2 Timothy 4:1-5: Preach While You Have the Chance
2022-03-12
2 Timothy 4:1
Here we see another charge from the mentor to his protégé. It is a very solemn charge if you look at the whole verse.
His charge is “before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Here are two witnesses: the Father and the Son. This should be enough to take the charge, whatever it might be, seriously. However, Paul qualifies the latter with “who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.” This is the rapture and the judgment seat of Christ. There would be a day when young Timothy would stand before God and give an account for everything.
Live your life intentionally for Christ every day. You will stand before the Lord as Timothy will. Don’t assume you have years to do service for the Lord. Every day is a new opportunity. In 2 Timothy 4:7, we see that Paul had confidence to go before the Lord. More on that in a future section.
2 Timothy 4:2
The verse charges what Timothy (or we) should do, when to do it, and how to do it. Starting in verse 3 we see the why to do it.
“Preach the word.” The Word has all that we need to know God and serve Him. To whom do we preach? Well, everyone. However, Timothy’s primary calling to this point has been church planting. He would be preaching to the people at whichever church He was solidifying. However, he would also be preaching to others without the church.
Preaching to the church and preaching to the world is different. The church consists (or so it should) of believers. The heavy doctrine and the principles of Christian living are in focus, which are applications of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For the unsaved, the fundamentals of Christ crucified and risen are preached for the forgiveness of sins, but the multitude of applications of those fundamentals would not be expounded upon for the unsaved. They need to become converted first before they can handle the manifold application of the Word of God.
Preaching the Word implies not preaching something else. It is not preaching counseling gimmicks, political parties, political correctness, or civil liberties. There are elements of the social gospel are good, but if people are not converted, it will not be successful. Society will always be evil; we do not seek to change the society but convert as many to Jesus Christ as possible. This will change society as more people are saved.
“...be instant in season, out of season...” This means always to be ready to preach the Word. This means when it is convenient, and when it is not convenient. There are times when we intentionally are in spiritual service, and there are times opportunities come up while busy with something else.
“...reprove, rebuke, exhort...” Preaching the Word involves correcting wrong behavior, thinking and doctrine. It also involves encouraging the right behavior, thinking and doctrine.
“...with all longsuffering and doctrine...” With people who are slow to learn (which to a degree is all of us), instruction takes time. People make wrong decisions and believe wrong things. This is why patience is imperative when dealing with other people in their spiritual journeys. Remember for everyone with whom you are patient, someone is being patient with you! This is also done with correct Biblical doctrine, not the teachings of the gurus of this world.
2 Timothy 4:3
Verse 3 casts a certain urgency on the previously mentioned charge to us. At some point, people, cultures, and societies, get tired of hearing. Consider Isaiah 6:8-13. Isaiah is told to literally preach until nobody will listen anymore, and the people are exiled out of the land. This is fulfilled twice. First, it is fulfilled when the Israel and Judah are captured by Assyria and Babylon, respectively. This happened again, after the Jews rejected Jesus, and were dispersed again in A.D. 70. (Matthew 13:13-15, the Isaiah passage is quoted by Jesus).
This is the pattern we see in western society, where much is considered “post-Christian.” They have “heard” it all before. They have “moved on.” Maybe it was to atheism or eastern mysticism, or perhaps it was some diluted form of Christianity. Whatever it is, they are allured to something that is not of God, but from themselves. They do not want to hear it anymore. We are experiencing that here in our time.
From their own desires, “they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” People want to be reaffirmed in their own godless beliefs, so they go out find a bunch of gurus that agree with them and affirm them. See Isaiah 30:8-11. This is talking about ancient Israel, but it applies today to any society that is like them. They want to get rid of Christ and follow a new Christ, a new God, a new way that affirms their evilness.
You can easily find celebrity preachers online from every kind of denomination. People do this today.
2 Timothy 4:4
There is a turning from the truth for a lie. When people start rejecting truth, God allows them to believe lies. “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:24-25). “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth” (1 John 2:21).
2 Timothy 4:5
In whatever culture Timothy was in, there were still open doors. Here were some things he was to do.
“But watch thou in all things...” What are things to watch for? One thing is false teachers. Consider Acts 20:29-31. Remember the phrase, “Where there is light, there are bugs.” False teachers come from without and from within. Spiritual forces are at work to destroy the church by causing division, spreading false doctrine, and introducing sin into the body.
Church elders watch for the people they shepherd. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).
Another thing is to watch in prayer. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). If you pray, you pray expectantly, looking for the Lord’s answer. “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).
The biggest thing is to watch for the Lord’s coming. Consider Mark 13:32-37. There is a danger that we could not watch and be caught very unaware when He comes. We do not know the hour of His coming, but we can know the season (parable of the fig tree). This is the great hope: Jesus is coming back, and He is coming back for you and me. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). He says that every Christian should watch for His return, not just the Jews (Mark 13:37).
“...endure afflictions...” We spoke previously about how affliction or tribulation is a part of the Christian life. One day, we will know that whatever we face here will be worth it when we see Him. Have Stephen’s attitude: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).
“...do the work of an evangelist...” An evangelist is a specific office and gift for getting people saved. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). An example of this is Philip, who was one of the original deacons in Acts 6. “...we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy” (Acts 21:8-9). This man led the Ethiopian eunuch to the Lord, but since he also must have gained a reputation for winning souls. He taught his children to do the same. For Timothy, he must have some role in sharing the Gospel with people, as we all are to do this work to some degree. It might not necessarily be his strong point, but it could be. Either way, we are all called to share the Gospel. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).
“...make full proof of thy ministry.” Carry out all your ministry objectives. Give it everything you have in you. The next section my show us why this was this case for Timothy.