Are You Lonesome Tonight 2/8/04
2 Timothy 4:9-18
Hopefully, we all have just celebrated Valentine’s Day. This is the day when we show our appreciation to those we love. You might have received the traditional gift of flowers or candy. Maybe you received a card. Whatever the gift, it is nice to feel loved. And if you ever had a Valentines Day that you didn’t receive a gift, you probably felt pretty lonely. I don’t know if poor Charlie Brown ever did receive a card from the little red hair girl, but I’m sure all of us have had a time in our lives that we have felt lonely.
Elvis sang about the feeling with his hit song, “Are you lonesome tonight”. It would be hard to believe that Elvis knew anything about being lonely, but I’m sure there were times in his life that he did.
In our text we read the last chapter of the last writing of the Apostle Paul. Paul was a huge part of the beginning of the Church. He wrote about 2/3 of the New Testament. He went from being the chief persecutor to the chief advocate of Jesus Christ. But now his race was almost over. His time was almost done. He was getting ready to be executed by Nero. In verse 7 he states, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.
Paul new his time was coming to an end. With all the good he had done, as many who looked up and admired him; I see a sense of loneliness in his farewell letter.
If this great Apostle of Christ can have a moment in his life that he felt lonely then I’m sure that all of us have had times where we feel lonely as well.
So why do you think Paul was feeling lonely?
He was lonely because of where he was
You have to look at where he was to understand his circumstances.
Where he was in his life? He had never been married, so there were no kids. There was no mention of any family in his life. Paul was getting up there in years.
He had completed three missionary journeys; and had been put in a dungeon for his preaching and now he was waiting for his execution. The dungeon was cold, dark, and damp. He asked them to bring his cloak (vs. 13) for warmth.
He was preparing to die and though I’ve never experienced death, I imagine it is a lonely road, one that many fear.
So here he was. Cold and preparing for death in a dungeon.
Have you ever been in a dungeon? Have there been times in your life that you feel all alone. Maybe your dungeon has been coming home to find that your child that you have raised and nurtured from birth, just told you where to go and stormed out the door. Maybe you came home only to find out that your spouse has left you. This world is full of dungeons and things to make you feel lonely.
Paul felt lonely in his dungeon and there will be times in your dungeon you will too.
He was Lonely because of who he was with (vs.9)
He would have been on death row, as we would know it; no other cellmates and his only company would have been the soldiers who would mock him.
He speaks of the ones who have left him. “Demas has forsaken me, having loved the present world”. Demas was a trusted coworker who had fled because he could not endure the hardships of the ministry and instead he followed worldly pleasures. Has a friend or a loved one ever betrayed you? How did that make you feel? Did you feel alone the way that Paul felt here?
I can tell you that you can be lonely and have a lot of friends. You can be lonely and be around a lot of people. If you have ever gone through a divorce, you might have experienced loneliness. I’ve seen someone who lost a spouse or a child who have felt lonely. I can tell you from experience when I was dating that there were times that I had a different girl every night and yet I felt lonely. Why, because I did not have anyone that I cared about. I was lonely but never alone. Have you ever felt that way?
I find it interesting who he asks Timothy to bring (vs.11-12). Mark as you may remember was the one who deserted Paul in the first missionary journey, which led to the separation of Paul and Barnabas in the beginning of his second missionary journey. But latter Paul and Mark were reconciled, and Mark served with Paul in the ministry.
Paul didn’t carry a grudge, which should be a lesson for us all.
He speaks of Alexander (vs.14). You can expect opposition when serving Christ. When you are about the Lord’s work, it won’t take long for Satan to send someone along to tear you down. Jesus lifts you up and Satan tears you down. When I use to box, the proper stance was to have your gloves up to protect your face and your elbows in to protect your body. We must also protect ourselves against Satan.
But here we know that Paul felt alone. It brought back the remembrance of another time when he felt alone (vs.16)
There will be times that you will feel alone too. Your friends will let you down. Your family will let you down. Your church and your pastor will let you down. You see Paul was by himself, but he was not alone, and you will not be either.
The Lord is faithful (vs. 17-18)
Even though his friends deserted Paul, he was supported by the Lord. God always strengthens us and empowers us. If you ever are alone or if you are feeling lonely, it is a choice.
Hebrews 13:5b, He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.
So are you lonely? Have you ever felt that way before? If so, let me give you a few reasons why you might feel that way.
If you are here today and have never accepted Jesus into your heart and life, then you will always feel like something is missing. We are born with the desire to have a relationship with Him. You see so many people searching these days to fill that void with the things of this world. They search for it in the wrong places. They might think they could find it with power or prestige, with fame or fortune, or with drugs or alcohol. You will never know true peace till you know the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.
You will be lonely without Him because nothing else can replace Him.
Maybe you are here today and you have accepted Him. But you still fill lonely. Maybe if you feel lonely then you might have sin if your life causing separation from Him. Sin will cause you to loose fellowship with Him causing you to feel empty, much like you did before you accepted Him.
If you don’t feel as close to Him as you use to, guess who moved? Think about the times you were the happiest in life and you will find that that is the time that you were the closest to Him.
If you are lonely, it is by your choice. If you have never accepted Him into your heart and life, Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
If you are saved and you have sin in your life that has caused separation from God, then you can do like it say in 1 John I: 9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So the choice is yours. If you accept Christ today you will receive not only the best Valentine gift, but also the best gift ever from the Person who loves you like no other.
John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have ever lasting life.
That is the greatest of all gifts.
If you’ve lost that fellowship with Him due to some sin, make it right today. Do not delay.
If you are lonely then the Lord says as Paul said in vs. 9, Be diligent and come to me quickly.
Jesus will love you and be with you and you will never have to be lonely again.
