Summary:

Paul calls his death a departure (4:6) because when we die our soul and spirit departs our body (Gen. 35:18; Eccl. 12:7). The Greek word for “depart” is analusis, from which we get our word analyze, which means to break something down into its component parts—like our body, soul & spirit.

Paul also called his death an offering (4:6). Israel’s priests offered the lives of animals to pay for sins (Heb. 5:1), but Paul knew better than to think his death paid for his sins. Of course, religion doesn’t! One religion says that dying for the Lord makes you a martyr and you don’t have to pay for your sins in Purgatory. Paul knew there’s no Purgatory (Heb. 1:3; 10:12), so why’d he call his death an offering?

It was because he knew that after you are saved by faith in Christ’s sacrifice you can offer your life to God as “a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1). To do that, you have to sacrifice a lot of things, like any animosity you might feel toward others (Eph. 4:32-5:2). The Lord loved your brethren enough to die for them. Can’t you love them enough to forgive them? You have to sacrifice your pride to do that, but Paul compares that sacrifice to the smell of Christ’s sacrifice. He made the same comparison to the financial gift the Philippians gave him (Phil. 4:18). They offered themselves as living sacrifices in doing so (IICor. 8:1-6).

Sometimes we are called upon to be dying sacrifices like Paul. You might be “ready” to die too if you’d been to heaven like Paul (Acts 14:20; II Cor. 12:2-4). If you’ve ever wondered if heaven is all it is cracked up to be, take it from someone who has been there, it is “far better” (Phil. 1:23).

Who makes the bigger sacrifice, one who dies for the Lord or one who lives a long life for Him? If God allowed boasting in heaven, you can imagine how men would boast that the sacrifice they made was bigger. Since God doesn’t allow boasting in heaven, people there are probably telling others that they made bigger sacrifices. Wouldn’t it be heavenly if men did that here? Paul thought so. He said if he poured out his life as a dying sacrifice, that would just be the drink offering on top of the living sacrifice the Philippians had made (Phil. 2:17 cf. Num. 15:5). He rejoiced to think of things that way. And they rejoiced to feel the same way (Phil. 2:18)! This is an example of “let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3).

Paul wasn’t ready to die because he was “aged” (Phile. 1:9), but because he knew if his imprisonment furthered the gospel, imagine how his death would embolden the brethren (Phil. 1:21-25)! He was also ready because he had finished his course (II Tim. 4:7), all the preaching God gave him to do and all the epistles He needed him to write. Israel’s priesthood was divided into “courses” (II Chron. 31:2), offering animal sacrifices. Paul’s life was a course (Acts 20:24) of offering his life a living sacrifice and then a dying one. When John finished his, his ministry was done (Acts 13:24,25), and so was Paul’s. Paul knew God would protect him till he finished his course (II Tim. 4:17).

“The faith” Paul kept (4:7) is the body of truth given to him (cf. Rev. 14:12). He also “fought” for it (4:7). He told Timothy to fight “the” fight of the faith, but he fought “a” good fight. He’s talking about how well he fought the good fight. Because of that he’d receive the reward (I Cor. 3:13, 14) of a “crown” (4:8) if he strove for it “lawfully” (II Tim. 2:5) by not mixing in the rules of the kingdom gospel.

The crown symbolizes how we’ll “reign” (II Tim. 2:12) over the angels (I Cor. 6:3). Paul says his reward was there “henceforth,” from that time onward. It was there waiting for him (cf. Mt. 6:19,20). It is a “crown of righteousness” because we earned it. That’s different from “the gift of righteousness” we got when we got saved (Rom. 5:17). It’s a crown of righteousness because without an old nature we’ll always judge righteously. The Lord is called “the righteous Judge” because men could charge Him with unrighteousness for making men with dark histories like Paul and ourselves rulers over men. Paul says otherwise! He says all who love His appearing” (v.8) will receive a reward, because only those who live for the Lord love His appearing. Those who live for themselves dread it, for they know they will have to give account of themselves to God.

Summary: 

The “word” Paul wanted preached (4:1,2) was the inspired Word of God that he just finished talking about (3:16,17).

This is so important God (through Paul) charges pastors to do it. It was important for Abraham to go to the Promised Land and start the Hebrew race so God charged him to do it (Gen. 26:2-5). It was important for Moses to lead that race out of Egypt into the wilderness, and it was important that that race be led out of the wilderness into the Promised Land, so God charged men to do these things too (Ex. 6:13; Deut. 3:28). It was important for the angels to protect the Lord till He could finish training the 12 before dying for our sins so God charged them to do it (Ps. 91:11,12). And it must be just as important to preach the Word if God uses that same word “charge” to tell pastors to do it. If you’re not a pastor, you must clamor for it (IPe. 2:2).

When you charge someone before someone else it makes you accountable to them (Num. 27:18,19). Pastors are charged “before God, and the Lord Jesus” to preach the Word (4:1), and we will give account of ourselves at the Judgment Seat of Christ. There the Lord will judge “the quick and the dead” (4:1 cf. II Cor. 5:9,10).

The “kingdom” Paul mentions (4:1) is not the kingdom of heaven on earth, that’s Israel’s hope. It is the kingdom of heaven in heaven we’ll be raptured to (I Cor. 15:50-52). That kingdom will begin for us at the Rapture, and our place in it will be ascribed at the Judgment Seat, where we’ll learn at what level we’ll “reign” with Christ (II Tim.2:12).

So we should preach the Word “instant” (4:2). What does that mean? Well, being “instant in prayer” (Rom. 12:12) means ready to pray instantly (Neh. 2:4,5), so preaching the Word instant means to be able to preach instantly. To prepare for that, pastors must give themselves “wholly” to the Word (I Tim. 4:15). The Lord did, and so was able to instantly jump on a word to witness to a woman (John 4:9,10). You can do that too if you immerse your mind in the Word.

“In season” (4:2) means “at all seasons” (Ex.18:26). People don’t always have problems at convenient seasons, as those judges learned, and they don’t always ask Bible questions at convenient seasons either, as Timothy would learn.

When people don’t want to listen to the Word pastors must “reprove” them (4:2). You too can reprove people by not joining in their sin (Eph. 5:11). “Rebuke” (4:1) is what you give people who oppose the program of God (Ps. 106:9; Lu. 8:24; Mark 8:33). Today Paul’s gospel is the program of God. Of course, the more pastors “exhort” people (4:2) the less they’ll have to reprove and rebuke them!

This must be done “with all longsuffering” (4:2). Parents don’t give up on kids who don’t listen, and pastors shouldn’t give up on Christians who don’t listen. They must also do it with “doctrine” (4:2). Of course, not listening to doctrine is why they need reproof and rebuke, but God doesn’t have a “Plan B.” If people don’t listen to doctrine, they must be reproved and rebuked with doctrine.

“Itching ears” (4:3) are ears that are itching to hear what they want to hear instead of the Word they need to hear (cf. Micah 2:11). “Fables” (4:4) are stories, they’re what you hear when you hear most preachers preach. But there’s no power in stories, the power of God is in the Word of God.

To guard against all this, pastors must “watch” (4:5). Not watch the people for signs of itching ears, for that wouldn’t change what a pastor is supposed to do, preach the Word. He must watch himself (cf. I Tim. 4:16) for signs of weakening and giving in, and giving people what they want instead of the Word they need. Pastors must also endure the afflictions that Satan will make sure come if you preach the Word (4:5), especially if they “do the work of an evangelist” (4:5).