"MY GRACE IS ENOUGH TO YOU":

Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

Biblical Text: II Timothy 4: 2-22: Gl 2,20

INTRODUCTION: Paul was the greatest expression of Christianity of all time. He was a man of prayer and fasting, a
tireless preacher, a biblical theologian, a church planter, and a teacher of many men of God. But he lived a life of
endless suffering. Your life teaches us a lot. Your example inspires us. We learn precious lessons from his communion
with God, from his ministerial zeal, from his love of the Word, and especially from his life of faith, where the grace of
God sustained him in all situations.

I LIVING IN GRACE TO FACE AND SUPPORT SUFFERING

1. Various sufferings (Acts 9:26)

• Persecuted in Damascus; B) rejected in Jerusalem; C) forgotten in Tarsus; D) stoned in Stripe; (E) Flogged and
imprisoned in Philippi; F) escaped from Thessalonica and Berea; G) called a talkative in Athens; H) called an impostor
in Corinth; I) severely attacked at Ephesus; J) imprisoned in Jerusalem; K) accused at Caesarea; L) a shipwreck victim
going to Rome; M) stung by a snake in Malta: n) imprisoned and beheaded in Rome.

• He lived the cross (Gal 6:17) and mentioned his sufferings: works, prisons, lashes, dangers of death, beaten with
rods, stoned, shipwreck, hunger, thirst, nakedness, concern for all churches. However, he has always thanked God
for the privilege of preaching the Gospel.

• Our suffering is not a sign that we are far from God, that we are outside His will. The people who walked closer to
God were the ones who suffered the most. Paul said, "I am certain that the suffering of the present time can not be
compared with the glories to be revealed in us," Rom. 8:18.

II. THE GRACE OF GOD IS ABLE TO LIVE VITORIOSELY TO PASS ADVERSITY

1. Paul suffered the pain of loneliness - People need God. But people also need people. He asked Timothy: a) Try to
come quickly with me (verse 9); B) Take Mark with you and bring him with you (verse 11); C) Make haste to come
before winter (verse 21).

2. Paul suffered the pain of abandonment - At the time he needed the most help he was abandoned and forgotten
in prison. He walked alone, assisted only by the grace of God, (verse 10). When we are suffering, we need friends
around. But where are they? Who can we count on?

3. Paul suffered the pain of ingratitude (v. 16). He gave His life for others; Now that he needed help no one took a
risk for him. What should Paul be accused of? A) Atheism - because it abstained from worship of the emperor and
idolatry; B) Cannibalism - because the believers talked about eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ when
they celebrated the Lord's Supper.

4. Paul suffered the pain of persecution (v. 14). Alexander, was the one who betrayed Paulo, culminating in his second
arrest and consequent martyrdom.

5. Paul suffered the pain of resistance, v. 15. We are informed that Alexander also resisted strongly the words of Paul.
He was an opponent of Paul's ministry. Not only did he persecute the apostle, but he also opposed the gospel. How
many men like this we have even inside the Church!

6. Paul suffered the pain of the cold, (v.13). He asked Timothy to take his cloak (verse 13). The Roman prisons were
cold, unhealthy, dark. Prisoners were dying of leprosy, contagious diseases. Winter was approaching (v. 21) and he
needed a warm cloak to face him.
7. Paul suffered the pain of not having the scrolls. He was condemned to death, but he wanted to learn more, he
wanted to study more, he wanted to be with the Word of God. Paul needed friends, clothes, and books. He had needs
of soul, mind and body.

III. LIVING IN GRACE FOR MORE EXCELLENT VALUES IN LIFE

1. He made a correct assessment of the present - v. 6

A) He looked at life from the perspective of God. Paul compared his life as a sacrifice and an offering.

B) Look at death from the perspective of God - Paul says: "The time of my departure is come" (verse 6). The Greek
word for "departure" has some meanings:

1) describes the action of untying an animal from the yoke - Death is rest from work. Death is to leave the burden,
the fatigue (Rev 14:13); 2) means to let loose the bonds or chains - The death for Paul was a release and relief. He
was going to leave the dark Roman prison to enter paradise; 3) is used to loosen the pegs of a tent. For the apostle,
death is raising camp, is to change address, is to go to the House of the Father; 4) It is the word to loosen the ropes
of a boat. To die is to be with Christ. To die is to dwell with the Lord. To die is to go to the Father's House.

2. A correct evaluation of the past - v. 7

A) I fought the good fight - Paul looked at life as a combat. No facilities. No amenities. It's fighting. It's combat. Fight
against evil. Fight against the darkness. Fight against principalities and powers. Fight against sin. Fight for the gospel.
Struggle to save lives from doom.

B) Certainty of the second coming of Christ - We believe that Christ will return. And with him is the reward. With it is
the crown. Our reward is in heaven.

IV. LIVING IN GRACE TO BE FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH - v. 17-18

1. Abandoned by men, but assisted by God - v. 17. Paul was a victim of men's abandonment, but was received and
assisted by God. Just as Jesus was assisted by the angels in Gethsemane when his disciples slept, so Paul was assisted
by God in the hour of his deepest pain. God does not deliver us from the valley, but walks with us in the valley.

2. God does not deliver us from trials, but He gives us power and strength to carry out our ministry even in trials. 17.
• God clothed Paul with strength to continue preaching the Word. The pot is made of clay, but the Word is powerful.
Paul was arrested, but the Word spread throughout all the Gentiles.

3. God often does not deliver us from death, but from death - v. 18. Paul was not spared from death, but was delivered
through death. The death for him was victory. The sting of death has already been taken away. To die is profit. Dying
is precious. Dying is bliss. To die is to enter heaven.

4. At the final hour Paul expressed a tribute of glory to the Lord - v. 18. Despite suffering so much, he did not live a
life of pessimism, bitterness, resentment. His last gesture was a tribute of praise to the Lord Jesus. His last words
were of exaltation to the Almighty.

CONCLUSION: Writing to the Galatians (Gal. 2:20), Paul declared that "he was crucified with Christ." This phrase
uttered by the great apostle of the Gentiles was immortalized in the Bible and therefore preserved through the
centuries. This phrase also translates a message that must be renewed every morning in our hearts because it reveals
the transforming power of Christ. Paul lived by the cross and we must live that way too. Living as a function of the
cross, we identify with Christ, for He carried the cross, died on a cross, and in this same Christ He conquered death,
hell, satan, and opened a new way for God by His blood, Our salvation. Crucifixion is the prelude to death for the
world, but it is also the prelude to life. Remember that the center of the Gospel is the cross and without the cross
there is no salvation. ARE YOU CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST? REV DIONILDO DANTAS, Th D.