Biblical Manhood & Womanhood - 2 Timothy 4 - Living By The Truth In The Days of Apostasy

Good morning, family. How are you guys doing?

Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 4. We will finish this

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

letter today after we do the reading. Yep. Just

getting ready. Thank you. All right. I will read

a question. Heidelberg Catechism, you will read

the answer. Question number 52. How does Christ

return to judge the living and the dead comfort

you? In all distress and persecution with an

uplifted head, I confidently await the very judge

who has already offered himself to the judgment

of God in my place and remove the whole curse

from me. Christ will cast... all his enemies

and mine into everlasting condemnation, but will

take me and all of his chosen ones to himself

into joy and the glory of heaven. Amen. Isn't

that beautiful? I don't know, that gives me comfort.

So let's pray and we'll get started. Father,

I want to thank you so much for your goodness.

Thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for

this wonderful letter. I pray, Lord, as we go

through this, a letter of 2 Timothy chapter 4,

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

that we really see the emphasis on the Word of

God. that the truth of God prevails, and that

we are responsible to be a steward and a caregiver

of that word, and to proclaim the word in the

gospel in season and out of season, Lord, and

that we stand firm on the rock of Christ, the

sureness of our salvation. Lord, we do praise

you and thank you for your faithfulness and goodness.

May the full counsel of your word be spoken.

Help us to rightly divide it for your glory.

In Jesus' name, amen. So we do have several new

people. We are an expository church. We preach

verse by verse. You will see that. Even though

I'll be summarizing this chapter, we will go

through every verse. I will not give you all

the information because if I did, I'd run out

of things to preach, and I want to go back eventually

in a couple years to these letters, hopefully.

So we have a lot to look forward to, and we have

a lot to look forward to through the Word. So

let's get started. I charge you in the presence

of God, chapter 4, verse 1. and of Christ Jesus,

who is to judge the living and the dead, and

by his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the

word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove,

rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and

teaching. For the time is coming when people

will not endure sound teaching and have itching

ears that will accumulate for themselves teachers

to suit their own passions and will turn away

from listening to the truth and wander off into

myths. As for you, always be sober -minded. Endure

suffering. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill

your ministry. For I am already being poured

out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure

has come. I have fought the good fight. I have

finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth

there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,

which the Lord, the righteous judge, will reward

to me on that day, and not only to me, but also

to all who loved his appearing. Do your best

to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this

present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

Cretans has gone to Galatia. Titus to Damasia

is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you,

for he is very useful to me for the ministry.

Tychicus, I have sent to Ephesus. When you come,

Bring the cloak that I have left with Carpus

at Troas, also the books and above all the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm.

The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposes

our message. At my first defense, no one came

to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not

be charged against them. But the Lord stood by

me and strengthened me so that through me the

message might be fully proclaimed and all the

Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from

the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from

every evil deed and bring me safely into his

heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and

ever. Amen. Prisca and Aquila and the household

of Onesiphorus. Eretus remained in Corinth, and

I left Tromfimus at Maltus. Do your best to come

before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you,

as do Pudens and Linus, Claudia, and all the

brothers. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace.

be with you. Today's message is still on biblical

manhood and biblical womanhood. I want the men,

specifically all believers, but specifically

men, pay attention to how Paul talks to Timothy

here. Living by the truth in the days of apostasy

is the message. Principle number one, God's people

must always be ready to proclaim the gospel to

anyone and everyone. So some very important things

I want you to pay attention to in verse 1 and

2. The first is the word charge. I charge. I

earnestly call you Timothy. This is a earnest

call to Timothy in the presence of God and of

Christ Jesus. This word presence is not that

he's just here, even though he's here. This word

presence means by the authority of. So look at

here from this perspective. I earnestly call

you by the authority of God and of Christ Jesus,

who is to judge the living and the dead by his

appearing and his kingdom. This is what you need

to do. The charge is to preach. The charge is

to reprove. The charge is to rebuke. You'll see

this. I charge you. I earnestly call you by the

authority of God to do these things. Preach.

Keruso. Keruso means to proclaim. Proclaim what?

The word, the logos. What are you to proclaim?

The gospel. The gospel in its entirety. Your

responsibility is to preach the full counsel

of God's word, specifically the full counsel

of the gospel of God. It isn't. It isn't, and

I'm going to call names out because I've been

on a soapbox since I started preaching this morning.

So I'm going to be on a soapbox. I'm warning

you, okay? It is not Rick Warren. Say this prayer.

Welcome to the family. Saying a prayer doesn't

get you in heaven. Your prayer doesn't get you

there. It's the work alone in Christ alone by

the blood of Christ alone through the cross alone,

which is by the scripture alone that gets you

there. Christ alone gets you there. I want you

to get that. Okay? That's important. So when

we preach, we preach the full counsel of the

word of God. What is the gospel? You guys know.

We've been talking about it. What's the gospel?

Christ? Crucified? Buried? There you go. Let's

go, you guys. All right. That's the gospel. Full

gospel. And God, Christ, calls all to repent

and believe the gospel. Notice, repentance is

a necessity. Repentance is a turning to God away

from sin. It's not just the changing of the mind.

It's a total regeneration, transformation, renewal

in the life and the heart of the individual.

And only the Holy Spirit can do that. We know

that through the regeneration work of God, takes

a dead person, makes them alive through the preaching

of the gospel by which faith is planted into

the person. The Holy Spirit regenerates that

faith into the life of the believer, into the

life of the person. That dead person becomes

alive and they say, happy birthday. Jesus is

Lord. Happy birthday. You'll get it. It's Frosty

the Snowman. I said this at Christmas. If you

ever watch Frosty the Snowman, I told you I'm

convinced it is a Christian cartoon. He puts

a hat on, and what's he say? Happy birthday.

He's dead, and now he's alive. Okay? So I want

you to pay attention to that. And the other thing

I want you to notice is he puts on a hat. He

puts on the helmet of salvation. I'm just saying.

I'm just saying. Okay. So pay attention. Here

we go. So you preach the word, he says. Don't

just earnestly call by the authority of God to

preach the word. Teach the full counsel of the

word of God to your families, men. Your responsibility

is to prove that what I'm teaching is true. The

problem in churches today is they have preachers

that sit behind pulpits, tell people what they

want to hear. The people go, well, it's got to

be the final authority of the word of God because

the preacher said it. They don't go home and

test the word through the word to determine if

that was true. They believe it, and immediately

churches explode into this massive growth, and

they fill you full of fluffy. No, your job as

man is to listen to the preacher, teacher, take

what the preacher, teacher has said, verify that,

and instill it, if it's true, into your family.

If it's not true, instill the word, because that's

what you're doing. If the preacher's preaching

the word, he's preaching the word in its entirety,

and it's sound, you're preaching and teaching

the word to your family. Okay? And for the ladies,

if there's not a man in the home, your support

is the church. Okay? We have pastors and elders

to help you do that. Very important. Preach.

Preach the word. Every single morning. One of

the things I didn't mention in first service

that I'll mention now is preach the word to yourself.

The gospel. Love the gospel. There is nothing

greater on the planet than the gospel and King

Jesus, the one who has given us his gospel. Be

ready in season. This word, be ready in season,

means when the opportunity arises. Example, Jesus

sends them out two by two. What do they do? They

knock on the door. Jesus says, if you knock on

the door and a man of peace answers and he lets

you in, stay as long as they allow you. And when

your welcome is done, leave and go on to the

next house. If you knock on the door and there's

not a person of peace and they reject you, wipe

the dust off your feet and go to the next person.

That's what this means here. When the opportunity

arises, there should be people of peace when

you go to preach the gospel and tell someone

about Jesus that they're going to want to hear

it. If they want to hear it, your opportunity

is there. But there's one more. It's the out

of season. Be ready in season and out of season.

Out of season means when there is no opportunities.

In other words, you should be preaching the gospel

to every creature, even when there isn't an opportunity.

Even when you knock on the door and the person

of peace doesn't want to hear it, and you go,

you know, Jesus loves you, and if you die in

your sin, you're going to go to hell, and he

died on the cross, was buried, rose again on

the third day to give you life. Sorry, I don't

want any. No, it's not Jehovah's Witness. It's

okay. The point is that we preach when we have

the opportunities, and we preach even when. How

do we preach? Why should we preach? Well, we

preach for the purpose of reproving. We have

been charged by the authority of God to preach

and to reprove. Reprove means to reprehend severely.

How about in the church? Can you think about

that? So the scripture says in Corinthians that

are we to judge those outside of the church?

Most people say, no, thou shall not judge. For

the measure by which you judge, you shall be

judged. Take the log out of your own eye before

you judge the speck in your brother's eye. But

you know the Bible says that we are to judge

those in the church. It's right here. And it's

in 1 Corinthians chapter 4. 1 Corinthians chapter

1 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention 1 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

4, reprove. How can I reprehend you severely

for your junk, for your trash, for your sin,

if I have to worry about you thinking that I'm

being judgmental? Will iron sharpen iron? No.

We must reprove, especially as elders. That's

why we must walk circumspect. We don't go in.

condemning and beating, we come in with patience

and teaching. So we reprove, we reprehend severely,

and we admonish. The second, rebuke, censure

severely, and assign fault. That's why we have

church discipline. Church discipline not only

assigns fault, but removes the unrepentant, deals

with the unrepentant, or severely censures the

unrepentant. limits the amount of activity that

person has within the body because they're not

willing to align themselves with Christ. It's

hard. The third, exhort, means to urge, admonish,

warn, and advise. Isn't that interesting? So

God has called us, earnestly called us, and has

given us authority by his own purpose and plan

to preach, to reprove, to rebuke, and to exhort.

How should we, as men, do these things? And as

women of God do these things, we must do it with

complete, in all manner, patience. This word

patience means forbearance and teaching. We don't

just do this because we think we have authority.

The only thing that can change the heart of any

and every individual is the word. Not your way,

not what you think, not what you demand. What

the word of God says, the word of God becomes

the teacher, as Paul states. We also know that

because he states it in Timothy, 1 Timothy, 2

Timothy, sorry, chapter 1. Look what it says.

Chapter 1, verse 13 and 14. the good deposit

entrusted to you. Pay attention. It's the word

of God that matters, okay? Patience and teachings,

forbearance and teaching. Look what it says here,

2 Timothy 2, verse 1 and 2. And then, my child,

2 Timothy 2:1

be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ

Jesus and what you have heard from me in the

presence of many witnesses. Entrust to faithful

men who will be able to teach others also. You're

starting to hear a common theme here, aren't

you? Chapter 3, verse 13 through 17. On from

bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But

as for you, continue in what you have learned

and have firmly believed, knowing from who you

learned it. and how from childhood you have been

acquainted with the sacred writings which are

able to make you wise for salvation through faith

in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out

by God and is profitable for... teaching, reproof,

correction, and training in righteousness, that

the man of God may be complete, equipped for

every good work. What is the common theme here

in all four chapters? The Word of God. I can

preach and teach all day long, but if you don't

go home and allow the Word of God to do the work

in your life, you will not change. You guys should

know that. I've asked you guys to memorize it.

If you haven't memorized it, please memorize

it. It's one of the main verses I memorized when

I first got saved. Therefore, I urge you, brothers,

in the view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies

as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing unto

God, for this is your reasonable act of worship.

And do not be conformed to the pattern of this

world, but be transformed by the renewing of

your minds so you can test and approve what God's

will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

And there is only one place to find His will.

It's not with those false... That call themselves

pastors tell you the will and purpose of God

is here. You don't have to go discover it. God

didn't create your own purpose for you. Your

job is not your purpose. Jesus is your purpose.

Proclaim Christ where you're at. That's the important

part. Whatever you do, whatever you do, it's

Christ is your purpose. Now, second principle.

God's people hold to sound doctrine and to stand

solely on the rock of truth. Ephesians 4, 13

through 14. until we attain the unity of the

faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to

mature manhood to the measure and stature of

the fullness of Christ so that we may no longer

be tossed to and fro by ways and carried about

by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning and

by craftiness and deceitful schemes. Why? Look

what it says in verse 3 and 4 of 2 Timothy 4.

For the time is coming. The time is when people

will not endure. People will not bear. They will

not tolerate sound teaching. They will not tolerate

the inerrant truth and doctrine of God. We are

now. We have people that are teaching and preaching,

and we have things going on in our society that

are antithetical in every way to Christ and his

gospel and his word. Not every preacher that

you see on TV is good. I'm about to offend some

older folks, maybe some younger ones. So I'm

going to give you one. You guys are going to

be shocked. Let's deal with this issue. They

will not tolerate sound teaching, but having

itching ears, they will accumulate, they will

heap up, they will accumulate in piles. Teachers

to suit their own passions, their own desires

that are forbidden, their own lusts, and will

turn away from listening to the truth and wander

off, go astray into myths, into fictions, into

fables, into imaginations, and into dispensationalism.

Why? Because it doesn't teach the sovereignty

of Christ. It doesn't teach the kingship of Jesus.

It teaches the kingship of you. While you're

busy looking at the world events, you're not

looking up, as Paul states. We loved his appearing.

While you're busy looking at whether the mark

of the beast is coming or whether Israel's built

a temple or you're busy looking at whether...

Israel owns the land of Israel. You're not busy

looking for Jesus. It takes your focus off the

king and puts your focus on you. Why? Because

you want to escape what's coming. God has promised

we will escape that. So why are we so focused

on escaping it? Why are we so intent of getting

ready when the only thing we should be ready

on is the earnest call of the believer to preach

the word? Now here's my, I had a particular individual

I talked about today. I know some of you probably

watch him and you feel like he was a good teacher

and I felt he was pretty okay. But it's at a

level where it's ridiculous. David Jeremiah.

He makes millions off of selling the end times

to you. It's enough. My call to him is to preach

the gospel, David. Preach the full counsel of

the word of God, which you've done in the past,

which you're not doing now. You're too focused

on what you think is happening in the world.

The people of God, if they're preaching the full

counsel of God's word, focused on the gospel,

are ready for his return. Stop trying to get

people ready. You get people ready by preaching

the gospel and getting them to do the work of

the ministry. How do we know that? What does

Jesus say? We're going to see that next. What

does Jesus say? Be ready. How are we ready? Do

the work of an evangelist, he says. Isn't that

what he just said? Do the work of an evangelist.

Preach the gospel. He doesn't say, hey, get ready

for Jesus' return. I'm looking up as I'm working

out. That's the idea here. Third principle. God's

people work with all diligence not to be found

idle when our Lord returns, eagerly watching

and serving. Until that great day. That's what

you need to be doing. That's your purpose. That's

the purpose and plan. One purpose, one plan.

Whether you work in construction. One God. One

faith. One baptism. One way. The gospel. Christ.

That's your purpose. Whether you do art. Whatever

you do. The gospel. Christ. That's it. Whether

you're an electrician. Whether you work at a

donut shop. The gospel, a bank, the gospel. Everywhere

you go, it's Christ and him crucified. Do the

work of an evangelist. Look what he says here.

Luke chapter 12, verse 43. Blessed is the servant.

Luke 12:43

Blessed is that servant whom his master will

find so doing when he comes. 2 Timothy 3, 5 through

8. As for you, Timothy. Always is the term in

the ESV. Empos, meaning in all circumstances,

in all things, in all ways, all the time. Be

sober -minded. Be circumspect. Be clear -headed.

Young men, be circumspect. Clear -headed. Focus

on the goal that is set before you. Run the race.

Run it hard. Don't stop running. Endure suffering.

I want you to notice that. He doesn't say you're

going to have your best life now. He doesn't

say that God doesn't want you to suffer. God

wants you to suffer. Godliness. Suffer produces

endurance. Endurance produces patience. Patience

produces character. Character produces integrity.

Look, endure suffering. You cannot be an evangelist

if you're not suffering. People must be comfortable

with the gospel preach. Do the work of an evangelist.

Fulfill. Bring to bear. Make full your ministry.

Hear that, Owen. That is your focus, okay? For

I am already being poured out as a drink offering,

and the time of my departure has come. Paul realizes

I am going to die, and my work is finished. I'm

done. Look at his attitude. It's beautiful. Many

preachers preach on this, but I want you to hear

why Paul states it the way he does. I have fought.

I have struggled with difficulty and danger.

What has he struggled with difficulty and danger?

The good fight. The praiseworthy contest. Do

you guys know that the Christian life is a praiseworthy

contest? It's a praiseworthy race. Win, run as

if you are going to win the prize because you

will. Christ is your prize. Look what it says

here. I have finished. My race, my praiseworthy

contest has come to a close. The race, the course

of life, I have kept the faith. How many of you

guys thought about that? Your life literally

is a race, a course of life. You're literally

on the running course of life in everything that

comes with it. Then look, henceforth, meaning

the future, in the future, there is laid up,

there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness.

Isn't that nice? And what's amazing is I get

to take this wonderful, beautiful crown of righteousness

and lay it at the feet of Christ and say, no,

you are my righteousness. What a beautiful picture.

Notice, it's the Lord, the righteous judge. That

will reward it to me on that day is what he says.

Christ, when you're done and you ran the race,

he will take that crown and lay it before you.

And you will in love and adoration and worship

lay it before his feet and say, no, you're my

righteousness. You deserve the glory and the

praise and gratitude. Look at verse 1. What day

is he talking about? Verse 1, chapter 4, verse

1. I charge you in the presence of God and of

Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and

the dead by his appearing and his kingdom. That

day is what Paul's talking about. What day? Revelation

20. There is only one judgment seat. There's

not the Bema seat, as the dispensationalists

teach, for the righteous of God. And then there's

not the throne judgment for the wicked. Read

Revelation 20. Look what it says here. And the

sea gave up the dead that were in it. And death

and Hades gave up the dead that were in them.

And they were judged, each one according to what

he has done. Let's go up a little bit. Verse

12. Okay? Verse 12. And I saw the dead, great

and small, standing before the throne, and books

were opened. Then another book was opened. Notice.

Which is the book of life. By what was written

in the books according to what they had done.

Everyone is judged on that day. Everyone is judged

on that day. Turn to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter

Luke 12 · chapter mention Luke 12:41

12 verse 41. Peter said, are you telling this

parable for all of us? For us or for all? And

the Lord said, who then is the faithful and wise

manager? whom his master has set over his household

to give them their portion of food. Blessed is

the servant whom his master will find so doing

when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set

him over. all his possessions. But if that servant

says to himself, my master is delayed in coming

and begins to beat the male and female servants

and to eat and drink and get drunk, it doesn't

matter. Jesus isn't going to return. I can live

any way I want to. The master of that servant

will come on a day when he does not expect him

and at that hour he does not know and will cut

him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

Look what it says in 47. And the servant who

knew his master's will but did not get ready

or act according to his will will receive a severe

beating. And look what else it says. But the

one who did not know. will receive a light beating,

everyone to whom which much is given, of him

much is required. And from him to whom they entrusted

much, they will demand the more. Now understand

this, those who claim that they're believers

in Jesus and know the truth, live like the devil,

I'll give those quotes, God will demand a higher

accountability for you. God will rescue his people

and bring us safely home. Colossians chapter

Colossians 1:13–14

1 verse 13 through 14. He has delivered us from

the domain of darkness and transferred us to

the kingdom of the son he loves in whom we have

redemption, the forgiveness of sin. I'm going

to summarize verses 9 through 21. I want you

to pay attention to a couple things here. First,

Demas. Demas was a quote unquote believer. Supposed

to be in unity with Paul and the mission of the

gospel. But Demas was in love with this present

world. And as a result, he deserted and the kingdom

and the gospel and gone to Thessalonica. He abandoned

his post. Don't abandon your post. Next, verse

11. Out of everybody. Luke alone is with him.

I talked to you guys before about how I really

believed that the letter to the Hebrews is Paulian.

I believe that Paul is the one who gave the letter

and that Luke is the one who penned it for him.

Why? Because there is Paulian language and there's

Lukean language in the letter. So as Paul was

communicating this through Luke's personality,

you see. his hand in it. Why? Because both were

inspired writers of the Word of God. Next, notice

he says, Mark, bring him with you. He is very

useful to me for the ministry. I want you all

to be like a mark. Be useful to the ministry

of the gospel of Jesus Christ in every and all

circumstances, as we read earlier. Paul requests

several things. First, he says, bring the cloak.

I think the reason why he asked for the cloak

It's because I think he wants to be buried in

it. Okay? Next. And then he asks for the books.

Why the books? Why books? Because Paul has written

all of these letters. He asks for books. Bring

the word of God to me. Of the things he's asking

for, he wants the parchments. He wants the word

of God. Amazing. Do you desire the word? This

is before the New Testament was completed. The

Bible was not in its entirety. And Paul says,

I want the word. Man does not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of

God. The law of God is honey, sweet to the taste.

Then he says, concerning Alexander, this guy,

this fake believer, this faux Christian, he's

evil. Straight up just basically says that. He

did great harm to me, and the Lord will repay

him according to his deeds. And then he warns,

and I warn you all. Pay attention to those. You'll

know them by the word. Here's what he says. Avoid

him too. Guard yourself. Beware. 17. Out of everyone

that left Paul, everyone abandoned Paul when

he was under the pressure. And he begs for mercy

on them. He says, but one did not. One did not

abandon me. The Lord stood by me and strengthened

me. You're never alone. God is always present.

Christ is always present. He is in you. If you

know him, he lives in you. You are the temple

of God. So that. Here's why Christ did not abandon

him. Christ stood by him because he belongs to

Christ. Christ strengthened him because he belongs

to Christ. This is why we are reformed. It's

called the perseverance of the saints. You will

persevere. Not only in this life here, but in

the life to come, you will. He will keep you

from the hour of trial. You are not children

of darkness, but children of light. You are not

children of wrath, but children of God. He will

deliver you. And this is what Paul says. Why?

So that the message, the gospel, might be fully

proclaimed to every Gentile. That's what he says

in verse 17. But notice some very important things

here. Verse 18. The Lord will rescue me. No one

else will. Christ and Christ alone will rescue

you. Guaranteed. And bring me safely into his

heavenly kingdom. I will go home one day. And

he ends it with this statement. To him be glory

forever and ever. Amen. That's our God. Preach

the gospel. Do the ministry. Work hard. It's

my charge to you. So when I get back, we work

hard together. Amen? All right. Father, I want

to thank you so much for your goodness and faithfulness.

Thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you that

you have accomplished and continue to accomplish

your will and plan and purpose in Christ. All

things are complete in him. We give you praise.

Thank you for your work of sanctification. In

Jesus' name, amen.