Preach the Word - 2

PREACH THE WORD!

Last week we observed the nature of this charge to Timothy from Paul
Listen to the Word!

2 Timothy 4:1-8

4 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

* Today I would like to explore the foundation on which this charge to ‘Preach the Word’ stands and

The application of this charge to each of us in our current situations
First, from the passage 2 Timothy 4:1-8, I see the foundation as three C’s

The coming of Christ
The current scene
The closing or conclusion of Paul’s earthly life

The coming of Christ is our first foundational ‘C’ - Read verse one again Preach the Word because Jesus Christ is coming again!

Not just me…
Eschatology using the KISS method

Doesn’t matter where you are in the KISS method

Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation or Post-tribulation
Premillennialism, postmillennialism, or amillennialism

Jesus’ appearing verse one and verse eight (8)
Judge the living and the dead

There’s accountability to the king in His kingdom – Amen!
Remember A charge is

Imperative, a command, an injunction, an exhortation
When we usually give them, they only carry my authority, the authority of man

We need both of these reminders today

Charge - Before God and Jesus Christ
The same Jesus Christ is coming again

The second foundational ‘C’ is The current scene – Preach the Word For - Read again verses 3-5

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Dark days and difficult days, should not be discouraging days, should not be deterring days, nor days of detracting from the message or even the death of the message
But should be days of greater determination to ‘Preach the Word!’
What is this current scene that Scripture refers to as ‘the time will come’?

People can not bear the truth (verse 3 all of it)

Hope to show that this is more practical than most realize

Refuse to listen to the truth

Would rather hear a fables, stories, legends, and myths
Don’t you see it today in its subtleness it is said that Sunday morning Church time is the most segregated time of the week, and many love it that way

Can’t stand the truth and refuse to listen to the truth and thus find teachers to suit their fancies
One breeds the other; itching ears looking for teachers to satisfy the itch and false teachers looking for those in the church with itching ears
Again reject sound doctrine for their own desire

Is it real today yes

The third foundational ‘C’ I touched on last Sunday, Paul knows that this is the close or conclusion of his earthly life. He is not sick or has a fatal disease, but he knows that

Fought the good fight
Finished the race
Kept the faith
He confesses that the time of his departure is at hand
The garland (like in the Olympia) of righteousness is his
But he reminds us that it is not just to him alone but – Read verse 8

How do we apply this charge to our lives?
First don’t start with the charge start with the exhortation in chapter 1
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” The same exhortation was given in 1Timothy 4:14 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
Timothy’s gift was the ministry of the word through being a pastor and a preacher of the Word
What’s your gift? Pastor Woodmore preached on this
Look at part of Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them:
Use them when?
Romans 11:29 says For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (un-appealable, won’t be taken back or withdrawn, cancelled or reversed)
Its easy to Preach the Word during good times, during Amen times, and when all is going well
But when those times come when you don’t want to preach or certain topics you don’t want to preach ir you know that the people will not hear you – Preach the Word
This is a common thread through out the New Testament

Jesus – Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
John 12:27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

Your Gender is a calling – Called to be a man or a woman
Our life style is a calling

1 Corinthians 7:7-8

7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am;

1 Corinthians 7:17

17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.

But it goes on
Some of us are called to be Husbands – the charge in Ephesians love your wives as Christ loves the church

Easy when all is well in the home and with the marriage
But during tough days and difficult days the charge remains the same – love your wife

Some of you are called to be a wife – the charge submit to your own husband as to the Lord.

Oh that is so easy when your man is good to you sister and when he is all that he can be to you
But in hard times, misunderstanding times, I don’t agree with my man times, the charge remains the same submit to your own husband

I have not forgot you children and even grown children the charge children obey your parents and when you grow up honor your father and mother

Not a challenge when the house is sweet and all is well
But get older, learn more, get some independence, get out on your own, guess what? The charge is still the same. Obey your parents and honor your father and mother

Not just family and in the home but some of us have been gifted by the Lord to work outside of the home, listen to the charge that comes with that gift. In Ephesians 6:5-9
5 Bondservants, (employees) be obedient to those who are your masters (employer, supervisor, in-charged person) according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Again easy when the job is great and great working conditions
But the time will come when it may be dark and difficult to do the job but the charge is still ‘be obedient to them’ just like you would to Christ

9 And you, masters (employer, supervisors, in-charge person) do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
The charge does not change because of the condition or the time. God’s gifts and callings are irrevocable.
I don’t want you to leave here today thinking that this is just about preaching the word it is more about each of you stirring up the gift of God which is in you

Just like a good medicine or a good salad dressing it needs to be stirred to get its full effect, so to with each of you and your gift from the Lord.

As we conclude I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 15:58

Conclusion:

1 Corinthians 15:58

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

For prayer:

As I stand before you today as family, fellowship, and friends, I have been both moved and blessed by the word of God this week. As we prepare for prayer, congregational prayer, corporate prayer, listen to theses words;

1 Corinthians 10:13

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.