowing that me being here as you are here today can refresh others and can lift them up.

This is a feeling that's been with us in this church, and I pray that it will only magnify despite number. It is so true that in this place that when somebody is not here for a weekend, everyone feels it. Where's so and so? And text messages will go out. It should be that way.

It should really be that way. But But I wanna let you know here, I see something. I see a mindset that flies in the face of our culture that is so self centered. Here's a person who didn't use personal projects, who didn't use his work, his business opportunities, or the overwhelming sense of laziness to be an obstacle for him to say, I need to be with my brethren today because today is the Lord's day. Today is the Lord's day, and my presence, according to God's word, contributes something to the reviving work of the body of Jesus Christ, so I will be there.

This man pushed through borders. This man left his family behind. This man pursued one soul, and I believe it is a perfect reflection of how you and I should be jealous to be with one another when God calls us to be together, Because there's power with that. When we understand that each of us has something to contribute to another, like this man, we will bulldoze over everything to make sure that we bless. Look what he says at the end as we conclude here in a moment.

May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day, and you well know that all the service he rendered at Ephesus. He's like, Timothy, you know about this man. You know about his service. But interestingly enough, he prays for him. He says, may the Lord grant him to find mercy on the Lord on that day.

What was he not saved? And on that day, speaking of the judgment day, speaking about judgment day. This may be a foreign concept to you, but it's biblical. Christians are gonna be judged. There is a judgment day for every single professing Christian, but there's two different judgment days.

There's one called the great white throne that is for unbelievers that will determine the degree of their punishment in hell. But there's another judgment seat for Christians called the judgment seat of Christ, which will determine not whether you're saved or not, but the degree of your reward in the world to come and in heaven. And that day is unavoidable. You can't send your pastor to stand for you. You can't send mommy and daddy to be there as your representative.

Every single one of us who have reached the age of understanding will stand before the Lord, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself will evaluate our lives. What did you do with the gifts that I've given you? What did you do with your time? What did you do with your resources? And based on that eval evaluation will determine the eternal rewards that Jesus preached over and over and over again.

And Paul realizing what he experienced from this man is petitioning to Jesus himself saying, would you extend mercy to him on that day? Would he know an extension of your grace and of your reward and of your pleasure because of his efforts toward me? And I think to myself, how could Paul say such a thing? Because Jesus said it in a different way. And here's our final text in Matthew chapter 10.

Turn there with me, please. And I'm sure as as I've said before, when we come to the judgment seat of Christ, we're gonna see Jesus rewarding and measuring worth in a way that will shock Christians. Really, Lord? All he did was visit. Yes.

But he refreshed my servant. What about this man? He he was a missionary for so many years. Yeah. But he fell in love with the world, so all of that turned to ash.

We're gonna be shocked on judgment day. I'm telling you. I think we're gonna see a lot of Christians with their jaws dropped on that day. Because in our minds, we look at superstar Christians that have grand names and and they have all this presence, and I believe we're gonna see people that we did not even know existed wearing the greatest crowns. Matthew 10 verse 40.

Look what Jesus said. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. And the one who receives a righteous person, because he's a righteous person, will receive a righteous person's reward. Interesting.

Jesus is saying something that if there's a man that comes to you who's a messenger, a prophet, a declarer of the gospel, and you open your heart to him and that you offer service to him, you will know a reward, a prophet's reward. And if there's a righteous man and you embrace him and you're hospitable and you, invite him into your life and you contribute something to him, you will know a righteous man's reward. And some interpret that to say, well, when you help somebody who's a minister, their ministry will bless you. When you help a servant of Christ and their efforts for the kingdom, their service will help and bless you. But I don't think that's what it means.

I don't think that's what it means because look what he says in verse 42. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. So there's three categories, prophet, righteous, little children. And the little children is not talking about the ones in Sunday school right now. No.

Little children. Right? And then he goes on to say, because he is a disciple. Little children is a way of Jesus describing a Christian who seems unimportant, insignificant, isn't popular, isn't somebody who has a public gift and is is blessed to the masses. No.

It's somebody that kinda just blends in. And he names these categories to illustrate a point that when you, yes, you, and when I seek to contribute anything, whether it's a prophet or a righteous man or even a disciple who has no name, you helping them in their service will guarantee a shared reward for their service. In other words, when you extend grace, when you assist, when you help, when you encourage even, the reward that the Lord will give them will actually be shared with you. You say, well, what do I have to do? Give a certain amount?

No. You just read it. Even if you quench their thirst for that hour of the day, you will not go unrewarded. That makes sense what Paul is saying. Lord, let there be mercy extended to him for what he has done for me.

What did he do? He stopped by. He stopped by for a few hours and maybe for a few days, maybe for a weekend visit, and that was enough for Paul to understand that this man deserves reward because he has rewarded me. I want you to think about how amazing that truth is. I can share in somebody else's reward not by doing the same work that they're doing, but simply aiding their work for the kingdom of God.

Can you imagine that? So let me give you another shock for the judgment seat of Christ. I believe we'll be shocked when we realize that the Lord will say, and you're rewarded for this. For what? And he begins to show you things that you thought were insignificant, that were simple.

Can you imagine that day when the Lord would say, you know, you sent a text message. You said, keep going brother. Keep going in that eight second voicemail. And it was like a surge of power to your brother. So here's a reward.

That's exactly what Jesus is saying here. And he's praying. He's praying for this person. And in God's eyes, he will commend everything from a man like Paul who revived cities and also the friend of Paul who revived the revivalist. I wanna stir you because everything that I just mentioned this morning is possible for all of us to achieve.

Every single one of us in this place can walk in the same steps of this mysterious man that we mentioned this morning. You can be a well of encouragement. You can be with your brothers and sisters through the thick and thin. But the most convicting part as I close, I may say that a few more times by the way, is that he went and searched for Paul. He went and he diligently investigated to find out where he was.

It's one thing to do good when the opportunity presents itself, it's another thing to search the opportunity for yourself. So the man wasn't just waiting for Paul to travel by one day, the man was looking desperately for that door. He was the one that wanted to make things happen. He put in the effort. He initiated it.

And I think and when I read that, I thought to myself, yeah, it's true. Oftentimes, my efforts to do good are just when the chance comes up and I think, oh, maybe I can take advantage of this moment instead of creating those opportunities for myself. May God give us wisdom. May God help us. This message is very simple this morning, but it will go long ways.

In fact, it will affect the way you and I meet with Jesus when he returns. And I wanna let you know, no matter who you are in this place, if you're a true born again believer, you can know a prophet's reward. You can know a righteous man's reward. And if you don't know a prophet personally or a righteous man personally, Jesus goes on to say, there's no excuse here, even the little ones. And when you give a glass of water, I see that and I ask one of my angels to lock it down in the books.

You will be rewarded for such a thing. There's a lot of new faces here today. I wanna say welcome. It would do a great disservice for me because I see people come and go and I have to preach the gospel to you as I close. This message was for believers.

But if you're in this place and you're not a Christian, this has no relevance to you. Because doing good things doesn't get you to heaven. Doing good things will not get Jesus to smile at you and to give you a reward or to even grant you eternal life. No. Everything here was from the place of being saved by Jesus Christ through faith and his grace alone.

And so here's what I'm gonna ask you today, I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm not asking you to change your behavior. I'm gonna ask you to be a better moral person. I'm gonna ask you to have certain convictions. I'm gonna ask you one thing, do you know that your sins are forgiven?

Do you realize that you've sinned against God? That you've wounded the holy commandment that God has declared over the universe? And do you realize that you deserve eternal punishment because you have sinned against an eternal God? Do you realize that today? Or do you think you're a good person?

Some people say, well, I'm not a sinner. And in first John tells us, if anybody says he does not sin, he's a liar. So there you are. You just lied. Welcome to the club.

The point I wanna make is this, you know you have sinned. You know that your thought life alone condemns you. You know that there are things that you've done in the secret, in private, that you have not shared with one soul. You know that there are things that you've looked on in a screen that even if the closest person knew that you looked at it, you would change your address. But I wanna tell you something.

The acknowledgment of that sin in your life is the first step, but it's not the final one. Because no matter how filthy and dark and disgusting and vile your behavior has been, There is one who knows it all, and knows it all, and has taken all of it and placed it on his own shoulders and received the punishment for every single drop of iniquity. Every single sin that you have committed, every single one, not one was exempt. When Jesus Christ came on and took on flesh, he took your sin and he transferred it to his perfection. And he went on that cross as a sinless man, but becoming sin, your sin, so that God's holy wrath will be poured upon him.

And here you are, knowing that he did that two thousand years ago and walking through your life, not even thinking a thought about how that relates to you. Right? Not thinking for a moment what a high price was paid as you waltz on with your plans and your dreams and your desires, not realizing that all of your dreams and your desires are gonna meet the grave one day. And you will stand before the one who paid that price for you and will hold you accountable for ignoring this gospel. But he pays this high price.

He pays this high price, and then he uses moments like this to get your attention. And for somebody to say, would you look at the cross? Would you just would you just lay off the phone for a moment? Would you stop thinking about your grumbling stomach for just a second and realize what Christ has done for you? And realize that he had you in mind?

Yes, he had the father's glory, but he had you in mind when he died on that cross. People pull their hair in frustration about the concept of hell and I always reply, well what more does God need to do than die in your place to rescue you from such a place? And so I wanna tell you today, your sin put him on the cross, but he willingly went to the cross so that you would be free from your sin. And that when you realize what he's done on the cross, when you realize that he took your punishment from the holy wrath of the father, by repenting of your sin, meaning you see what your sin does and you turn away from it willingly and embracing this gift of faith, you would know Jesus' perfection transferred to you. And that you would stand as though you live the life of Christ before God Almighty.

And that when you do stand before God because you will stand before God and I will stand before God, I want to see you at the judgment seat of Christ. I don't wanna see you at the Great White Throne. It's a gift. It's a gift so profound, it's a love so sublime that it will cause you to do things like this man Paul did, to go to prison cells and to be tortured for this message. It will energize you in such a way and motivate you and frame your convictions to such a degree that you will sacrifice your own flesh if need be, so that others can hear this gospel.

Do you have that gift? Do you know in your heart, do you know down deep inside, I have responded to this message? Do you know that your life has been transformed as a result of it? Is there substantial evidence that I am a true follower of Jesus Christ? Because I can tell you this, I grew up in church my whole life and it was until 20 years old where I made that dedication fully.

So I'm speaking to those who grew up in the house of God. Do you know? Hey, all of you this morning, after the service, can stand before me and point the finger and say, you're not a child of God, and it wouldn't affect me one bit. I'd say, well, that's your commentary. I'll see you later.

Because I know that I belong to him. The spirit bears witness within me that I'm his child and he'll bear witness in you. All of hell can belch out their lives towards you and you can have a security of God's grace that will take you to the shores of eternity. So I'm asking you today before you leave, I'm not here to give you a pep talk. That's why I'm concluding this way.

I'm not giving you a pep talk on how to be a better person and encourage others. God forbid. Fall at the foot of the cross. God's not asking you to change your behavior. If there's any acknowledgment of your behavior is that it's wicked and depraved, and he is righteous and good.

And despite your sin, he will pick you up and embrace you and change you and then use you for his glory. Do you know this truth? Is it in you? Is your heart there? I'm not asking if you were baptized as a baby.

I'm gonna ask you if you hold to sacraments. I'm asking you if you know him. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ. And some of you are so weighed down by depression, suicidal thoughts and a cloudiness that this doesn't even penetrate. So let me tell you this, yes, he forgives you but he also sets you free.

I'm telling you this gospel doesn't just forgive you of your record, actually transforms you to the innermost core of who you are. He liberates you, man. The the bondages that people are paying money for, to know some kind of freedom and all it takes is a response to this gospel and you'll know the depth of freedom that nothing and no one can buy. That's how real this Jesus is. His gospel's true.

This is not an invitation for you to not sleep in on Sunday morning and come to a place and sing a few songs. This is for you to know the living Christ who loved you and who still loves you and is calling you home. And so receive it today. If you do not know and you have questions, you come and see somebody in this place, including pastor Daniel and myself, until you do know. So that you can leave here, and that every sermon concerning you as a Christian will make sense from that foundational place.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Lord, we thank you for the practical wisdom that you've provided for us through these verses. Lord, we think about the potential pain that can come from others, and perhaps many in here have experienced that. An episode in life that did not reconcile with how this person could be a follower of Jesus and do such a thing, and they even even asked him for forgiveness.

They even even repented of it. Lord, would they know down deep inside that they are in the fellowship of your sufferings? That they're experiencing what you experienced in the person of Jesus Christ, what David experienced, what Paul experienced. Lord, may you give us the grace to say it may not be held against them. But, Lord, more importantly, may you help us be like this man that we read of who was a friend to Paul, who was a well of encouragement, who was there for for thick and thin, and who made the effort, who was intentional of doing good even at his own expense, knowing that such things are treasured by you.

Help us know the power. Help us know the grace that can be known to another person's life through our words, and even through an arm around somebody's shoulder. Make us aware, Lord. Make us aware of what people are going through. Make us aware when people are absent.

Make us aware when people are silent. Make us aware when people are present, but they're not really present. Give us the grace as believers, Lord, to never know betrayal in this house, to never know backstabbing, to never know grievous disappointment that doesn't make sense. Help us, Lord. Help us, Lord, live in a whirlwind of grace as we spur one another, as we encourage one another.

Lord, we worship you this morning for these practical truths. Thank you for helping us live more for your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. Can we stand and worship the Lord together?

Thanksgiving for his goodness.