Preach the Word

I wonder what your famous last words would be.

If you knew you were about to die,

what would your parting message be

!

Lawrence Oates, he sacrificed himself.

He knew he was going to die,

and he sacrificed himself by walking out into a blizzard

to spare his fellow explorers from having to care for him.

And his famous last words as he walked out of that tent

to a certain death were these,

I'm just going outside, and maybe some time.

Or in 1863,

it has been reported that surgeon Joseph Henry Green

he was checking his own pulse as he lay dying,

and apparently his last word was stopped.

Well, the letter of 2 Timothy

contains the Apostle Paul's last recorded words,

and these are written to his son in the faith

and his successor, Timothy.

This is the man who would continue

to build up the early church.

And in chapter 4 that we've just read,

we have Paul's famous last words,

and they may be summed up with these three words.

Verse 2,

Preach the word.

Preach the word.

This command is the crux of the whole letter.

If Timothy was to take anything away from this letter,

it was this one single thing.

This was the thing that he had to commit himself to

for the rest of his life.

It would be to obey these famous last words.

Preach the word.

Now, Paul could have left behind his top ten ministry tips,

but instead he wants to leave these three words

ringing in Timothy's ears.

So Paul has reached the end of his life.

It's the end of his ministry as well.

His life of faith and his ministry

that Jesus tasked him with,

these two things are closely intertwined.

And as Paul senses the executioner's block,

he finds himself at the crucial Baton Pass.

This is the moment that he hands on the task

of leading and building up the church,

and he wants to make sure the Baton is firmly

in Timothy's hand as he dies.

Paul's reached the end of his leg of the relay race,

and now it's time for Timothy to take on the gospel path,

Baton forwards into the next generation.

So we're going to go through verses 1 to 8,

this famous passage,

and we're going to consider

why preaching the word specifically

was supposed to be Timothy's central task.

Then we're going to look at two things

which await Timothy in his ministry.

So there's a day coming

when people are going to reject the truth,

but then there's another day coming

when faithful word ministers

and all faithful followers of Jesus

will be rewarded for sticking with Jesus.

So we're going to look at the first two verses now.

So a central task.

A central task.

So in the first couple of verses of chapter 4,

it is crystal clear

what Timothy must commit himself to

as he leads the church.

He must preach the word.

But did you notice how strongly

Paul instructs him to do this?

If you look at verse 1 again,

it says,

In the presence of God

and of Christ Jesus,

who will judge the living and the dead,

and in view of his appearing

and his kingdom,

I give you this charge.

Preach the word.

God the Father

and Jesus the Son

are my witnesses,

Paul says,

Paul reminds Timothy

that Jesus is coming again

and he's going to judge

the living and the dead

and Jesus will weigh

all of Timothy's works in the balance.

Therefore,

Timothy must take this command

very seriously.

He must preach the word.

Now,

preaching the whole counsel of God,

it's not a preference for Timothy

or for anyone who teaches the Bible,

but it's a serious injunction

from the apostle Paul.

It bears apostolic weight,

but it's also an injunction

that Jesus made,

that,

sorry,

was made with Jesus as witness.

We saw that.

Jesus is my witness.

So,

also bears divine weight as well.

This is no throwaway ministry tip.

It is a command as weighty

as the commands written in stone.

So,

let's pause briefly

and let's just ask ourselves,

what does it actually mean

to preach the word?

That might be a silly question to ask,

maybe an obvious question to ask,

but put simply,

preaching the word,

it means saying

what the Bible says

in the way that it says it.

Saying what the Bible says

in the way that the Bible says it.

So,

it's not to be taken out of context.

It's not with our hobby horses

plastered all over it.

The Bible is God's breathed out

authoritative word

and the Bible unveils God's plan

for the world

and it's the Bible that sets the agenda

when we open it up.

So,

preaching the word,

it means saying what the Bible says

in the way that it says it.

Thinking about it in a bigger way,

preaching the word

is when God's people are gathered,

just like this,

or on a Sunday morning,

and the Bible is carefully read

and unpacked

so that

unbelievers

might come to faith

as they hear about Jesus

and

so that

believers

will be

made wise

so that believers

might be taught

what the Bible says,

challenged

to live God's way,

corrected

of sinful ways,

brought in line

with God's good desires

for them,

trained

in righteousness

so that

they will resemble

Jesus more and more,

strengthened

so that

they might stand firm

in the storms of life,

and thoroughly

equipped

so that they might

serve him faithfully

in all the good works

that God has given them

to do.

So this is what happens

when God's

word is

preached.

preached.

So Timothy

is not to preach

philosophy,

he's not to preach

politics,

or good morals,

or to put on a good show,

he's to teach

what the Bible says

and the way

that it says it.

But why does Paul

say that

preaching the word

has to be

the central task?

Why does

that thing

come above

everything else

that we busy

ourselves with

in church?

Well,

preaching the word

must be

the priority

because Jesus

is coming back

and he will judge

the world

and there are

countless people

who are perishing

without knowing him.

Preaching the word

must be the priority

because it is

God's plan

to fill the earth

with people

who resemble

his son Jesus

and these people

will resemble

Jesus more

and more

as they live

in obedience

to his word.

Preaching the word

must be the priority

because if the baton

isn't passed

to the next generation

there will be

catastrophic effects

for the church.

If the good news

of Jesus

isn't proclaimed

then people

won't be saved.

If the Bible

isn't faithfully taught

then God's people

will become

malnourished.

And if people

aren't trained

for ministry

people like Timothy

then there will be

nobody to lead

the church

when our current

leaders step aside.

Paul gives

Timothy

this strict

command

to preach

the word

because if he

doesn't preach

the word

the fledgling

church will not

outlive Timothy

it will fizzle

out as quickly

as it began.

So this is crucial.

But we mustn't

miss how

Timothy

used to preach

the word

so we

stopped

at preach

the word

but the next bit

in verse 2

how is Timothy

to preach

the word?

Well

Timothy

must be

prepared

at all times

to preach

and teach

the truth

and he

must preach

the word

in the ways

that God

has always

intended

his word

to be used.

So we see

that he's

to correct

he's to rebuke

and he's to

encourage

the people

of God

with the word

and he's to

preach the word

with great

patience

and with

careful instruction

because

sheep do not

change their

ways quickly.

He needs

to preach

with patience.

At this point

we must

ask ourselves

where do we

hold

word ministry

in our list

of priorities?

Do we

hold it

in the same

regard

as the

apostle Paul?

Is it a

priority for

us?

Opening

God's word

and letting

it speak

must be

the priority

in every

ministry

of church

life

and maybe

you're involved

in teaching

the Bible

in some way

so maybe

that's up

the front

preaching

or maybe

it's teaching

our children

here

or young

people

or maybe

it's leading

a Bible

study

or maybe

it's giving

a talk

at Christian

union

or a

scripture

union

at school

or maybe

it's sharing

a word

at coffee

at Brunsfield

do we

believe that

God's word

has power

when we

open it?

Will we

get in the

way by

sharing

entertaining

stories or

will we let

God's word

do the

speaking?

So a

central task.

Now a

reality check

so we're

going to

look at

verses

three

to five

now.

So we've

seen how

Paul strongly

commanded

Timothy

to commit

himself to

preaching

the word

but in the

next few

verses

Paul gives

Timothy

a reality

check.

Paul points

forward

to a day

that is coming

when people

are going to

reject the

preaching of

the word.

We see that

in verse

three.

They won't

be able to

stand what

the Bible

has to say.

This day is

coming Paul

says.

Verse four

they will

turn their

ears away

from the

truth and

they'll turn

aside to

myths.

Now

I if you

know me

you know I

love dogs

and I

particularly

love

spaniels

but I

also love

terriers.

The first

family dog

that we

had was a

Jack Russell

and I

love terriers

because they

have great

ears and

the great

thing about

a terrier's

ears is

that you

can tell

what they're

listening to

by looking

at the

direction

that their

ears are

tilted.

In the

same way

there is a

time coming

when people

will not

tilt their

ears

towards the

truth but

they will

turn their

ears away

from the

truth.

And tilt

them towards

things of

no value.

Things like

empty

myths.

And these

people they

won't just

reject the

preaching of

the words

they won't

just turn

their ears

away but

they will

surround

themselves

with teachers

who will

say the

things that

they are

itching to

hear.

Things that

appeal to

their sinful

desires.

So what

might those

sorts of

teachers say

today?

Well they

might say

something like

this.

you can

think

whatever

you want

only your

actions

count.

You can

look at

whatever you

like.

You can

do whatever

you like.

Don't worry

about sinning

because God's

forgiven it

all hasn't

he?

Follow your

desires.

God has

given you

your desires

right?

Or how

about this

morning why

don't we

focus on

all the

ways that

this

controversial

speaker is

wrong?

Wouldn't

it be fun

to take

a pop

at that

guy and

see all

the ways

that he's

got it

wrong?

Or

actually

we're not

going to

look at

the Bible

this morning

because we

can't

actually be

sure if

it's

reliable.

There's a

constant

temptation

for preachers

to avoid

preaching what

God's word

says.

A constant

temptation

to dumb

down the

uncomfortable

parts or

to avoid

them altogether.

things that

God says

about sin

or about

hell or

when God

says things

that go

against the

grain of

our culture.

A constant

temptation.

But if we

dumb down

or if we

dodge these

things what

we're actually

doing is that

we're communicating

that not all

of scripture is

actually for us.

Only the

bits that

affirm us

and make us

feel good.

So I

and anybody

else involved

in teaching

what the

Bible says

at Brunsfield

we must be

careful not

to become

people pleasers

avoiding what

the Bible

says but

we must

make sure

we say

what the

Bible says

in the way

that it

says it.

So Paul's

warning is

clear.

People are

going to

reject the

truth and

they will

appoint yes

men to

lead them

and who

will say

what they

want to

hear and

there will

be many

teachers who

will tell

God's

people all

sorts of

things that

they want

to hear.

These days

are coming

says Paul

but notice

the contrast

in verse

five.

But you

Timothy

when you

preach the

word you

must keep

your head

especially

when people

reject the

teaching.

You must

endure the

hardship that

preaching the

word will

always bring.

you must

do the

work of

an

evangelist

so you

must make

sure that

you keep

preaching the

gospel to

unbelievers

as well as

feeding the

flock with

the meat of

the Bible

and you

need to make

sure that you

fulfill all

your duties.

Don't skip

the hard

bits.

Do all of

it.

As Timothy

commits himself

to preaching

the word

Paul has

pointed to a

future day

when people

are going to

reject it

and hardship

will definitely

come.

We've seen

that all the

way through

the letter

but in

verses 6

to 8

which we're

going to

look at

next

Paul wants

to point

Timothy

to another

day

a day

that's coming

that's going

to be truly

wonderful

and it's

going to

dwarf all

the suffering

and rejection

that Timothy

might face

for preaching

the word.

So let's

look at

verses 6

to 8

and think

about a

future

reward.

A future

reward.

So in

these verses

6 to 8

Paul is

shining the

spotlight now

on his own

life and he

wants to show

us what it

means to

finish well.

So in

verse 6

Paul tells

Timothy that

he's reached

the end of

his life.

He says

the time of

his death

is near.

Now Paul

is holed up

in a Roman

prison at this

point and he

knows he's

going to be

executed soon

but he views

his death

as being

like a

final act

of worship.

Every last

drop of his

life is going

to be poured

out in

worship to

God.

What an

interesting way

to view

your own

death.

An act

of worship.

This is

triumphant

not a sad

whimper.

Paul certainly

doesn't view

the end of his

life as something

to be feared

or to be

sad about.

Not at all.

Paul speaks

about his

demise very

positively.

Now he

looks back

over the

course of

his life

as many

people do

at the

end of

their life.

He thinks

about the

highs and

the lows

and he

can say

with confidence

that he

has fought

the good

fight.

He says

that.

Paul has

fought so

that the

good news

of Jesus

might be

heard

everywhere.

Paul never

drew a

fist but

he had to

keep striving

against evil

opposition by

preaching the

words everywhere

he went even

when threatened

with death.

Paul looks

back over his

life and he

can say with

confidence that

he has finished

the race.

He's kept

the faith.

Just like the

image of the

athlete back in

chapter 2.

Paul has not

cut any

corners.

He's never

given up.

He has

faithfully run

the racetrack

of faith

which God

has set

out for

him.

Now

Bogdan

took us

back to

Antioch

and Iconium

and Lystra

last week.

This is

when Paul

was badly

persecuted

and stoned

to death.

Remember

those times

Paul says

to Timothy

think of

all the

suffering

that I

endured

because I

chose to

keep

preaching

the word.

Paul could

have so

easily thrown

the towel

in at any

moment

but he

didn't.

Maybe

another thing

you might know

about me

other than

that I like

dogs.

I used to

do a lot

of running.

That was my

sport.

And in my

16 years

of running

I competed

in many

races

race.

But there

were many

times when

I was

tempted to

pull out

of a race.

Three

kilometers into

a five

kilometer race.

Man, that

is where it

really hits.

The pain

begins to

mount in

your body

and the

psychological

battle

begins.

Oh, I

can't

possibly keep

going at

this pace.

Goodness me,

I am

suffering.

People are

going past

me.

I've got to

slow down.

This is

really rubbish.

I'm hating

this right

now.

Maybe I

should pull

out and

stop.

People would

understand,

wouldn't they?

I was often

tempted to

quit the race

when it got

painful or

when the race

wasn't going

very well.

I wonder if

we've ever

thought this

way in our

race of

faith.

Have we

ever been

tempted to

give it up?

When it's

gotten painful?

Or when it's

not been

going well?

Or if

we're involved

in teaching

God's word,

have we

ever been

tempted to

throw the

towel in

because it's

really hard

going?

Or it's

costly?

Or maybe

it's not

going well?

Paul tells

Timothy,

you've got to

keep going

because there

is a

magnificent

reward for

all those who

fight the

good fight,

who finish

the race,

and who

keep the

faith.

And we

read about

that in

verse 8.

So let's

read that

again.

Verse 8.

Now,

there is in

store for

me the

crown of

righteousness,

which the

Lord,

the righteous

judge,

will award

to me on

that day,

and not

only to

me,

but also

to all

who have

longed for

his

appearing.

there is

a crown

of

righteousness

stored up

for Paul

and for

everyone who

perseveres in

their faith

to the end.

And Jesus

himself will

reward us with

that crown

on that day,

the day when

he returns and

he establishes

his kingdom

on earth.

And we

will see

Jesus face

to face

in that

moment,

and he

will tell

us,

well done.

I wonder

if you've

ever seen

a medal

presentation,

if you've

ever watched

the Olympics,

you've probably

seen a medal

presentation.

And when you

watch a medal

presentation,

as they stand

up on the

podium,

the thing

you notice

about the

athletes is

the joy

beaming

from their

faces as

the person

comes up

and presents

the medal

to them

and says

to them,

well done.

Paul says,

all Christians

who persevere

to the end

will receive

a crown,

but even

better than

that,

our greatest

reward will

be seeing

Jesus himself

when he

comes up

and he

awards us

with that

crown,

and the

joy that

will beam

from our

faces when

he says to

us,

well done.

That is the

reward that

is waiting

for us

if we

stick to

the end.

So as we

draw things

to a close,

we're going

to think

about two

sticks,

not literal

sticks.

Paul had

reached the

end of his

life,

and he not

only chose

to stick

with Jesus

to the end,

but as a

minister of the

gospel,

he also chose

to stick

to the

central task

of preaching

the word.

word.

And now

the glorious

crown of

righteousness

awaited him,

and at this

key moment

in history,

the death

of the

great apostle

and the

handing of

the baton

on to the

next generation,

Timothy

must now

do the

same.

Timothy

must stick

with Jesus

to the

end,

and Timothy

must stick

to the

central task

of preaching

the word.

So for us

today,

will we

stick with

Jesus till

the end of

our lives,

following him

wherever he

leads us,

even into

pain,

even into

suffering?

I wonder

where is he

leading you

today?

Maybe into

a costly

decision,

perhaps,

maybe into

sharing the

word with

that friend

at work.

Will we

finish the

race and

keep the

faith knowing

that Jesus

himself,

awaits us

with the

crown?

And secondly,

will we

stick to

the central

task of

preaching the

word?

Will we

get behind

leaders who

commit to

this task?

Will we

prioritize

opening the

Bible,

even when it

says difficult

things?

Are we

convinced that

God has

the power

to transform

people through

his word?

Let's pray.

our heavenly

father, we

thank you so,

so much for

giving us

this passage,

this clear

command from

Paul to

Timothy to

preach the

word.

We thank you

that you've

left us your

word, you've

preserved it

for us, and

that we can

learn from it

today.

And the same

command is

true for us

today, to

keep the

opening and

the unfolding

and the

explaining and

the teaching

of your word

as a central

thing that we

do as your

gathered people.

And Lord, we

are sorry for

the times that

we've put that

to one side,

we've not

prioritized it,

we've gone for

the things that

are flashy, or

we've wanted to

avoid what the

Bible has to

say, whether

that's preaching

it or even

conversations with

our friends, we've

wanted to avoid

saying the

things that the

Bible actually

says.

But help us to

be bold like

Paul and to

commit to saying

what the Bible

says in the way

that it says

it, help us

to commit to

that task in

all the ways

that we share

the word with

others.

And I pray that

you would help

us to keep

going to the

end of our

lives, sticking

faithfully to

you, running

well, fighting

the good fight,

contending for

the gospel,

keeping the

faith, knowing

that Jesus

himself awaits

us at the end

of our lives

with the crown

and he will say

well done to

us and award

us if we stick

faithfully to

him.

And if there's

anyone here

that is here

tonight who

hasn't made

the Lord Jesus

their own

personal saviour,

who doesn't

know the

salvation and

the forgiveness

that he offers,

I just pray that

you would convince

those folks by

your spirit to

trust in the

Lord Jesus who

is our only

rescue, our

only way of

salvation.

And we pray

all this in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.