Preach the Word!

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
P. G. Mathew | Saturday, May 16, 2015
Copyright © 2015, P. G. Mathew
Language [Japanese]

Forty-first Anniversary Celebration

 

Introduction

Grace Valley Christian Center stands for preaching the word of God. Without preaching, this church would not have existed. In observance of our forty-first anniversary celebration, we want to speak from 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5.

This text is Paul’s final address to Timothy, who was to follow in his footsteps, preaching the gospel, especially after Paul’s imminent martyrdom in Rome. So Paul’s final address can be summarized: “Preach the Word!”

Timothy, Paul’s true son in the faith, was a student of the holy Scriptures his entire life. From infancy, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice taught him the word of God. Paul also was his teacher, as he said, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13). This was also true of me, your humble pastor. I was brought up in the holy Scriptures from infancy. What a blessing that is!

Timothy was to be governed by the holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit throughout his life. Paul wrote, “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you” (2 Tim. 1:14).

Soon would come apostasy. Demas, Paul’s associate, had already abandoned the gospel, having loved this present world (2 Tim. 4:10). More people would fall away from the faith in due time. Earlier Paul had written, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:1–2). Now he was saying, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them” (2 Tim. 3:1–5).

Timothy was to remain faithful to Jesus, who died for him and in his place to give him eternal life. Therefore, he must study the Scriptures so that he could preach the word, correctly interpreting the truth. The Bible alone speaks truth. “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4). If man’s word contradicts God’s, then man’s word is a lie, because it is the word of the devil, who is a liar and the father of all lies (John 8:42, 44).

The Bible alone speaks truth about the true and living triune God, creation, the fall, and the total depravity of man. It alone tells us of God’s love for sinners, his plan to save the elect by the gospel of Jesus Christ—that Christ died for our sins [kata graphas] according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that on the third day he was raised from the dead [kata graphas], and that he was seen by many. It tells us that he has received all authority in heaven and on earth, and that he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This Jesus, the God-man, is coming again from heaven to complete our salvation and to judge the world.

This King Jesus in his mercy and grace saves all who will repent of their sins and believe in him. The Bible teaches all these and more. Timothy was to preach this truth by the power of the Holy Spirit until death.

This is what we do in Grace Valley Christian Center. This church refuses to compromise. This is an orthodox church that faithfully preaches the apostolic doctrine in this region by the Holy Spirit’s anointing. The gospel we preach is the gospel of exclusivism, that Jesus alone saves his people from their sins. He does not save everyone; only those who trust and obey Jesus. There is no other Savior but Jesus, the God/man, the sinless man who died our death on the cross. So God commands all people everywhere to repent and be saved.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. Wicked is the idea that there are many ways to God and that Christianity is only one way. The truth is that Jesus is the only way. So we preach here that Jesus alone saves sinners, only sinners, and only the worst sinners like Saul of Tarsus. Let me ask you: Have you repented of your sins and trusted in the only Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord?

Thus, in this last address of Paul to Timothy, what is Paul speaking? He is speaking the most important truths. He is speaking especially in ten divine imperatives found in 2 Timothy 3:14; 4:2, and 4:5.

 

2 Timothy 3:14

The first imperative is found in 2 Timothy 3:14. Here we read that even when others become apostate, Timothy must live a life of faith in the gospel.

 

ABIDE IN GOD’S WORD

So he says, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of.” In other words, Paul is saying, “Abide continually, dwell, be regulated by the Scripture always.” He is calling Timothy to continue to trust in the holy Scripture and in Jesus Christ, whom the Scripture points to. He must not drop out, as Demas and others did. He must not abandon the gospel. Instead, he must be regulated by Scripture and the Spirit, who is the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

Timothy was to do this, knowing his teachers and the textbook from which they taught him the knowledge of God. His teachers were reliable and godly people: his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, and especially the apostle Paul himself. They were godly and faithful people who taught Timothy the holy Scriptures, which gave him everything he needed for life and godliness.

The Scriptures have power to make us wise unto eternal salvation. The fool says in his heart that there is no God of the holy Bible. Yet the gospel alone can make such fools wise. The gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation from God’s wrath and eternal hell. The gospel makes us wise unto salvation through saving faith, not faith in the priest or the pastor, but in the Messiah to whom the Old Testament pointed through the prophets.

Our faith must be in Christ Jesus. Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). The Philippian jailer, convicted of his sin, cried out in the night, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul answered him: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and your household.”

Jesus Christ came from heaven to seek and to save that which was lost, including the great sinner Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10). He came from heaven, not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many to set them free from all bondage. Paul writes, “God made [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Jesus took all our sins and received our punishment. Christ died the death on the cross in our place. He was the Lamb of God who once for all took away all our sins. And not only so—wonder of wonders—in a double transaction, he gave us his divine, unimpeachable righteousness forever. Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God now and forevermore (Rom. 5:1).

 

All Scripture Is God-Breathed

Before Paul continues his imperatives, he speaks to Timothy about the characteristics of Scripture, that is, the word of God, the truth, the gospel, that Timothy is to preach. First he says, “All Scripture is God-breathed” (v. 16). The Greek word istheopneustos, meaning God-breathed-out, God-spoken, God-authored. God is the source of Scripture.

This idea is not new. In Genesis 1 the phrase “and God said” (Heb., wayomer Elohim) is found eight times. God spoke, God breathed out by the Spirit, and the entire creation came into existence. So also, the Scripture is the product of the divine breath. The primary author of the Scripture is the Holy Spirit, and the secondary authors were human beings, chosen and gifted by God to write the holy Scriptures as they were under the Spirit’s complete control.

This was true of the Old Testament. Peter writes, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:20–21). Total control of the Spirit. What about the New Testament? Peter also says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Pet. 3:15–16). That tells us that the New Testament is also God-breathed, God’s own word.

Therefore, all of Scripture, every word of it, is inerrant, infallible, authoritative, clear, necessary, and sufficient for doctrine and life—not psychology, Marxism, money, sociology, women’s studies, psychotherapy, science, or false religions of the world.

 

All Scripture Is Profitable

Then Paul says all Scripture is profitable. It is of inestimable and eternal value. Jesus said, “What does it profit if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (see Matt. 16:26). We can gain the whole world and go to hell.

Paul is not talking about the profitableness of the health, wealth, power, and fame gospel. Paul himself was in prison expecting to suffer martyrdom soon. He is saying that Scripture is profitable for eternal salvation. It is profitable for five purposes:

1. Teaching: Scripture is profitable for teaching the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. Paul told Timothy, “If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed” (1 Tim. 4:6). He also wrote, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13).
2. Reproof: Scripture is profitable for reproof. That is a negative use of Scripture. Reproof means exposing and opposing errors in one’s doctrine and life.
3. Correction: Scripture is profitable for correction and restoration. Scripture straightens us out (Gk., epanorthôsin) in doctrine and behavior, as an orthodontist straightens out teeth so that they look straight and beautiful. We are restored, just as we read of Jesus restoring Peter in John 21. It is the responsibility of all of us to restore the erring one, as James writes, “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 5:20). It is our responsibility to go after those who are wandering in sin.
4. Training in righteousness: Scripture trains us in righteousness so that we may do what is right in the sight of God. So we read, “Do what is right and good in the LORD’S sight” (Deut. 6:18). Scripture is what is right and good. If anyone teaches something other than what is right, we should not do it. We must do what is right in the sight of God. That is why a preacher must be called to preach and teach the Bible. This Bible teaching involves instruction and discipline, understood as punishment. The psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray” (Ps. 119:67), but after affliction, he said, “But now I obey your word.” God knows how to afflict us to bring us back to do what is right in every aspect of life.
5. That you may be fully equipped: The final purpose of Scripture is that pastors and other believers may be fully equipped, qualified to do every good work (i.e., to do the will of God). Paul speaks of the will of God: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). We are to obey God immediately, exactly, and with joy because he has saved us from our sins. Paul also says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).

All of these characteristics speak of the sufficiency of Scripture. Scripture lacks nothing. It has everything that we need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. So we don’t need Scripture and tradition, or Scripture and the worldly wisdom of those who do not know God. Scripture alone is sufficient for life and godliness as it is preached and taught by God-called and God-sent pastors. And we must not add anything to the Scripture or subtract from the Scripture. John writes, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Rev. 22:18–19).

Paul earlier told Timothy, “I charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to keep these instructions without partiality and to do nothing out of favoritism” (1 Tim. 5:21). Now he gives his final, solemn, binding 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” (2 Tim. 4:1).

Pastor, elders, I also give you this charge—in the presence of God, in the presence of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and who will judge both Paul and Timothy. Timothy had to give Christ the Judge an account of his ministry. He had to always keep that in mind. Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead. He is coming soon to establish his kingdom, for he is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

2 Timothy 4:2

Timothy had to be faithful to his God-appointed ministry. He needed to please God and Christ. Now, in Timothy 4:2, Paul gives five more imperatives.

 

PREACH THE WORD

Paul begins, “Preach the word” (Kêruxon ton logon). The root word is kerusso, which means to herald the gospel, to declare publicly the authoritative word from the King’s court in heaven. Hear ye, hear ye, the good news from King Jesus! That is the heralding, and it is to be done with all authority and conviction, not apologizing for the word of God. Declare it! Jesus Christ, the great God and Savior, saves sinners who repent and believe in him. He saves them from God’s wrath and hell, for he, the sinless One, died for our sins, and, in our place, he went to hell to take us from hell and bring us to heaven.

Jesus died for our sins, as the Scripture predicted. He was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by the apostles. Now, from heaven, he rules the whole creation, and he is coming again to judge the living and the dead. And, thank God, he will save all who cry out right now, “Have mercy on me, a sinner!”

Timothy was to preach this word till death. There is no retirement for true ministers of the gospel. Preaching the word of God is the most important work we can do. Our high, holy, and heavenly calling, with all its sufferings and inexpressible joy, is to be a herald of Jesus Christ.

 

ALWAYS BE READY

Then Paul says, “Be prepared in season and out of season.” We must preach always, when it is convenient and when it is not. We must always be ready. (PGM) We must redeem every opportunity to preach the good news, to evangelize, to share our faith, because there is no other hope in this world than the gospel.

 

REPROVE

The next imperative is, “Reprove.” We are to reprove those who err in doctrine and life. We must reason with them, appealing to their minds with Scripture and with all authority. We do not beg or plead. God commands all people everywhere to repent. And we are to teach that we must obey all things Christ has commanded us.

 

REBUKE

Next, Paul commands, “Rebuke.” We are to rebuke people sharply, for the purpose of restoring them when they are going the wrong way. We must reprimand them, appealing to their consciences, so that they can be restored to the right way.

 

EXHORT

Finally, Paul says, “Exhort.” We must exhort people. That means we must appeal to their wills by the Scripture. Note the absolute importance of Scripture in all aspects of ministry. We are not to preach psychology or politics or anything else. We must appeal to people’s wills by the Scripture, urging and encouraging them to walk in the narrow way of Christ’s lordship that leads to eternal life.

 

The Coming Apostasy

Paul says we are to do all of these things in view of the coming apostasy. Jesus spoke of this future great falling away: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other” (Matt. 24:10). When we preach the gospel, the vast majority of people will hate us. That is exactly what the Bible teaches. Jesus himself said that those who are elect of God are few.

Second soil and third soil people of the parable of the sower¹ will not tolerate the preaching of the health-giving gospel. They will not endure it. They have itching ears, so they fire the true ministers and heap up for themselves servants of the devil who will tickle their ears by preaching what they are eager to hear. But we do not tickle anyone’s ears. We preach the Bible. We have been here forty-one years; may God help this church to continue for hundreds of years, preaching the gospel, not tickling anyone’s ears.

Most people, like the ancient Athenians, want to hear something new, something modern, some fresh dung, something that would entertain them for a while and their families (Acts 17:21). For example, most television preachers preach what people want to hear so they can make a lot of money. These false ministers are going to hell, and they will take their people with them. Paul wrote that such people are “always learning, but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). They may even tell the preacher, “Stop preaching the truth! Give us lies!”

Ahab and Jezebel had four hundred hired prophets of Baal who lied to them regularly. Ahab said, “I want to go to fight against Ramoth Gilead. My prophets, what do you say about my program?” They said, “It is an excellent program. We see you coming back in victory.” “Thank you, prophets,” he said. “What about you, Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord? What do you say?” “I see you going and getting killed.” “Okay, said, Ahab. “I will deal with you when I come back in triumph.” But Ahab was killed, as the true prophet predicted (see 1 Kings 22).

The prophets of old spoke about such false ministers. Isaiah said, “These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD’S instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions !’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” (Isa. 30:9–11). Jeremiah said the same thing: “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).

Paul wrote, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thess. 2:9–12). These people go from church to church to hear pastors who tickle their ears. They also find plenty of them on television. They all tickle them to eternal death. They turn away from hearing the life-giving gospel and turn aside to hear myths, lies of the devil, who is the father of all lies in the whole world (John 8:42–44).

 

2 Timothy 4:5

In 2 Timothy 4:5, we find four more commands. Timothy, and all true ministers and saints of Christ’s holy church, listen to what God is telling us!

 

BE SOBER

Paul begins, “Keep your head in all situations.” In other words, be sober. We must not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Have a sound mind. We must be filled with the word and the Spirit, so that we can judge correctly everything that is going on. The spiritual man judges all things. We have the mind of Christ. That is what happens to a person who is filled with the Scripture and the Holy Spirit. Such a person is sober. In other words, we must be vigilant in all situations. We must fix our minds on Jesus. We must set our minds on things above as we live in this world. May the word of God be the lamp unto our feet.

 

SUFFER HARDSHIP

The second command is, “Endure hardship.” Is the Christian life all health and wealth? No. Paul tells us we must suffer hardship for the gospel. Every true minister suffers hardship because he stands for the gospel.² But, thank God, Jesus said, “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the ages” (Matt. 28:20). The health, wealth, power, and fame gospel is not biblical.

Consider Stephen, the first martyr, or Paul or Peter. Consider our modern martyrs in the Middle East. Even the Pope recently said that Christians must be filled with the Holy Spirit so that they can suffer martyrdom.³

Christians are called to suffer. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). He also taught, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). He also said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28).

 

EVANGELIZE

The third imperative in this verse is, “Do the work of an evangelist.” We must not be ashamed of the gospel. Rather, we must share the gospel always with all people that we meet.

 

FULFILL YOUR MINISTRY

The final imperative is, “Discharge the duties of your ministry.” In other words, fulfill your ministry. Paul was saying, “Timothy, fulfill your ministry, as I have done; then come and join me in heaven.”

Paul knew his ministry was ending. He wrote, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure,” his martyrdom, his beheading. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 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” (2 Tim. 4:6–8).

So the mantle was falling from Paul to Timothy, as it fell from Elijah to Elisha. That is the way it is. But thank God, Paul had finished his work. Now he was saying, “Timothy, be faithful and finish your work.” And the Lord is saying to us, “Pastor Mathew, you finish your work. Everyone else, finish your work and come home to heaven.”

Now the mantle has fallen from Paul and Timothy and been given to us. The double portion of the Spirit will be given to all of God’s true ministers to preach the gospel for the salvation of the elect and for the glory of God. So let us be faithful till death, sharing the gospel, and Jesus will give us a crown of life. Let God be true and every man a liar. Amen.

 

¹ See Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.

² For example, consider the sufferings of Paul as recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:23–27.

³ Sunday, May 11, 2015 homily (www.news.va/en/news/pope-even-today-christians-are-killed-in-the-name).