Preach the Word

2 Timothy 3:16-4:5
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, January 02, 2011
Copyright © 2011, P. G. Mathew

The keynote for this new year is Paul’s exhortation to Timothy: Preach the Word! (2 Tim. 4:2). The key to all true revival is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and, necessarily, a return to the Bible. When the mighty wind of the Spirit of God blows, it revives true believers.

The ideal king Josiah, whose birth was predicted three hundred years before, sought the Lord as a teenager, and God blessed him by causing the lost Book of the Covenant to be found. When God’s Spirit comes upon us, he always leads us to the Bible, the book of life.

Hilkiah the high priest found the lost Book, which was probably lost during Manasseh’s long reign. When godly Josiah heard the book read, he responded to God’s word in true humility, repentance, and faith. The truth of the word transformed him, and he set about to restore the true worship of God. He hated wickedness and loved righteousness, and we are told that he did not turn to the right or to the left of the holy word.

At nineteen, Josiah began to purge Judah of the high places. He tore down altars to Baal, cut to pieces incense altars, broke to pieces idols and images, and burned the bones of the priests of Baal in his efforts to remove all idolatry from Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chron. 34:3-7). Zeal for the Lord consumed him, and he cleansed the temple, repaired it, and reformed the worship. May God help us to be so active in cleansing our hearts this year!

When God revives his people, he leads them to his book, that they may worship him in spirit and in truth. The Bible makes the difference in the lives of God’s people. In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, men, women, and children listened to the reading of the word for six hours so they could understand it and do what it said (Neh. 8). Having understood it, they then set out to obey it, at a high cost to themselves. The Holy Spirit led St. Augustine to the Bible. One day he heard the words, “Take and read.” He took the Bible, read a portion of Romans, was saved, and became a champion of orthodoxy. Martin Luther was helped by his superior, John Staupitz, to study the word. He too was saved and gave us the truth of justification by faith alone, by which God’s church stands or falls. In his last letter, Paul asked Timothy to bring to him in prison the books, especially the parchments (2 Tim. 4:13). He wanted to read the Scriptures one last time before he was executed by the sword of Nero.

The godly professor John Murray spoke of the necessity of diligent and persevering and painstaking study of the Scriptures, until our hearts burn with the love for God. He says we must study the word of God until “the Word of God will grip us, bind us, hold us, pull us, drive us, raise us up from the dunghill, bring us down from our high conceits and make us its bondservants in all thought, life and conduct.”¹ We must study prayerfully the word of God until we are convinced “what is the right thing to think and what is the right thing to do”² in any given situation of our changing lives.

May God help us to be earnest Bible students this new year! May God’s word transform our lives and make us lovers of God, lovers of his church, and lovers of lost sinners. Revive us, O God! Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us. Lead us into your book, that our hearts may be changed into the likeness of God.

In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul commands us to preach the word. We want to look at three points from this passage: the preacher; the power; and the command to preach the word.

The Preacher

Most pastors of Christian churches are unfit to preach the word. The reason is that they are not born of God and therefore do not believe in the word of God. Such people are self-called, but God did not call them at all. Not so the apostle Paul! He was converted to Christ through divine apprehension (Acts 9). He says, “Of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher” (2 Tim. 1:11). In other words, Paul was appointed by Christ himself to be a preacher, apostle, and teacher.

Timothy also was born of God and called to the sacred ministry. He possessed authentic, unhypocritical, sincere faith (2 Tim. 1:5). Paul was convinced that true faith in Christ and the gospel dwelt in this young man, so Timothy was duly ordained by the elders. Timothy was sent by God to preach the gospel, that the elect sinners might hear the gospel, believe in Jesus Christ, that they may call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Rom. 10:14-15).

In this way, Timothy was like the prophet Jeremiah, to whom the Lord said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). Jeremiah himself explained, “But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a child.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you'” (Jer. 1:7). The Lord also told Jeremiah, “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them” (Jer. 1:17).

Paul gives Timothy a similar solemn charge: “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; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim. 4:1-2). In other words, Timothy was given authority to preach the word, to rebuke, to correct, and to command. Paul also writes, “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer” (1 Tim. 1:3). Elsewhere he says, “Command and teach these things” (1 Tim. 4:11). How many modern preachers command? Most of them beg and plead. They are kept men, silenced by the church; therefore, they cannot command anyone. They have no authority because they are not saved and called.

Paul also says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth” (1 Tim. 6:17). How many of today’s preachers would say this with multimillionaires or professors sitting and listening? Yet a true minister will stand and, by the authority of God, command the rich not to trust in their uncertain wealth because that is what the Bible declares.

Paul charged Timothy to train reliable men in the truth of the gospel that they may faithfully teach others (2 Tim. 2:2). Today’s church needs reliable men, who stand for truth and persevere to the very end, who conform to the standards of 1 Timothy 3. We must train faithful men in the church to preach the word, and they, in turn, must train others, so that this gospel can be preached until Christ comes again. We must heed the words of the psalmist:

What we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his command. (Ps. 78:3-7)

Scripture alone is the gospel, the truth, the word of God. It is the word of life that gives us the knowledge of God. All other writings are but fallible human words. So Paul exhorts Timothy to abide in the word (2 Tim. 3:14). Elsewhere he says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in your hearts richly” (Col. 3:16). Dwell means to let the word of Christ rule in our hearts. Jesus said, “If you dwell in me, and my words dwell in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you” (John 15:7).

As a pastor, Timothy was also to guard the precious deposit of the gospel. Paul exhorts, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). We have entrusted our lives to Christ, and he guards them; he entrusts his gospel to us, and we guard it. Paul also says, “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Tim. 6:20). Timothy could not add to the word, subtract from it, or pervert it. He must turn away from all heresies and oppose all perversions of the gospel. He must preach, teach, and live the gospel, and, in God’s will, suffer and die for it, as Paul was about to do. He must guard the gospel as the most precious entrustment from Christ.

The church’s failure to guard the gospel resulted in the Dark Ages, when the Bible was, in essence, lost, until the Reformation brought the truth of God’s word to light. Now we are going through another dark age, when the Bible is ignored and our rotting modern culture is increasingly influencing the church. Yet God has called us, and is calling us, to guard the gospel by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in all believers.

A preacher must also live a holy life in keeping with the gospel. So Paul warns Timothy, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim. 4:7). He also says, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Tim. 6:11). Again he writes, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (Tim. 2:22).

A preacher must not be afraid or ashamed of the gospel. He must endure sufferings like a good soldier of Christ. So Paul says, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel,by the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8). He also admonishes, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:3). Think about it: is this what most preachers are preaching? Imagine what would happen if a man stands up and preaches, “Join with me in suffering for the gospel.” But Paul tells Timothy, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5). A preacher must be ready to die for Christ and the gospel. Even as he wrote this, Paul knew he was about to be beheaded.

Not only that, the preacher must also be a hard worker. A lazy man cannot be a preacher. Paul says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman [ergatên] who does not need to be ashamed [of his work] and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). A pastor must make every effort to present himself to God as a good worker, that he may approve him by saying, “Thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.

A lazy preacher will be ashamed for his bad preaching, his bad life, and his bad example. But a good preacher will pray and study hard, that he may interpret Scripture correctly. Jesus was a very hard worker, and Paul, who was also a hard worker, writes, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them [the other apostles]-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). Elsewhere he says, “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again” (2 Cor. 11:23).

If possible, a preacher must study Hebrew and Greek, because the infallible Scriptures were originally given in these languages. He must be enlightened by the Holy Spirit and correctly interpret the word of truth because it is the truth of God’s word that sets people free from sin, guilt, and bondage. The preacher must be engaged in the serious intellectual task of exegesis, leading out the meaning of a text. Most preachers cannot exegete, so they read a verse and speak whatever comes to their minds. That is called eisegesis, speaking what the text does not say.

If you are a pastor, know and do the Scripture. Be filled with the Spirit and be much in prayer. Then you will preach the word with authority, clarity, passion, effect, and great joy. You will preach in a way that will bless God’s people, edify them, and give them hope, so that they will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Power

The preacher needs the power of the Holy Spirit to preach the word. Jesus himself was baptized in the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16). He went to Nazareth and said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the gospel” (Luke 4:18). We all need the baptism in the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8, KJV).

This Holy Spirit came upon the one hundred and twenty believers in the upper room in Jerusalem (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit came upon the Samaritan believers (Acts 8); Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9); the Gentile believers gathered in the house of Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts 10); and the Ephesian believers (Acts 19).

We have an obligation to preach the word with power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we are afraid, apologetic, and ashamed of the gospel. We need a holy boldness that overcomes all shame and fear. May God grant us a fresh baptism in the Holy Spirit, that we may preach the word as pastors, elders, fathers, mothers, or teachers.

The young Timothy was ashamed and afraid, so Paul told him to fan into flame the gift-the Holy Spirit anointing-he had received when Paul laid his hands on him. Paul exhorted Timothy, “You have not received a spirit of timidity. Rather, you have received the Holy Spirit, who gives you power [dunamis], love with which you can lay down your life, and a sound mind-the ability to understand, discern, and judge correctly. Elsewhere Paul says, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Eph. 1:17). He also writes, “but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. . . . We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Cor. 2:10, 12). The Holy Spirit gives us power, love, and a mind that thinks God’s thoughts and studies and understands God’s word.

How can we give hope to a world of misery, sin, and death? Dead orthodoxy is not the answer. The antinomianism found in much modern evangelicalism is not the answer. The mysticism of the charismatic world is not the answer, nor is sacramentalism. We must preach the word! It is true that a true preacher of the gospel will be persecuted and may even face martyrdom, as Paul was. How could Paul face beheading? How did all the martyrs of the church suffer martyrdom? Paul himself gives the answer: “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8). Paul also writes, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Tim. 4:17). Jesus said, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:11-12).

When the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin, “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke” (Acts 4:8). Fearless, unafraid, and clear in his mind, he answered them according to the Scripture. Paul says, “I can do all things [including martyrdom] through Jesus Christ who gives me moment by moment strength to do all things” (Phil. 4:13, author’s paraphrase). Christ gives us strength even to die for the truth of the gospel.

May God help us to be steeped in the word and filled with the Spirit so that we may share the word of God without fear!

Preach the Word

What are those who are called by God and filled with the Holy Spirit to do? Preach the word! Don’t preach philosophy, psychology, politics, history of religions, economics, or environmentalism. Let others speak about these things. The man of God must preach the word.

Paul uses many synonyms for the God’s word in his last letter:

1. Sound teaching. “Sound” teaching (Greek: hugiainontôn, from which we get the word hygienic) is teaching which heals us, especially our souls.
2. Sound words.
3. Testimony of our Lord. It is an objective genitive, meaning the testimony concerning our Lord.
4. The gospel, the euangelion, the good news.
5. The holy writings. God is holy; therefore, these writings are holy writings.
6. The Scripture.
7. The standard.
8. The faith (i.e., what is to be believed).
9. The truth. Everything else is human words, not the truth.
10. The word of truth.
11. The word of God. The Bible is the word of God.

The Gospel Is the Heart of Scripture

What is the heart of the Scripture? Paul writes, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel” (2 Tim. 2:8-9). The heart of the gospel is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became incarnate and died for our sins. “Raised from the dead” means he is alive forevermore. He can never die again. “Descended from David” means he is the King who is reigning forever. Jesus died, was raised from the dead, and is reigning forever. In Revelation 4, the apostle John was invited, “Come up here” (Rev. 4:1). Immediately he was in the Spirit and went up to heaven, where he saw a throne. The word “throne” is used twelve times in Revelation 4. Like John, we need to rise, go up to heaven, and understand the reality of the reigning Christ ruling over his universe, his church, and the world.

Look at Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord'” – meaning he is God and King – “and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That is the heart of the matter. Read Romans 4:25: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification.”

Paul tells us the objective gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. He begins, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance.” The gospel is of first importance, not second, importance. As such, it demands our maximum mind and total focus. It is of first importance because it is speaking about things that save us.

Paul continues, “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” “According to the Scriptures” means the Old Testament spoke about it. “That he was buried” means he did really die. Burial proves death.

The gospel has to do with Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, raised, and is reigning forever and ever. Whether we believe it or not, he is reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords. (PGM) We have no choice but to surrender to him, submit to him, and confess him as Lord. Otherwise, he will deal with us. “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way” (Psalm 2:12).

Jesus said that the entire Old Testament spoke about him: “‘Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:26-27). He told the Jews, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). Jesus also said, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me” (John 5:46).

So Jesus was saying that the Scriptures, meaning all the Old Testament-the law, the prophets, the psalms, the writings-spoke of him, “that Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, so repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).

Paul’s Charge to Timothy

The gospel promises eternal life and forgiveness of sins and justification. The church is to preach this gospel that promises eternal life; no one else will. So Paul exhorted Timothy:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Tim. 3:14-4:5)

“But as for you.” Paul recognized that there are reprobates, people who turn away from the gospel. But Timothy was not reprobate. So Paul says, “But as for you, abide in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it.” Timothy heard the gospel from his grandmother, his mother, and from Paul himself. Paul continues, “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures.” Do you teach your infant the holy Scriptures? What are you pushing to your children? Paul says these holy Scriptures are able (dunamena, powerful) to make Timothy “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 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.”

Timothy grew up with the nourishment of the holy writings from his grandmother and mother. Grandparents, you have the right to see your grandchildren, not to push worldly ideas on them, but to teach them the word of God. This Timothy, who was nourished by the Old Testament, came to the same understanding Paul had arrived at, that the Messiah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, was raised, and is reigning. He realized that Jesus is the prophet, priest, and king, the Savior of the world.

Paul says these holy writings are powerful. Scripture has an innate power to radically change and transform us. Paul said, “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). Have you read the holy writings? All that we learn at the university is powerless to change us, give us eternal life, and forgive our sins. We need to open our Bibles because the Bible alone is powerful to make us wise unto salvation. No university or modern seminary education can teach us how to become wise. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Do you humble yourself when you read the Bible or when you come to church and listen to the preaching? The word of God can make you wise. It makes the simple wise; it can even make foolish atheists wise. Nothing else can, because nothing else has the supernatural power. So we must preach the word.

The Scripture also leads people to salvation. It does so because it is the gospel about Jesus, who came to save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). No human wisdom has power to save. Human wisdom can teach us how to make money, but then what? No human religion can make someone wise unto salvation. But when we preach the gospel, we preach Jesus Christ, whom the gospel embodies. We are saved through faith in Christ alone-through him who died, was buried, was raised, the one who reigns forever as the Son of David. What must we do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Christ died for our sins and was raised for the justification of all who savingly believe in him. There are people in churches who have not believed in Christ. Some even grew up in Christian homes, yet they are apostates and rebels.

Why should we preach the word? Because all Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is of inestimable value because of its origin and content. The origin of Scripture is God. “All Scripture is God-breathed,” that is, it is the product of the creative act of the divine breath of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, every word is the word of God. That is called verbal inspiration. And because the Scripture is God’s word, it is infallible, mighty, and everlasting. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt. 24:35).

The unity of the Scripture is due to its one divine author, the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. Sixty-six books, forty authors, fifteen hundred years, and yet there is one book speaking of Christ. We don’t need other books along with the Scripture. We believe in the principle of sola scriptura, Scripture alone.

Scripture alone is mighty to save, because it alone reveals Christ. The church and the pastor and our minds are subject to Scripture. A true church is built upon Scripture alone.

Therefore, preach the word! Preach it because it is the word of God. Preach it because it is profitable for us. Preach all sixty-six books of Scripture. The Scripture is not yesterday’s word. It is ever relevant and fresh. It is the living word, because in it, God himself speaks to us and we hear his voice. It is profitable for all people, not just for Timothy.

How do we profit from Scripture? Paul lists four benefits:

1. It is profitable for teaching. The Scripture imparts knowledge of God, man, the world, and redemption in Christ. It imparts the light of divine knowledge to drive out all darkness of godlessness and foolishness. Scripture enlightens us as the Holy Spirit applies it to our minds.
2. It is profitable for reproof. A pastor is to preach the word. He has authority to teach, reprove, correct, and train. Yet too often when a pastor exercises his authority and brings reproof, people don’t want to listen. The Scripture warns us when we wander and go the wrong way. The Scripture exposes our error and refutes it. Thus Jesus warned, “So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3).
3. It is profitable for correction. The Scripture, when heeded, brings a wandering person back to the right way. Paul writes, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). James says, “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). Jesus also said, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over” (Matt. 18:15). Jesus Christ ministered to Peter and brought him back.
4. It is profitable for training in righteousness. Scripture is designed to conform us to the gospel. The Scripture makes us God-pleasers and trains us in living a godly life. Sadly, many churches train people to do evil. Paul writes, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim. 4:7). He also says, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). Have you fled, instead of following and embracing evil desires? He also says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12).

The Scripture tells us what is right and what the will of God is so that we may do it. It also tells us what is evil, that we may avoid it. As we do the will of God, we will become habituated, well-trained in righteousness and godliness. He who stole will steal no longer, but work with his hands that he may have something to give. The liar will become a truth-teller. The lazy person will become hardworking. Scripture, when believed and obeyed, is profitable. It makes a husband, a father, a pastor, a leader, as well as every Christian, artios (fit, competent, capable, fully trained, equipped) for every good work.

God has regenerated us so that we can obey God and do good works. Paul writes, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has foreordained that we should do so” (Eph. 2:10, author’s translation). If you are a Christian, you will do good works. John writes, “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)” (Rev. 19:8). When I see people doing wicked things, I conclude that they are not believing the gospel. Our belief affects our behavior. We can watch people and see what they do, and then deduce what they believe.

But for those who are God’s people, their righteous deeds will become their garment, and they will not be found naked. Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12). God does not have to give us any reward, but he does, for good works we have done in this life.

Fully Equipped to Do God’s Will

What is the result of being taught, reproved, corrected, and trained in righteousness by Scripture? The man of God will be fully equipped to meet every demand God puts on him, such as: Obey your parents in everything. Love your wife as Christ loved the church. Submit to your husband and respect him. Provide for your family by working hard six days. Worship God on the Sabbath day. In love, share the gospel of salvation with the lost. Be prepared to die in faith when the time comes. Pray earnestly and in faith. Study diligently the Scriptures. Be ready to suffer hardship, even being thrown to wild lions, fried in oil, beheaded, or stoned to death.

The man of God is thoroughly equipped by Scripture to do all these things. That is why we must preach the word. Most churches are now in the entertainment business. They have stopped preaching the word long ago; they have become synagogues of Satan. But preaching the word is the primary mark of the church. So when you visit a church, you must ask: Did the pastor preach the word? If not, it is a synagogue of Satan and has nothing to do with being a church. The word must be preached by pastors who are called and sent, well-trained in the word, and filled with the Spirit. They must be God-pleasers and love people who are lost and on their way to the lake of fire. They must interpret the Scripture correctly. They must preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. They must remember Jesus, who is raised from the dead and now lives forever as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Preach the word! We are not asked to judge, criticize, edit, or amend it. An ambassador’s job is to declare the message of the one who sends him; we are ambassadors of Christ. “Preach the word” means to proclaim and declare publicly, fearlessly, and clearly the official message of our King, Jesus. Publish the glad tidings to miserable sinners. Preach the full gospel, the whole counsel of God, as revealed in the book of Romans. Preach the bad news and the good news. Demand that sinners repent and trust in Christ alone for their eternal salvation. Require of them repentance, that they may receive full pardon by King Jesus. Be ever ready to share the gospel on all occasions. Give yourselves no rest until you lift up Christ before all as crucified, risen, and reigning. Be earnest, urgent, clear, and compassionate. Rescue the perishing this new year. Begin at home. Look at your children; a good number of them are not saved. Pray for their salvation. Then go to your relatives, neighbors, and friends. Do not be afraid. Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). His Spirit dwells in us and will come upon us to endue us with wisdom and power to preach the word.

The time has come-Paul says, “The time will come,” but the time has come-when many, including most churches, will not put up with the gospel and sound doctrine. They will not proclaim the doctrines of sin, repentance, and salvation through Christ alone. They will not declare the doctrine of judgment and hell. Many so-called Christians will not endure preaching the word of God because the gospel does not permit them to indulge in sin. So many “Christians,” who are driven by their insatiable lust, leave churches that still preach the word of God and gather around themselves multitudes of teachers who teach what their itching ears want to hear. Such “Christians” have a permanent, incurable itch of evil desires. False teachers scratch their itches for some money and they burst out in laughter. Itch, scratch, and laugh! The mega-churches that offer so much entertainment and fun are simply mega-synagogues of Satan.

Even this is not new. Ahab had lust-filled itching ears and he gathered around him four hundred prophets who prophesied exactly what he wanted to hear, for a fee (1 Kings 22). The Lord himself said, “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” (Jer. 5:31). What will we do in the end? Many listen to true prophets, only to ignore the words they preach. Ezekiel describes such people: “Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice” (Ezek. 33:32).

But a day is coming when false Christians and false prophets will be judged:

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother, to whom he was born, will say to him, ‘You must die, because you have told lies in the LORD’s name.’ When he prophesies, his own parents will stab him. On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his prophetic vision. He will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive.” (Zech. 13:1-4)

May God raise up parents who will not tolerate wickedness in their homes! Stand up for truth, for godliness, for righteousness, for the gospel, in your house. It is your house, isn’t it? Stand up and say, “I will not tolerate it in my house.”

Heed the words of Paul: “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The LORD knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the LORD must turn away from wickedness'” (2 Tim. 2:19). God’s solid foundation of the church stands firm forever. There is a divine seal on it with an inscription from God himself. The foundation of the church is God’s predestinating love. It is Jesus Christ and his gospel. Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18, author’s translation). The seal speaks of security, ownership, and authenticity. Friends, we are secure because we are owned by God and are authentic people of God. God’s seal is on us. In God triune, the church is secure.

What are these inscriptions? The first one is, “The Lord knows those who are his.” That means the Lord loves those who are his. It speaks about his decree and sovereignty. Paul writes, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me. . . . My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:14, 27). But it is also true: the Lord also knows who are not his. “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Go to hell'” (Matt. 7:23, author’s translation). John writes, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:19).

The second inscription is, “Everyone who confesses the name of the LORD must turn away from wickedness.” This shows human responsibility. Those whom God knows will live holy lives. The elect are a holy people. So observe how people live. If they are not living holy lives, they cannot claim to be Christians. Paul writes, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Cor. 6:19b-20). Elsewhere he says, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). And John tells us, “Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy” (Rev. 22:12).

Those who are wicked at heart wander away from the truth and turn aside to myths (see 2 Timothy 4). Myths mean lies, human words of self-indulgence. They will go from this church to that church to another church to find who will tell them lies. Eventually they will say, “Homosexuality is all right, sex outside of marriage is all right, thievery is all right, for there is no moral standard anymore.” I say homosexuality is not all right, nor is adultery, stealing, or idolatry. In time, the false Christians will move out from a true church so they can sin freely and openly. They are rejected, and their minds are corrupted.

What about you? Do you need eternal life? It is found only in Christ Jesus. Paul begins this letter: “Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:1). Do you need grace? It is found only in Jesus. So he exhorts Timothy, “You, then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1). Do you need salvation? It is found only in Christ. So Paul says, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (2 Tim. 2:10). How, then, can a sinner be saved? Connect with Christ Jesus by faith. So Paul told Timothy, “From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15).

Pastor, preach the word. Elders, preach the word. Teachers, preach the word. Parents, preach the word. May God help each one of us in this new year to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ fearlessly in the power of the Holy Spirit.

¹ John Murray, The Claims of Truth, Collected Writings, Vol. 1 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1976), 3.

² Murray, 6.