2 Timothy 4:1-5 - Preach the Word
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
H.B. Charles Jr. is a Baptist pastor who started preaching during his teenage years. Being the son of a pastor, he threw himself into the ministry from an early age. During his first time away from home preaching - at only 16 years old mind you - he found himself in Detroit, Michigan and found himself becoming homesick.
He got a call from his father and was excited because he knew his father had just been in the hospital. During their conversation, H.B. Jr. broke down in tears because he wanted to go home. His dad calmly reassured him. H.B. Jr. continued to express his desire to return home. His dad lovingly asked H.B. Jr. to do him favor and to be a man and preach. Sadly, as H.B. Jr. was on his flight back home, his father went on to be with the Lord. Yet, H.B. Jr. got some excellent advice from his father who went on home before him.
Be a man and preach.
This is a message for our pastors today. May we be men and preach the Word.
Today’s message is directed toward Timothy and all preachers who would follow after him. Although the direct application is for pastors, we can all learn from these powerful 5 verses that start off chapter 4 in 2 Timothy.
If our churches do not understand the importance of strong Biblical preaching, then they will not value it. If they do not value it then they will not grow in their understanding of the Word. The primacy of the Word in our churches is of utmost importance. May we be a church that values the Word and holds it in high regard.
Let’s go ahead and get into our Scripture for today.
Read Full Scripture:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Prayer
As we go through these verses, I will break down some direct application that can be for all of us. However, as we go through this Scripture, I pray that it helps you see the importance Biblical church leadership. The message that I am delivering today is a message that confronts me first and foremost. It is a message that I plead marks me as a pastor. And it is a message that I plead that you, as the congregation of CrossPointe, hold me accountable to.
Our first point that we see in these powerful verses is…
I. The Man of God Preaches the Word with Conviction (1-2)
I. The Man of God Preaches the Word with Conviction (1-2)
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
Paul starts this section off with a charge to Timothy. He will get into the specifics of this charge in verse 2.
Interestingly, Paul’s letter to Timothy has been incredibly personal. He has mentioned the tears that were shed when they had to depart from one another (2 Timothy 1:4). He has called Timothy his beloved child - meaning spiritual child - as we saw back in 2 Timothy 1:2.
However, we have seen that after periods of gentle encouragement and admonition Paul has taken a few steps back by speaking charges toward Timothy. Here is one more of those and probably the most direct charge toward Timothy. Paul is putting on his proverbial Apostle-hat and speaking with strong language. This charge is a very important one and Paul wants Timothy to know it.
The Greek word that Paul uses here for charge means to exhort, insist upon, and to testify to. It has a measure of seriousness to it. Many versions press into the serious nature of this charge by putting in the word solemnly before the word charge to explain the seriousness of this charge.
To understand the seriousness of this charge, Paul presents two witnesses to His charge to Timothy. The presence of God and Christ Jesus. We understand that there is one God yet three Persons of the Trinity. Two of the Persons of the Trinity are mentioned here. We saw the Holy Spirit mentioned back in 2 Timothy 1:14 where we saw the Holy Spirit indwelling believers.
However, the main witness that Paul brings forth is the amazing power of the second witness - the second Person of the Trinity - namely Jesus Christ.
He focuses on three amazing aspects of Christ here:
A) Christ is to judge the living and the dead.
We all are going to appear before the judgement seat of Christ. Hebrews 9:27 makes this clear:
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
The Bible makes is clear that Jesus is to judge. Listen to Jesus teach this clearly in John 5:22:
For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
But what does Paul mean when he mentions the living and the dead? In order to understand this further lets take a look at the judgements before Christ that are to come in the future.
There will be three judgements before Christ in the Scriptures.
1 - The Bema Seat Judgement
The word bema comes from the Greek word meaning an elevated platform. It was a place where awards were given during athletic competitions. This judgement is not for sin but instead for rewards for believers. This judgement is for believers who die before Christ comes as well as living believers who are taken up in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
We see it taught in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. The Scriptures are clear that there will be rewards for those who are faithful. Yet, Paul teaches clearly that works done for selfish motivation will be burned up like wood and hay while works done for Christ will be rewarded.
2 - The Judgement of the Nations (Known as the Sheep-Goat Judgement)
This occurs after the Tribulation and is seen in Matthew 25:31-46. Those who come to faith in God during the Tribulation will be ushered into the Millennial Kingdom while those who are not faithful to God and instead faithful to the Antichrist will be consigned to hell.
3 - The Great White Throne Judgement
This is clearly seen in Revelation 20:11-15. This is where all unbelievers will stand in front of Jesus Christ and be judged for their evil deeds. This is a terrifying judgement that will end with all unbelievers experiencing the second death by being sent to hell - called the Lake of Fire here.
My friends, Jesus will judge everyone. I pray that each of you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I pray that you have repented, or turned from your sins, and believed in Jesus’s sinless life, sacrificial death on the cross, and glorious resurrection.
Acts 4:12 reminds us that there is only one name in which we can be saved - and that name is Jesus Christ. Be sure that you are right with the Lord my friends. Although He came as a Lamb at first coming, He will reign like a Lion at His second coming.
Which brings us to our second reason that Christ’s witness to this charge is weighty…
B) Christ will appear.
The Greek word used here for appearing in verse 1 is only used by Paul. It is used once regarding the first coming to describe the incarnation of Christ in 2 Timothy 1:10. This obviously does not refer to that as it had already happened by the time Paul was writing.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 it refers to his Second Coming when he comes to destroy the Antichrist at the end of the Great Tribulation. During this appearance at His second coming, he will perform his judgement of the sheep and the goats as we discussed before. This could be what this refers to.
However, it is more likely referring to the Rapture of the Church before the Tribulation as seen in 1 Timothy 6:14, 2 Timothy 4:8, and Titus 2:13.
Either way, the return of Christ is a witness to our need to be faithful to Jesus Christ because as we see in this final statement - Christ is eventually coming to…
C) Christ is to reign as King of kings.
We have mentioned this before. The kingdom of God has come and been inaugurated but not fully consummated. Christ will return and rule and reign in the end. Listen to this prophecy about Christ’s rule and reign in Daniel 7:
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom will never be destroyed and will never end.
With all of that said - with such a weighty witness as Jesus Christ, Paul drops the hammer with his charge…
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Now we come to Paul’s charge to Timothy - preach the Word.
This is a charge that carries over to all preachers everywhere. We are to preach the Word.
The Greek word for preach is kērussō (kare-oo-so) which means to herald and proclaim publicly.
Note that preachers are not to just peach any word - they are to preach the Word of God. There is no room for artistic liberty for the preacher of God.
Unfortunately, many have refused to actually preach the Word. Many have have settled on telling stories and self-help messages that make people leave the service feeling gooey inside but without any true heart change.
Preaching has become entertainment and not exposition.
There are many preachers who have taken a note from the life coach movement of our day.
The idea of a life coach is fairly recent. Life coaches are people that work with their clients to help them accomplish their goals. Note the inherent humanism even in the definition. The life coach is there to help the client accomplish their goals (not the will of God in their lives).
They provide support, guidance, and accountability to help their clients reach their full potential. Individuals pay upwards of 75- 200 dollars per hour for such help.
Unfortunately, instead of the Word of God, many pastors try to coach their congregation to live better lives. They use modern lingo and ideas that are void of the power to truly change lives.
Scripture is what we are to preach. Not scientific theory - not self help or motivational speeches. We must preach the Word.
As we saw back in 2 Timothy 2:15, in order to be an approved worker we must rightly handle the Word.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Although there are certainly men who are doing it well, there are many who are not.
And the Church has suffered greatly for the weak preaching throughout our world.
Even among those who are trying to preach the Word - they often lack any passion or fervor for it. They approach the Scriptures as if they are delivering a lecture. My friends, if a pastor is to preach the Word well, he must have been broken by it first. He must have been humbled, instructed, and built up by the Holy Spirit through the Word in order to preach the Word with any power or authority.
The man of God must balance truth, instruction, application, and fervor in his preaching.
Next Paul tells Timothy that…
The man of God is to preach the Word in season and out season. This is often interpreted two ways.
1 - Be ready to preach the Word whether in the pulpit or in the public.
God hasn’t just called a pastor to preach on Sundays. His life should be marked by preaching the Gospel and living it out. He also must be willing to preach it whether he feels like it or not.
2 - Be ready to preach the Word whether it is desired or whether it is despised.
We live in a world where the Word of God is becoming more and more despised. Teaching on Biblical sexuality will quickly get you cancelled. Teaching on Christ as the only way for salvation will quickly get you labelled as narrow-minded. Teaching on Biblical creation will make you seem ignorant. Teaching that there was a worldwide flood will make you look unscientific and foolish.
Yet, we must stand firm and preach the Word despite any persecution. No matter what the prevailing culture says, no matter how much we may or may not feel like preaching the Word, we must preach it nonetheless.
And that applies to you as well, Church. Believing that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God will get you cancelled at times too. Sharing the Gospel with others may lead to persecution. But stand firm - His Word is true.
Next…
Paul charges Timothy and future pastors to do two things as we preach the Word:
1 - Reprove and Rebuke
I have placed these two together because they are very closely related. Reproving is shining a light on the sin of others while rebuking is urging them to stop sinning.
The man of God should be willing to speak the truth and shine a light in the darkness. Church, no one likes the guy who shines a light on the deeds done in darkness. People love being able to enjoy their sin in the darkness. But when the light of God’s Word is proclaimed, those who are in sin will hate the one who shines the light.
And people enjoy being told that they are in sin even less than hearing the Word taught! This is a difficult job for the pastor!
Theologian Kent Hughes offers a great word of wisdom as we consider our call to reprove and rebuke…
“If you enjoy correcting and rebuking, you are likely not fit for the ministry. But if you do not do it, you are a shirker.”
R. Kent Hughes
2 - Exhort
The final charge from Paul in preaching the Word is a word of encouragement. We must rebuke those who sin and we must exhort them to righteousness.
This is why it is so important to have application in sermons. Preaching the truth of God’s Word is of the highest importance. Yet, without the application of rebuke and exhortation, it only puffs up the hearer. We need rebuke and exhortation.
Paul ends this charge with an encouragement to do all of this with complete patience and teaching. We must fully preach the entire counsel of Scripture. And we must fully do so with all patience. Anyone who has done ministry in the church very long will know that patience is needed. We, as human beings, are stubborn and slow to change. We also have a tendency to not appreciate the one who says things that convict us - and even less so those who directly rebuke us! So with all of this, the pastor must be a professional forgiver. He must be a man of patience and love.
Some of you are hearing all of this and wondering how that this might apply to you? First and foremost, you need to know what a Biblical pastor looks like. If you don’t then you won’t be able to discern those who are not trustworthy. Secondly, although this Scripture is directed toward pastors, we all must be willing and ready to preach the Word. Consider the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. We are all to preach the Word.
One such group that needs to be preaching and teaching the Word is parents. Parents, are you preaching and teaching the Word to your children? Are you ready in season and out of season?
As Deuteronomy 6:7 asserts - are you teaching them diligently?
Are you reproving, rebuking, and exhorting your children with complete patience and teaching?
That is a tough word!
Note that it isn’t enough to just reprove - shine a light upon their sin - you must also rebuke. But you cannot stop there - you need to exhort or encourage them toward godliness. And the hardest of all - you must do it with complete patience!
Others of you are called to disciple newer believers. We all should be mentoring someone and being mentored by someone else. This is incredibly important for us in our sanctification. As a mentor, you must be willing to do these things as well. You must be willing to have hard conversations when confronting sin. You must be willing to encourage others in righteousness. And you must remain patient through it all.
Moving forward, Paul continues by asserting that…
Scripture References: 2 Timothy 1:4, 2 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:14, Hebrews 9:27, John 5:22, Bema Seat Judgement (2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 - Occurs After Rapture - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) , Sheep-Goat Judgement (Matthew 25:31-46), Great White Throne Judgement (Revelation 20:11-15), Acts 4:12, Christ’s Appearing (2 Timothy 1:10 [incarnation], 2 Thessalonians 2:8 [Second Coming after Tribulation], {1 Timothy 6:14, 2 Timothy 4:8, Titus 2:13, 2 Timothy 4:1} - Rapture]), Daniel 7:13-14, 2 Timothy 2:15, Matthew 28:18-20, Deuteronomy 6:7
II. The Man of God Preaches the Word with Courage (3-4)
II. The Man of God Preaches the Word with Courage (3-4)
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
The man of God must be courageous in our world today if he is to preach the Word of God. Although Paul certainly knew that false teaching was common in his day, he knew that it would continue into the future as well.
He speaks with a clear description of the modern church situation.
The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching. This word used for sound here means healthy, correct, or accurate. It refers to orthodox teaching.
We certainly live in a world where people do not endure sound teaching. They often scoff at Biblical teachings.
Instead, they have itching ears. I love this illustration that Paul uses.
The visual I see when I read this Scripture is that of a dog. When a dog has an itch around its ear it cannot seem to resist scratching it. Some dogs will continue scratching so long that they end up hurting themselves. The urge to itch their ear is so strong that they don’t feel the pain that it is causing.
This is similar to those who don’t endure sound teaching but instead find those who will scratch that itch in their ear.
Despite the pain that it causes them, they continue to follow these false teachers.
The pain of financial ruin as prosperity false teachers continually drain their bank account. Or pain of failed false healings that leave them discouraged and broken. Yet, their itch for these myths and false teachings keep them from clearly seeing the evil they are a part of.
We see a search to scratch this itch in some of today’s pastoral search committees. Instead of interviewing a man about his theology, doctrine, family life, and Biblical qualifications - they instead look at his appearance, personality, appeal to a younger crowd, sensitivity to culture, and relevance.
They search for someone that scratches the itch of our world instead of someone who will bring the Word of God with authority and integrity.
And the church and all those involved suffer for such apostacy.
As the 19th Century theologian and pastor Marvin R. Vincent once stated:
“If people desire a calf to worship, a ministerial calf-maker is readily found”
Marvin R. Vincent
The world is dominated by its passions. Like instinctive animals, it seeks pleasure over righteousness. And because of the carnality of many, they wander into myths and away from the truth.
Nothing is harder in ministry than seeing someone refuse to obey the truth and falling instead for lies.
Brothers and sisters, what is your response to the truth? Do you try to listen only to those who speak what you already agree with - listening only to the echo-chamber of our world today? Or do you search out those who preach the Word strongly and convictingly?
Be sure to listen to godly men of courage who preach the Gospel with truth and clarity. Pray that the Lord raises up more and more men with the courage to stand firm for the truth. And pray that those in our churches refuse to fall into the many myths of our modern age and instead believe the truth of God’s Word.
For the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).
Finally, we see that…
Scripture References: John 8:32
III. The Man of God Preaches the Word to Completion (5)
III. The Man of God Preaches the Word to Completion (5)
As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Theologian and pastor John F. MacArthur Jr. recently completed his ministry on earth as he went home to be with the Lord this past week. He is an example for those earlier in their preaching ministries, such as myself, about the need to fulfill - or complete your ministry.
I find incredible joy in seeing a godly minister of the Gospel finish his race. He now stands among a great eternal body of believers fellowshipping with our Lord and Savior for all eternity.
Paul, as we will see in our sermon for next week, knew that his time was short. His days were numbered, and his race was almost complete.
Looking at Timothy, he urged him to finish well.
And he does this with four final charges to Timothy:
He gives four final charges in this section to Timothy.
1 - Always Be Sober-Minded
This means to always keep control of oneself. The man of God must be steady and self-restrained. This obviously would speak against drunkenness which is spoken against in the qualifications of a pastor/elder in 1 Timothy 3:3. Yet, it is even more than that. A pastor must be balanced and self-controlled. No one will want to approach a pastor that is different one day from another. An unstable pastor leads to an unstable church.
Each of you must also seek stability. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Your marriage, your home, your friendships, and your workplaces will either thrive or struggle based on your steadiness. The only way to remain steadfast and sober-minded is to be firmly fixed in Christ and His Word.
Next Paul charges Timothy to…
2 - Endure Suffering
Paul has used the word suffer now 6 times in 4 chapters. It makes its way into each of the four chapters of 2 Timothy.
In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul urges Timothy to share in his suffering for the Gospel.
In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul reminds Timothy that he suffers on behalf of the Gospel.
In 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul charges Timothy to suffer as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
In 2 Timothy 2:9, Paul mentions his suffering in chains - bound as a criminal.
In 2 Timothy 3:11, Paul mentions his past sufferings in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra and reminds Timothy of God’s power to rescue.
And now he charges Timothy one final time - endure suffering.
As pastors and believers in general - we are to be willing to endure whatever suffering comes as we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world - which brings us to our next charge… Timothy is to…
3 - Do the Work of an Evangelist
This is a charge to all of us. A pastor’s job is no more an evangelist than any other believer. As we mentioned before, we are all to proclaim the Gospel as charged by the Great Commission.
However, for the pastor, being an evangelist is part of his job. He is to rightly handle the Word, shepherd and lead the flock entrusted to him, practice what he preaches, and share the Gospel. Note that it is only a part of his job.
As pastors, we should certainly lead in this area in our churches and evangelism is certainly a requirement for the man of God, but oftentimes there are people in the congregation more gifted in evangelism than even the pastor! I thank God for those who have a heart for evangelism. We all must ask the Lord to give us such a heart for the lost.
4 - Fulfill Your Ministry
Finally, Paul gives an all-encompassing charge to fulfill Timothy’s ministry.
The Greek word for ministry refers to Christian work in general. This encompasses all the tasks of service given to us from the Lord.
Each of us needs to consider this charge from Paul. We all have a given calling from God to fulfill our ministry - our work given by the Lord to each of us. You might not be called to be a pastor, but if you are in Christ - He has prepared works for you. Listen to Him promise this in Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Brothers and sisters - you have a ministry calling. Whether it is to be a pastor, deacon, missionary, or church member - each of us makes up a vital part of the body of Christ. And each of us will stand before the Bema judgement seat of Christ and give an account of how well we fulfilled our ministry.
Scripture References: 1 Timothy 3:3, Suffer in 2 Timothy (2 Timothy 1:8, 1:12, 2:3, 2:9, 3:11, 4:5), Ephesians 2:10
Conclusion:
As we come to a close - spend some time on that last thought.
How well have you fulfilled your ministry so far?
This is a question for all of us - me included.
Are there areas of compromise within us? Are there areas of slothfulness and laziness within us? May we repent and turn from them.
As the old saying goes - “It is better to wear out for the Lord than to rust out.”
Don’t let life go on with you passively sitting by. By the power of the Holy Spirit - fulfill the ministry He has called you to.
May each of us be willing to preach the Word, live out the Word, and do it with conviction, with courage, and to completion.
