1 “Second Timothy” “Preach The Word…” “Fulfill Your Ministry…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Workbook by Reg Ginn Pages “Preach The Word…” “Fulfill Your Ministry…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Workbook by Reg Ginn Pages Lesson 8

2 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “I charge you…preach the word!” (vs.1,2) –Paul issues a “charge” [to testify through and through; to charge earnestly] to Timothy –“Preach” means to proclaim; to publish in religious public discourses –“The Word” means the gospel; the good news; the doctrine of Christ –Preaching was to be the main business of the life of Timothy –Paul felt a renewed urgency to impress upon him the seriousness of his responsibility Page 41

3 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ…” (v.1) –Both Father and Son are witnesses to Timothy’s preaching –Timothy will have to give an account of his preaching before God and His Son –God’s all-seeing eye is watching everything we do Page 41

4 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (v.1) –Christ’s judgment of men will reflect their response to such things as Timothy has been delegated by Paul to teach –No one will escape this judgment –No one will be admitted to heaven who ought not –No one will be excluded who ought to have been saved –Christ will “judge” righteously (verse 8) Page 41

5 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (v.1) –The final judgment will happen when Christ appears for a second time to judge the world –“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven…And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (1Thess.4:16,17) Page 41

6 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (v.1) –Christ is not appearing a second time to set up His kingdom – That has been done! “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death… Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. (1 Cor. 15:24, 26) Page 41

7 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “Be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (v.2) –Timothy was to preach with a sense of urgency –He was to preach in all circumstances Favorable, opportune, convenient Unfavorable, inopportune, inconvenient Page 41

8 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “Be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (v.2) –Timothy’seaching must convince [admonish, reprove] sinners of their sins –Timothy’s teaching must convince [admonish, reprove] sinners of their sins –“Convince” implies bringing the offender to a state of remorse and repentance, or at least to a conviction that he needs to change his behavior Page 41

9 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “Be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (v.2) –Teaching that rebukes sinners for their sins –Rebuke is chastisement for the purpose of restraint and correction –He is to sharply rebuke sin Page 42

10 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “Be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (v.2) –Exhort means to give comfort and encouragement; to excite; to give strength, spirit or courage –Teaching that exhorts the penitent in their struggles to improve their lives –Timothy must give hope and assurance to those who truly aspire to “lay hold on eternal life” Page 42

11 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “Be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (v.2) –His preaching is also to be accompanied by: All longsuffering is patience and compassion Teaching [instructing]; preaching is teaching the “word” of God Page 42

12 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” (v.3) –“The time will come” when receptivity to the truth will be greatly diminished –More people would not tolerate [endure] the proclamation of the “whole counsel of God” [sound doctrine] –More people would become more inclined to resort to using their own human wisdom [their own desires] Page 43

13 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” (v.3) –More people would have “itching ears” to hear teaching that agreed with their own thinking –More people would follow and support teachers who were concerned only with their own advancement Page 44

14 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (v.4) –More people would refuse to listen to gospel truths that ran counter to their ideas –More people would resort to religious “fables” [fiction, falsehoods] and exotic [strange, different, unusual] doctrines Page 44

15 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “But be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (v.5) The challenge that he must meet was: –Be watchful in all things He must remain aware of what was happening around him –Endure afflictions Some offenders would persecute him with every possible tactic –Do the work of an evangelist [a messenger of good”] –Do the work of an evangelist [“a messenger of good”] He must take the gospel to other men Page 45

16 “Fulfill Your Ministry…” 2 Timothy 4:5b “Fulfill your ministry” (v.5b) –“Fulfill” is “to bring in full measure” –Timothy must not allow anything to “shortchange” God and his brethren –He received his talents from God –He was afforded opportunities and support for preaching by his brethren –He must make every effort not to disappoint Page 46

17 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand” (v.6) –Paul had sacrificed everything considered impor­tant to the world in order to serve Jesus Christ as an apostle –He was convinced that his death was “at hand.” –Now, he was to become a “dying sacrifice” Page 47

18 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (v.7) –Paul was constantly fighting for the Lord His combat with evil forces are still powerful today –Paul’s death obviously would occur “shortly He had finished the course what Christ had told him to run His preaching days were now numbered –He had kept “The faith” which was the gospel Since the day of his conversion, he had never lost his faith in the faith in spite of the sufferings and persecutions Page 47

19 “Preach The Word…” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (v.8) –His crown was the ultimate victory over the sinful world –He knew his “crown” was a home in heaven which the Lord would give him for finishing the race –This same crown is available to all who love God and His Son Page 41