In light of Paul’s imminent death, he charges Timothy to preach the word solemnly, Biblically, continually, and faithfully.
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Preach The Word! – Pt. 1
2 Timothy 4:1-5
Please open your Bibles to 2 Timothy 4. This section of Scripture appears very sacred to me. Perhaps it is because God has called me to preach His Word. However, I can’t help but feel that every true child of God instinctively feels that he is walking on holy ground when he comes to this final chapter in the last letter the apostle Paul ever wrote.
The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan while he was in the Bedford jail for 12 years, was at one time, the most popular book in the English language besides the Bible. In this immortal book, Christian is fleeing the City of Destruction, on his way to the Celestial City when he enters the Interpreter’s House. There he sees the picture of a very grave person hang up against the wall; and this was the fashion of it; he had eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of truth was written upon his lips, the world was behind his back; he stood as if he pleaded with men, and a crown of gold did hang over his head. In this vignette John Bunyan is giving us a portrait of the Preacher. He looks to heaven because that is where his Lord is who watches and hears every word he utters. He has the best of books in his hands, because He preaches the Word of God. The world is behind his back, because he doesn’t preach for the approval of men but of God. He pleads with men, and will receive a crown when the Lord Jesus appears. In 2 Timothy 4:1-5 Paul’s central idea is found in verse 2, “Preach the Word!” After Paul describes this solemn charge in verse 1, the very first thing he tells Timothy is to preach the Word. Therefore, we are going to study this paragraph by focusing on that command.
The theme of 2Timothy chapter 1 is Guard the Gospel.
The theme of 2 Timothy chapter 2 is Suffer for the Gospel.
The theme of 2 Timothy chapter 3 is Continue in the Gospel.
The theme of 2 Timothy chapter 4 is Preach the Gospel.
Now, you may be wondering what relevance this passage of Scripture has for you. After all, you are not a Pastor or a Preacher. Well, not so fast. Recently, three other men in this church have been going out and doing open-air preaching. So, the relevance of this chapter extends further than just to me. It is possible, and I hope even probable, that the Lord will raise up from some of the men in this church, to become preachers of His Word. However, even apart from those three men, this passage has relevance for you, because you as the church need to insist that those who preach to you, preach the way Paul tells Timothy he must do it. If those who preach to you begin to stray from the standard that Paul sets down here, you need to gently but firmly call them back.
Usually in my teaching, I try to divide a text up into 2 to 4 major points. However, today there are 9 points! I originally thought that I would expound all 9 points in one sermon. However, it became apparent that if I tried to do that, my sermon would be about two hours long! So, today it will be Preach The Word – Part 1, and next Sunday we will do Part 2.
1. Preach Solemnly:
I solemnly charge you: The word “charge” carries the meaning of “to lay a command upon.” Paul was solemnly commanding Timothy. Remember that Paul knows that in a very short time he will seal his faith in martyrdom. According to tradition, Paul was beheaded under Nero’s reign. Since Paul knows that he is about to leave this world, he solemnly charges Timothy to take over where he is going to leave off. He is passing the baton to his son in the faith. Paul is letting Timothy know in no uncertain words, that what he is about to say is of the utmost importance. Notice also, that this is a solemn charge. Paul is not speaking off the cuff, frivolously or light heartedly. He is speaking of weighty things. He is charging Timothy in a spirit of solemn gravity.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus: It is as though Paul is saying, “Timothy, God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord are watching everything you do, and are listening to everything you say. All of your ministry is being conducted in the presence of God. Even though the vast majority of the people in this world will never know anything about you, God does! He is taking notes. He is writing it all down in His book!
Who is to judge the living and the dead: Jesus told us Himself in John 5:22, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.” Judgment Day is fast approaching. On that solemn day, it won’t be God the Father, or God the Holy Spirit who is your judge. It will be Jesus Christ, God the Son. And that’s fitting isn’t it? John 5:27 says that God gave Jesus authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. It is fitting that it should be someone who lived and died as a man, that would be the judge of man. It is fitting that Jesus will be the judge of all mankind, because He is the One who most of the inhabitants of the world have neglected, ignored, or rejected. But, my friend, He won’t be ignored, neglected, or rejected on that day! What was Paul’s point in telling Timothy that Christ will judge all men? Simply this – Jesus Christ will judge Timothy and the way He served Him. He will judge Timothy as to his preaching, his teaching, his sacrificial service, his labors, his use of time, his love for the church. At this judgment, there will be no arguments, no new evidence, no cross-examinations, no witnesses to call, no excuses, no jury, and no appeal. The judgment of Jesus Christ will be final and irreversible. Now, for the Christian, this judgment is not a judgment upon his sin. That has already occurred in the cross of Jesus Christ, in which Christ was judged and bore God’s wrath for our sin. No, for the Christian, this will be a judgment in which He will be vindicated as God’s friend and servant, and given eternal rewards by Jesus Christ Himself.
We are told in this text that Jesus will judge the living and the dead? Who is that? Does that refer to those who are spiritually alive and those who are spiritually dead? No, I don’t think so. Is it talking about Him judging the living souls and the dead bodies united together in resurrected bodies? I don’t think so. I believe this means that when Jesus returns He will judge those who are alive when He returns, and those who have already died and will now be raised by Him. In other words, this text is saying that Jesus will judge all men, sinners and saints alike. He will judge every human being who has ever lived from Adam until the last generation on earth. I personally believe this judgment of all men will take place at the same time. Theologians call that a General Judgment. There are some who believe there will be several different judgments separated by 7 years, or 1,000 years. However, Jesus made it quite plain when He said, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left” (Mt. 25:31-34). Jesus will say to the sheep on His right, “Come you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” However, He will turn to the goats on His left and say, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Jesus also said in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” So, my friend, you will be there; I will be there. We will be there either as the friends and loyal, faithful servants of Jesus Christ, or we will be there as His enemies. But He will judge all men!
and by His appearing and His kingdom: When will this great and awesome Day of Judgment take place? When He appears at His second coming and openly manifests His eternal kingdom of true believers saved during the history of the world. Timothy, Christ the Judge is coming! His kingdom which is spiritual and invisible now, will be completely visible then. Timothy, what are you doing to extend that kingdom now? Live in light of eternity Timothy!
Oh, my friends, it is a solemn thing to be a preacher of the gospel! Back in about 1998, I was taking a team out to ride the lightrail and witness to people. Occasionally I would get up and preach a short message to the people on the train. On one occasion, a woman got up to leave, but before she passed by, she pressed a note into my hand. This is what it said, “Oh the fields are white for the harvest is great and ripe and it is ready for the gospel sickle. Oh where are the laborers to gather the golden grain into the master’s garner? The world is dying, the grave is filling, hell is boasting and the end rapidly approaches. God left the glorious work of saving souls in the hands of the church… You have today a new jewel for your crown. How He must be pleased with you. May God continue to bless you. Stay bold in His truth.” What an encouragement that note was. Do you sense the solemnity of preaching?
2. Preach Biblically:
Preach: This word “preach” means “to herald.” God back with me in your imagination to the time before the Internet, before telephones, and televisions, to a time in which news had to be announced by a living person. Imagine the town crier, walking into the town square, and saying, “Hear ye, hear ye” as he draws the crowd together to listen. Then he launches into his message. “The great king of this land has set his imperial seal to this decree. I, as your King, command all rebels within my kingdom to immediately lay down the arms of their rebellion, and surrender to my government and will, or else they will be summarily destroyed. I, as your King, also decree that any rebel who lays down his arms and surrenders to my rule, will be pardoned of every crime, will be given full status in my kingdom, and will be given every blessing and benefit which my kingdom affords.” The charge to Timothy was not to “share” the word. It was not to “discuss” the word. It was not even to teach the word. It was to herald the word! It was to publicly announce the word of the living God. When a man stands to preach, He does so backed by all the authority of heaven. He is not to speak timidly, or uncertainly. He is to speak with full conviction of eternal verities.
the word: What is to be the content of his preaching? The word. What does Paul mean by that? He’s speaking of the “sacred writings” of 3:15, or the “Scripture” of 3:16. A preacher has nothing else to preach but the Bible. Timothy is not charged to invent the message, but to merely proclaim it. Notice he is not told to preach his opinions, his speculations, his own ideas, philosophies, stories, jokes, and anecdotes. The preacher’s job is to become a mouthpiece for God. He is to retell what God has already told in a way people can understand. Imagine that you are a personal messenger for the United States military, and it is your job to go to such and such a home, and tell the woman that lives there that her husband has been killed in duty. You start thinking to yourself that this woman is not going to want to hear the message you have to deliver. In fact, she is going to hate the message. Does that give you the right to tell this woman that her husband has been injured but will likely recover? Of course not! She has the right to hear the truth. And, my friend, the people that we preach to will usually not like the message we have been given to deliver, but we have no right to change it! If we change the message, we are being unfaithful to God who gave us the message in the first place. Whether it wounds or heals, that’s not any of our business. Our duty is to give the message faithfully and truthfully.
My own judgment, after teaching and preaching for the last 31 years, is that the best way to preach the word is expositional preaching. That is, to preach straight through a book of the Bible, so that you see the connection and flow of thought of the author from beginning to end, and understand the mind of the Spirit in giving us this treasure.
3. Preach Continually
Be ready in season and out of season: The faithful preacher must be ready to preach at all times. He must be on “stand by.” Like a soldier guarding his post all night long and ready to fight at any time, so the preacher needs to be constantly at his preaching. He needs to preach when it is convenient, and when it is inconvenient. He needs to be at his preaching when the multitudes come to hear, and when almost no one comes to hear. He needs to labor at his preaching constantly, and keep at it when men hunger for his preaching and when men despise his preaching. In other words, the faithful preacher never stops preaching. He just keeps at it, day in and day out, not matter if it is popular or not, or acceptable to others or not. He is the model of consistency in heralding out the word of God.
There were times in Jesus’ ministry when His preaching was “in season” – when the crowds were so vast that He had to get into a boat in order to address them. There were other times when His preaching was “out of season” – when He told His disciples that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, with the result that almost everyone left Him. The point is that the preacher must preach the truth, whether men like it or hate it, and he must continue in his preaching as long as he can lift up his voice.
4. Preach Faithfully
Reprove, rebuke: These two words are synonyms. They mean “to reprimand; to express strong or stern disapproval.” This is one of the aspects of preaching. A preacher must reprove and rebuke sin wherever it is, and in whomever it is. This is the negative aspect of preaching. John the Baptist exercised reproofs and rebukes didn’t he? He rebuked Herod and said it was not lawful for him to have his brother’s wife. This was definitely preaching “out of season” because it got him beheaded. Jesus reproved and rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. He called them blind men, fools, hypocrites, sons of hell, whitewashed tombs, serpents, brood of vipers, and says ‘woe to you’ eight times! Where did it lead to in Jesus’ life? His crucifixion! Friends, if we are to preach faithfully, we will have to reprove and rebuke the specific sins in our age. We will have to reprove and rebuke those who make idols of money and possessions. We will have to reprove and rebuke the sins of homosexuality, abortion, adultery, fornication, and divorce. We will have to reprove those who live for themselves rather than for Him who died and rose again on our behalf. In order to be faithful to men’s souls, we must reprove sin wherever it is found, even if it is in our own lives.
Exhort: This is the positive aspect of preaching. The word “exhort” means “to encourage.” It is an urging of someone to a course of action. It is to stimulate others to love and good deeds. It is to make application of the word in people’s lives and urge them to live out the truth that they have heard. To be faithful to men also includes urging them to apply the truth in their own life. First sin must be rebuked, then the individual must be urged to apply God’s gospel to his own life and soul.
with great patience: Even though a faithful preacher must reprove and rebuke sin, and exhort people to do God’s will, he must do it in a certain manner. He must do all of this with great patience. Why does he need to do it with great patience? Because people are sometimes so slow to repent and obey the truth! However, the preacher must not become frustrated and angry and harsh towards those he preaches to. Remember what Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:24, “And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” Not only has God called you to love the truth, but He has also called you to love the people to whom you give the truth! Before you preach, ask God to give you a true love for the souls of those you preach to. Ask Him to make you patient, kind and gentle.
and instruction: The word for “instruction” is related to the word for sound “doctrine” in verse 3. What Paul is saying is that every preacher is also a teacher. You can’t rightly preach without also teaching your people. That’s why Paul says in 1:11 that the was appointed as a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher. If you are seeking to help your people mortify the deeds of the flesh, and put on righteousness in their lives, you will need to patiently teach them how to do that. Not only will you need great patience, but you will need to do it with great instruction. That’s why the teaching of the Word is so important in the life of any church.
Life Application
Let me speak first of all to those men in our midst whom the Lord may be calling to preach the Word, whether it is in the open-air, or in the context of the gathered church.
1. Preach Solemnly. By that I don’t mean that you can’t introduce any humor at all, or that you should be morose. I simply mean that you should feel the weightiness of what you are doing. The words that you proclaim can mean the difference between heaven or hell for someone. You are preaching in the presence of God and Jesus Christ. You are being watched and heard by your Judge. He is returning as a great King and Judge. Preach in that sure knowledge! An old Puritan, Richard Baxter used to say, “I preach to you as a dying man to dying men, and never sure to preach again.” That’s the spirit we must have when we stand before men to proclaim His truth.
2. Preach Biblically. This should go without saying, but sadly it needs to be said. If you survey most evangelical churches, although they state that they believe the Bible is the infallible word of God, they often don’t treat it as such when they go into the pulpit. Instead, their own cleverness, ingenuity, and wit is the main focus of the sermon. I charge you who would preach, to have a text, and proclaim it. Open it up. Expound it, and then drive it home with all the force you can muster.
3. Preach Constantly. If the Lord has called you to preach, then do it continually. Discipline yourself to preach, in season and out of season. Don’t let the size or favor of the people sway you. Preach when it is convenient, and when it is not.
4. Preach Faithfully. Be faithful to reprove and rebuke the sins the people are captive to. Exhort them to repent and surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Urge them to rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Continue to teach them the word of God so that they will be armed against the temptations of the evil one.
And, let me just say a word to The Bridge. The committed members of this church need to insist that those who preach the Word here, preach solemnly, Biblically, constantly, and faithfully. If, for some reason, I or someone else preaches anything other than God’s Word, you will need to call us back to God’s holy Word.
Well, these are some very precious truths. There’s much more in verses 3-5, but we’ll get to that next week. Let’s pray.
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