Transcript

Gladys attended church services one particular Sunday. The sermon seemed to go on forever and many in the congregation got groggy.

After the service, to be social, she walked up to a very sleepy-looking gentleman, in an attempt to revive him from his stupor.

She extended her hand in greeting, and said, “Hello, I’m Gladys Dunn.” And the gentleman replied, “You’re not the only one!”

The preaching of the Word is an essential and vital part of the ministry of the local church. As we faithfully and consistently preach the Word, we allow Christ to lead, guide, teach, strengthen, and grow His Church spiritually.

And the Holy Spirit works in tandem with the proclamation of the Word that He authored, to produce His spiritual fruit in our lives and to transform us by His grace.

2 Timothy 4:1-2: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word…”

As Paul was facing his imminent execution and death, and as he came to the latter part of his last letter, he turned very serious with Timothy. And he gave him a solemn charge and some important directives.

He charged Timothy to do them in the sight of and “before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,” and in light of the Judgment to come as well.

Breaking down this verse, the words, “Who shall judge,” are referring to the Judgment Seat of Christ, when all members of the Body of Christ will give account of the journey of their Christian lives and their service to the Savior.

The words, “the quick and the dead,” refer to all the members of the Body of Christ at the time of the Rapture. The “quick” are those who are alive and remain when Christ returns. The “dead” are those who have died in Christ and are with the Lord in heaven.

In other words, Christ will judge the entire Body of Christ, both the living and the dead at the time of “His appearing and His kingdom.”

The words, “His appearing,” is in reference to His appearing at the Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ.

And “His kingdom,” is speaking of Christ’s “heavenly kingdom,” as Paul stated in verse 18, when he wrote, “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His HEAVENLY KINGDOM: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

If Paul had only written, “I charge you,” we would have paid attention. If he had written, “I charge you before God,” it would have been a strong admonition.

Had he said, “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ,” it would have been a forceful exhortation. But he wrote, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead” and that puts it off the charts.

And the full weight of this solemn charge of verse 1, bears on the first command of verse 2: “Preach the Word.”

To advance the cause of Christ in this world, like Timothy, we, the church, are charged before God to preach the Word.

It is impossible to exaggerate the significance here given to the preaching of the Word by this solemn charge. We are being taught that the preaching the Word must always remain as the centerpiece of any ministry.

This challenge to “preach the Word” is also right after Paul told Timothy about all Scripture being given by inspiration of God. It is all God-breathed. The Scriptures originated with Him and is His authoritative Word. And Timothy was to not hold back in his proclamation of God’s truth and to not be ashamed of God’s Word.

He was to preach the Word, because his words would then be resting upon the most solid of foundations since all Scripture is given by inspiration of God.

In light of that day when we will all give account of our service before the Lord, Paul charged Timothy, and us the church, that the preaching of the Word must be the principal focus of his ministry and the work of the local church. The preaching of the Word was not to be just a part of his ministry; it was to be the primary emphasis of it.

We are to keep the main thing the main thing. And the preaching of the Word is to be the main thing for the local church. God lists things by order of importance in His Word. And listed first here, as well as it being a charge before God, the Spirit is driving home to us that the preaching of His Word is the top priority in the church.

Since it is through His Word that God speaks to us, ministry first and foremost must about be the communication and instruction of His Word, because what God has to say to us is always what is most important.

The word for “preach” means to proclaim as a herald. In Paul’s time, rulers had heralds who made announcements in public to the people. The herald was a messenger with a proclamation to be heard and heeded. The King’s message was paramount.

The herald did not choose his message, it was given to him by his sovereign. He only conveyed exactly what his sovereign gave him to say.

And so it was for Timothy and for all who preach and teach today: we are to herald the Word of God. We are not charged just to preach, but to preach THE WORD.

Our Sovereign, the Lord God Almighty, has given us what we are to proclaim, and it is His Word. And we are to herald it clearly and plainly. And God’s message is paramount for all to hear and to heed.

As a pastor, Timothy was not required to merely know the Word; he was charged to preach the Word and to make it known to others. The Word of God was to be the content of his preaching and message.

Like Peter wrote, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pet. 4:11).

And when it says to preach the Word, this takes in the entirety of the Word. Paul told the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27: “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” And as we follow Paul as he followed Christ, this teaches us that the preaching in the local church should also entail declaring the whole counsel of the Word of God.

And we do so in light of what Paul taught Timothy a couple chapters earlier in 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.”

The whole Word is to be preached, but as we do so, we must rightly divide it.

This means that we are to interpret it and declare it in light of the message revealed to Paul for this current dispensation of grace, making clear distinctions between God’s instruction for Israel and His instruction for the Body of Christ, so that we don’t claim promises or try to live by instruction meant for another time and people.

It’s important to note that not everyone who opens a Bible, stands behind a pulpit, and starts talking is preaching the Word. Many preachers are actually preaching themselves instead of the Word.

As Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 4:5, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.” This verse shows that it is possible to preach oneself rather than Christ.

Now I’m not talking about the occasional life story used to illustrate a point from Scripture, but if you find that the focus is continually on the touching and manifold life experiences of the preacher, he may be preaching himself.

But Timothy was charged not to preach himself, but to preach the Word. And Timothy was also not to preach ethics, politics, philosophy, sociology, or economics; he was not to use the Word as a launching pad for his own ideas and hobby horses; he was not to preach theory; he was to preach truth, the truth as it has been revealed in the Word of God.

The most effective way to oppose and expose error is to preach the Truth, and the best way to dispel darkness is to turn on the light. And there is much error and much darkness in this world and the Word is the Truth and the Light that needs to be proclaimed to drive the darkness out and to rescue lost sinners from the power of darkness.

The Word of God is what both sinners and saints need. And the Spirit works through His Word. By it, He convicts sinners of their need of the Savior. And by the power of the living Word, the Church grows to maturity in Christ.

As Colossians 1:28 instructs us, “Whom [or Christ] we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect [or mature] in Christ Jesus.”

Matthew Simpson said this about the spiritual battle that takes place with the preaching of the Word: “[He stands behind] the pulpit; he stands in Christ’s stead; his message is the Word of God; around him are immortal souls; the Savior, unseen, is beside him…

“The Holy Spirit broods over the congregation; angels gaze upon the scene, and heaven and hell await the issue. What associations, and what vast responsibility!”

Opening the Word and preaching it to God’s people and the unsaved carries a great weight of responsibility, but we are charged by God to do it.

Much does go on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm that we cannot see. There are eternal ramifications that go along with making God’s truth known.

And preaching is to be done with the realization as Richard Baxter put it, “I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.”

God works through the preaching of His Word. And it is a privilege for the preacher to declare God’s infinite and perfect wisdom as revealed and found in His Word.

“A preacher was rushed to the hospital and an inexperienced nurse was assigned to him. She put a barometer in his mouth instead of a thermometer and it read, “Dry and windy.” Sometimes preachers can be dry and windy, and I know I’ve been guilty of this too!

But the preacher of the Word is to have a passion for the Word like the prophet Jeremiah when he wrote, “His Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (20:9).

In that passage, we read how Jeremiah wanted to give up and not make mention of the Lord anymore or speak anymore in His name, because of the opposition and persecution it brought to him by making the Word of God known.

But he could not keep himself from making God’s Word known, because that Word lived in his heart, and it passionately burned in his heart like a fire.

And as hard as Jeremiah tried to hold it in, the Word pressed on his spirit, and he became weary with fighting to hold it in. And Jeremiah found that he “could not stay,” or he could not NOT preach God’s Word.

And in our times, like Jeremiah’s, there is opposition to the Word, but we need to faithfully and passionately make God’s Word known because people need its truth and its life-giving message so desperately.

And we are to preach the Word as Martin Luther once said: “I preach as though Christ was crucified yesterday, rose from the dead today, and is coming back tomorrow.”

2 Timothy 2:2 states, “Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

Next, Paul instructed Timothy as to WHEN he should be ready to preach the Word. He was to be ready always. The preacher is to hold himself in a constant state of readiness to preach the Word; he is to be “instant in season, out of season” with the Word.

We see urgency by Paul here by the absence of the connective word “and” in this statement. Paul wrote rapidly, “in season, out of season,” because the need and responsibility of preaching the Word is always urgent.

There is no closed season for preaching. The message and truth of God’s Word is always needed and is in season at all times. People always need the Word.

“In season, out of season,” means “in opportune times and in inopportune times.” We are to be ready to preach the Word when the time is right, opportune, and convenient, and also when the time is not right, opportune, and when it is not convenient.

We are to preach the Word when we’re scheduled to preach and when we’re not. We are to diligently avail ourselves of every opportunity to make the Word known.

And “in season, out of season,” means we are to preach the Scriptures even when society and the culture pushes back against it, and it is not considered acceptable, and we are labeled as someone who is extreme, narrow-minded, and old-fashioned by doing so.

It’s been said well that “The dictates of popular culture, tradition, reputation, acceptance, or esteem in the community (or in the church) must never alter the true preacher’s commitment to proclaim God’s Word.”

And as Timothy faithfully preached the Word, he was to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” In his preaching, Timothy was to bring the Word of God to bear on the lives of people. He was to preach the Word of God and let God do His work.

2 Timothy 3:16 states that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for REPROOF.”

Timothy was to preach the Word in order that the Holy Spirit might “reprove” or convict and convince those in error by the truth of the Scriptures. We see an example in this letter of a couple of men who needed to be reproved by the sound teaching of the Scriptures.

2 Timothy 2:18 says of Hymenaeus and Philetus, “Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.”

Timothy was to preach the Word in order that the Holy Spirit might “rebuke” those in sin, so they would be admonished and corrected by the righteousness of God’s Word that they might change their behavior and conduct to do what is good and right in God’s sight.

And Timothy was to preach the Word in order that the Holy Spirit might “exhort” or encourage people to live in harmony with God’s will and to trust the Lord in every way.

As we exhort by the preaching of the Word, we reach for and appeal to the heart to live for Christ and we pour courage and strength into people.

And Timothy was to reprove, rebuke and exhort with “longsuffering.” Timothy was to be patient as he preached the Word, as he would not always see immediate results. There is no fast track to spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness. True spiritual growth occurs over time, through consistent learning and application of God’s Word.

And as Timothy reproved, rebuked, and exhorted he was to do so with “doctrine,” or with careful teaching. He was not to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with his own personal thoughts or feelings, but on the ground of truth and sound doctrine from God’s Word.

2 Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

In verses 3 and 4, Paul explained the reason for his solemn charge and why it is so vital to preach the Word: because the time was coming when people will not endure sound doctrine. Paul told Timothy that there will be a general turning away from wholesome, sound doctrine, which includes the doctrine for the Body of Christ as revealed to Paul.

The day was coming when the church would have a positive distaste for the teaching of the Word. And they will not endure it, and they will willfully turn away from those who preach the truth of the Word.

And instead after their own lusts and fleshly desires, they will seek out and heap up and accumulate teachers that deal gently with their sin, teachers that tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Their ears will itch for doctrines that are pleasing and comfortable.

Speaking of the children of Israel, Isaiah 30:9,10 states: “This is a rebellious people…children that will not hear the law of the LORD: which say…to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.”

And this is what would take place Paul says in the Church, as people would have itching ears seeking teachers who would not put them face to face with the truth and wisdom of God’s Word, but would preach “smooth things,” things that please their ears.

Speaking of this, there is a desire in the church today for teaching and preaching to be about things that make me happy and meet my needs. There is a call to don’t talk about sin. Tell me how to be successful. Don’t be negative. Theology and doctrine don’t matter. Make the gospel relevant. Help me feel good about myself. Build up my self-esteem. Don’t talk about hell.

“Itching ears” are also ears that are eager to hear every new idea, new theory, and every wild idea, no matter how farfetched it may be.

Having itching ears and finding teachers that teach these kinds of wild ideas they then knowingly, deliberately turn away from the truth and are turned to “fables,” or myths or legends. They will willfully choose to believe “myths” rather than the truth.

Once people leave the Word of God they often then embrace fantastic fables and fictional teachings. When a man rejects God’s truth, it isn’t that he believes in nothing; it’s that he will believe in anything. And we see that in our world today.

And all of this sounds like the times in which we are currently living!

But this is a reminder to the church that: in a world of itching ears: Preach the Word! Among those who will not endure sound doctrine: Preach the Word! In a time when people turn away their ears from the truth: Preach the Word!

2 Timothy 4:5: “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

For Timothy, in view of those who would turn from the truth, Paul told him, “But watch thou.” “But” is a word of contrast against those mentioned in the previous sentence.

Though others will not endure sound doctrine and be turned aside to fables, Paul wrote, “But as for you Timothy,” be even more dedicated to all that God wants you to do.

“Watch” means staying awake and alert. Paul wanted Timothy to be aware and observant of what was going on around him in the spiritual battle.

Paul didn’t want Timothy to be blindsided and caught off guard and end up discouraged by the direction of the world and the church.

Paul wanted him to be prepared in his ministry. He wanted him the truth of things and to know what was coming. And when “afflictions” came as a result of being faithful to preach the Word and the truth, Paul wanted him to “endure afflictions.”

Paul challenged Timothy often in this letter about enduring afflictions and hardness.

He told him in 1:8 to “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the AFFLICTIONS of the gospel according to the power of God.” In 2:3, Paul challenged his son in the faith to “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Afflictions often come about when you tell people the truth of the Word, and you can even become their enemy. As Paul wrote the Galatians, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (4:16). Paul wanted Timothy to endure these afflictions that come from sharing the gospel and preaching the Word.

After taking a stand, and being alert and watchful to the course of this world and the church, and enduring afflictions in the spiritual battle, Paul exhorted Timothy to move forward, do the work of the evangelist, and reach lost souls for Christ.

In Timothy’s ministry, and ours, soul-winning must be the heartbeat of the local church. Timothy was to grow an army for the truth. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul challenged Timothy to do this by teaching “faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” And here Timothy is challenged to grow the church by sharing the gospel of grace.

By the instruction to “do the WORK of an evangelist, we learn that evangelism takes work, time, effort, and labor on our part.

There are those in the church gifted as “evangelists.” But even not having the gift of evangelism, we are taught here that all members of Christ’s Body are to be doing the work of an evangelist and reaching out to the unbelieving out of a deep concern for souls and their eternal destiny if they do not trust Christ as their Savior.

Charles Spurgeon once said this: “If sinners be [condemned], at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our [efforts], and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

Then Paul wrote Timothy, “make full proof of thy ministry” which means to fulfill your ministry.

Paul gave a similar command to Archippus in Colossians 4:17: “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.”

By this command, Paul was challenging Timothy to not give a half-hearted effort, but to give his whole soul, all his heart, strength, and talents to the Lord, and to be faithful, to see it through and fulfill the ministry to which Christ had called him and to finish it.

In doing so, he would be like the apostle Paul, who wrote in the next couple verses how he had finished and saw his ministry through to the end of his life, writing, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (4:7).

And by Timothy fulfilling his ministry, he would be like the Savior, who in John 17:4 prayed to the Father, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

And this is a challenge for each of us in our individual ministries and service to be faithful to the end of our life or to the sound of the trump and to finish the work God has given us to do, for the honor and glory of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.