A Preacher's Heartbreak

2 TIM.4:9-18 "A PREACHER’S HEARTBREAK"

* I want to bring a message tonight about a great man of God that was very strong and finally he

cried for help! * It was very unusual for Paul to cry out, "Please come to me quickly."

* Then he goes on and tells us why he is calling for help. * This got my attention when I

thought of all that happened to Paul & he never did cry for help from someone else!

* This got my attention when I thought of all that happened to Paul & never did he cry for help

from someone else! * V.9 "Hurry, come to me, I need your help!"

A) I wonder how the people that knew Paul so well must’ve felt when they got the message?

* They knew some of the things that Paul had already went through.

* Never before had they heard such a message come from this great man.

B) V.10 he tells why he is calling! * This broke his heart! * This was more than he could stand!

* The same thing that happened to Paul happens to every preacher!

* If there’s anything that weakens preachers is to see what Paul seen here!

* A man that promised to stand by him, & help him & support him, is gone. v.10

(1) PAUL HAD FOUGHT BATTLES & THE DEVIL HAD ATTACKED IN VARIOUS WAYS!

* Paul was a pulpit master! * Paul was no weakling; not lacking in power or in the anointing of

God! * Not lacking in education; vocabulary or in the ability to preach, instruct, & counsel!

* He could make decisions & carry them through, he could speak several different languages!

(2) LET’S CONSIDER THE CHANGE IN HIS LIFE! * Acts 9 talks of his conversion!

* His life changed! * If a person’s life hasn’t changed, he hasn’t been changed on the inside!

A) Your vocabulary will change - the places you go will change - the way you act will change.

* All of this will be spiritually transformed! * If your life hasn’t changed, your heart hasn’t changed!

B) After Paul had become a Christian, 5 times he was beaten with thirty nine stripes.

* He was persecuted more than any other Christian that I have ever read about!

* Twice he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned & left for dead, three times he suffered

shipwreck and he survived all this!

C) He was thrown in dungeons & he made no special cry for help!

* He could’ve become a martyr way back in his Christian life! * But he never cried for help!

D) He was in a lot of perils (danger; risk of damage, injury, or loss). * Perils of water;

* Perils of robbery; ...own countrymen; ...heathen; ...city; ...wilderness; ...sea; ...false brethren;

* ...weariness; ...painfulness; ...watchings; ...hunger & thirst; ...fastings often; cold & nakedness;

* Plus the burdens and cares of all the churches!

E) In all of this I don’t find one time Paul cried for someone to come to him and help him!

* I don’t believe there’s a person in this building would’ve went through what Paul did,

* But that we would’ve called for someone to help us!

F) When he was in prison at Philippi, he never asked anybody for a bondsman!

* He never cried for help! * You know what he did? * He prayed & sang praises to God!

* The jailer & his family got saved! * Acts 16:34 "...sat meat before them."

G) Paul was brought before rulers with chains & fetters, led in like a prisoner because they hated

the way that he preached! * Chained before King Agrippa, didn’t call for a way out!

* But he told ’em about Jesus and how He saved him!

(3) I WOULD LIKE TO PARAPHRASE THIS! * They brought him in & began to question him

in their political way. * I can hear them as they make their accusations.

* They looked at him, he didn’t look troubled. * He had a smile on his face, no doubt!

A) He had lost weight from being in prison for so long, his beard had grown out, face was pale.

* They thought, "We’ve got him now, he’ll stop preaching & talking about this man Jesus now!"

* They stood him before the crowd & they said, "Paul we like you, we want to work with you,

we want to cooperate with you, but you’re not too cooperative,

* when it comes to this preaching business & this man Jesus that you talk so much about."

* "Now, we’re gonna put you in prison; is there anything you want to say for yourself?"

B) Paul said with a smile on his face, "Yea, there’s one thing I’d like to say."