Paul's Charge

Sunday Mornings: Chu Thanh, 10/3/2010

2 Timothy 4:1-4

 ¹In 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: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³For 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. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

These are the last inspired words written by Paul the Apostle as he prepares to be executed.

Paul’s Charge

V1. The seriousness: the charge that Paul gives is in all seriousness. He is bringing us to Heaven’s courts, charging us to do this charge under the witness of Jesus Christ. This is a commission handed to us by God in a strict and serious manner.

The honor: Because it is from Heaven’s courts that we receive this charge, it should be the highest honor for us. Being an ambassador of God is the most honorable thing above all else.

The focus: Spiritual focus is what Paul had in prison as he sitting along in a cold cell, awaiting his death. “Paul did not focus on the visible success of Timothy’s ministry but on the excellence of his service” –John MacArthur. It’s not about us, how prominent we are, how powerful we are, or how big our church becomes. It is about the excellence in our faithfulness to the calling in which we were charged.

V2 Preach the Word: We can’t make excuses saying that only pastors and preachers preach. Preaching only means to announce the good news. All of us are called to preach. Every genuine believer in Jesus Christ has a message to proclaim. God didn’t give all of us the ability to preach in front of thousands of people with efficiency and fluency. However, our abilities shouldn’t be our focus. We are to preach the Word of God regardless of our talents. The focus is that the Word of God will speak for itself and change people’s lives. The wisdom and ability of man only goes so far. God’s word is powerful.

Be ready: Be prepared in readiness, urgency, and vigilance. Preaching the Word is not a light matter, but a matter of life and death, redemption and condemnation. We should preach the Word in season and out of season as fountains of living water for people to draw from whenever they walk past us.

Relevancy and Practically: We should preach the Word to correct, rebuke, and encourage. Some people ask for apologetics and proof for God’s existence so we need to know the Word well. Others have been living in sin their entire lives and only need to hear that they are heading in the wrong direction. We should be able to preach to each person according to their circumstance.

Be Patient: No one comes to God unless the Holy Spirit intervenes in their heart. We need to be patient and wait upon the power of God.

Reason for Paul’s Charge

V3-4 People only listen to what they want to hear. They will create their own teachings. They will gather people around themselves so they would be told what they want. They will start to turn their ears from sound doctrine and listen to myths. We need to bring light to their ears.