You Better Preach!

2TIM. 4:1-5; 1COR. 14:1-6

SUBJECT: BIBLICAL EXPECTATIONS FOR A CHURCH

THEME: Preaching is primary in a balanced church ministry. Such an emphasis is true and pleasing to our Lord, and bears the signature marks of the first century churches.  Beloved, seek to make your church what it should be for Christ.  

RELEVANCE: A failure to achieve such poise usually results in either overemphasizing, or substantial neglect of important functions. If we conducted a careful study of the many first century churches, we would discover those characteristics that were the driving and decision making features of real Bible churches.  Securing a biblical understanding of ‘Church life’ would serve as a blueprint to implementing and sustaining signature church features. Ultimately the final outcome should be a stronger local church, more committed Christians, and a sharper sense of obedience. Generally, we will be more concentrated on the Lord’s ministry expectations and not the culture’s.

                                                                       

INTRODUCTION:  

1. A Great Person’s Last Words Are Significant.

They are a window that helps us to look into his heart, or a measure that helps us evaluate his life. In this chapter, we have Paul’s last words to Timothy and to the churches. The apostle gave some final admonitions to Timothy about his responsibilities before the Lord and his ministry. One thing Paul emphasized to Timothy was the importance of preaching!

2.  Acknowledge the Primacy of Preaching.

“The supreme work of the Christian ministry is the work of preaching," according to one of the world's finest preachers of yesteryear, G. Campbell Morgan. The primacy of preaching is the subject of this message. By "primacy" we mean that preaching should take the greatest priority in our lives. It should rank first in importance. Preaching should be the preeminent function of our lives, and Christ should be the preeminent subject of our preaching.            
All our work should come together behind the holy desk, where we stand with the Bible before God and the church. The work of preaching, then, should be foremost, paramount. All other responsibilities will take a distant second or third place to this one. We need to thank God for the printed ministry, but the printed page can never take the place of the living preacher. While pastoral work is vital and we should not neglect it, it cannot and must not take the place of preaching, nor can it fully compensate for lack of power in the pulpit. — Excerpts from Dr. Charles Wagner

LESSON:

THE SIGNATURE OF PROCLAIMING TRUTH (2 Tim. 4:1–5)

Two of about eight words in the Bible for ‘preaching’ are of greatest interest to us. One means literally "to preach the gospel"; the other carries with it the idea of "proclaiming from the throne." These meanings led G. Campbell Morgan to define preaching as "the declaration of the grace of God to human need on the authority of the throne of God; and it demands on the part of those who hear that they show obedience to the things declared."

A. PREACH THE WORD! (2 Tim. 4:1–4)

 I want to focus on the subject of preaching. The supreme work of the Christian minister is the work of preaching.  This should be the expectation of every church member.

This is a day in which one of our great perils is that of doing a thousand little things to the neglect of the one thing, which is preaching.  The preacher must give the majority of his energies to the preaching of the Word.  We see this clearly illustrated in Acts 6:1-7.
 The preacher should never address a crowd without remembering that his ultimate citadel is the citadel of the human will. He may travel along the line of the emotions, but he is after the will. He may approach along the line of the intellect, but he is after the will. When preaching becomes merely discussion in the realm of the intellect or toying in the realm of the emotions, and when preaching ends in the intellectual or emotional, it fails. It is successful only when it is able to storm the will, under the will of God. The preacher comes with good news; but he does not come with something to be trifled with. His message has in it an instant demand, because he comes from the divine King. — Excerpts from Dr. Charles Wagner

  1.  Accept the Solemn Charge.  Vs. 1

     A.  Be Serious About This Command.  Vs. 1 “I charge thee”

 This was a serious moment, and Paul wanted Timothy to sense the importance of it.

         1.  It Was Serious Because Paul Was Facing Death.  He wanted the ministry to continue in great strength after his death.  The aged apostle knew that his death was at hand and that he might not see Timothy again (although he hoped to, see 4:9, 11, 13, 21). Therefore, these words held great importance for Timothy. Paul wanted Timothy to realize how critical it was for him to obey his words.

         2.  It Was Serious Because Paul Calls on Divine Witnesses.  God and the Lord Jesus witnessed this holy command given to Timothy.  Unseen by Timothy, they were really present as Witnesses of the charge now to be laid on him. The first Witness, who is the First Person of the Godhead, is God our Heavenly Father, and with God is the historical Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

All service should be carried out with the realization that it is watched by God’s all seeing eyes.  We do not merely serve men, but God; we are not merely accepting a responsibility before men, but before God.  Take your area of service seriously, because God is watching.

    B.  Be Accountable for This Command.  Vs. 1    

   2 Tim. 4:1, I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

Timothy would stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ and answer for how he responded to Paul's charge (1Cor 3:4-17; 4:1-2; 2Cor. 5:8-11).  It was necessary for the charge to be taken seriously even more so because both Paul and Timothy would be judged one day when Jesus Christ appeared and will be rewarded in His Millennial Kingdom.

It would do us all good to occasionally reflect on the fact that one day we will face God and our works will be judged.  For one thing, this realization would encourage us to do our work carefully and faithfully. It would also deliver us from the fear of man; for, after all, our final Judge is God. Finally, the realization that God will one day judge our works encourages us to keep going even when we face difficulties. We are serving Him, not ourselves. 1 Cor. 4:4-5, For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. [5] Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

  2. Proclaim the Inspired Word. (See verses 2Tim.3:16-17)

Because the Word is inspired and profitable for all aspects of the ministry, proclaiming that Word was to be Timothy’s business “in season and out of season,” that is, he was to stand by this duty whether the opportunity seemed ripe or not.

     A. Preach it Loudly and Clearly.  Vs. 2, “Preach the Word!”

Preaching is the main responsibility that Paul shared in this section. Everything else he said is related to this.

          1.  Be a Preacher.

We have plenty of folk who want to lecture, too many who can maneuver concerned more about altering the message to make it more acceptable, and yet not a few who mislead or inject their own philosophy.  But what we need is some old fashion God fearing preachers.  A servant who has been alone with God in the Word. One who is about to explode if he does not tell somebody what God has given him to preach. 

          2.  Be a Herald.

The word “preach” means “to preach like a herald.”  In Paul’s day, a ruler had a special herald who made announcements to the people. He was commissioned by the ruler to make his announcements in a loud, clear voice so everyone could hear. He was not an ambassador with the privilege of negotiating; he was a messenger with a proclamation to be heard and heeded. Not to heed the ruler’s messenger was serious; to abuse the messenger was even worse.

Timothy was to herald God’s Word with the authority of Heaven behind him. The Word of God is what both sinners and saints need. It is a pity that many churches have substituted other things for the preaching of the Word, things that may be good in their place, but that are bad when they replace the proclamation of the Word. In my own pastoral ministry, I have seen what the preaching of the Word can do in churches and in individual lives; and I affirm that nothing can take its place.  Miming and Drama teams may be interesting, but preaching is essential!  This ought to be a primary feature in every church.

     B.  Preach It Often and Consistently.  Vs. 2

         1.  Be Opportunistic.  “Be instant”

Timothy should be diligent and alert to use every opportunity to preach the Word, when it is favorable and even when it is not favorable. It is easy to make excuses when we ought to be making opportunities.

Paul himself always found an opportunity to share the Word, whether it was in the temple courts (Acts 22), on a stormy sea (Acts 27), or even in prison (Acts 16). “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap” (Ecc. 11:4). Stop making excuses and get to work! 

         2.  Be Confrontational.  Vs. 2

The word “preach” suggests vigorous proclamation! Paul wanted Timothy to be bold and passionate.

              A.  Maintain Holy Boldness.

Preaching must be marked by three elements: conviction, warning, and appeal (“reprove, rebuke, exhort”).                                              

                       1.  Those in Error He Was to Reprove and Correct (2Tim. 2:25).

                       2.  Those Who Were Sinning He Was to Rebuke (1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Tim. 3:16; Titus 1:13; 2:15).

                       3.  Those Who Were Doing Well He Was to Exhort and Encourage. These are the facets of public ministry: proclamation, correction, rebuke, and encouragement—all of which must be done with great patience and careful clear instruction from the Bible.

              B.  Maintain Holy Balance.

To quote an old rule of preachers, “He should afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.”  If there is conviction but no remedy, we add to people’s burdens. And if we encourage those who ought to be rebuked, we are assisting them to sin. Biblical preaching must be balanced.

         3.  Be Patient.  Vs. 2, “with all long suffering”

God’s speaker must be patient as he preaches the Word.  He will not always see immediate results. He must be patient with those who oppose his preaching (2Tim. 2:24, 25). Timothy should encourage those who were growing, for even those growing in the faith need patient and careful instruction and guidance.

         4.  Be Doctrinal.  Vs. 2, “and doctrine”

Above all else, he must preach doctrine. He must not simply tell Bible stories, relate interesting illustrations, or read a verse and then forget it. True preaching is the explanation and application of Bible doctrine. Anything else is just religious speech making.  Sound doctrine is a pervasive theme in the pastoral epistles.

     C.  Preach It Straight and Unwaveringly.   Vs. 3-4

Paul gave the responsibility—“preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2)—and he also gave the reason (2 Tim. 4:3–4).  Don’t change the message because some hypocrite frowns in dislike. Don’t change or water down the truth to accommodate fallen culture and traditions.  Don’t look for something else because truth is unpopular.

           1.  Regardless of its Familiarity.   Vs. 3, “For the time will come,” “sound doctrine”

The time would come (and it has been here for a long time!) when most people would not want the “healthy doctrine” of the Word of God. They would have carnal desires for religious novelties. They want to hear something new and strange or something that manipulates a passage beyond God’s meaning.  Some preachers know more than God knows and have no problem with correcting their Bibles to accommodate their new ideas.  Don’t allow yourself to get bored with the familiar.

           2.  Regardless of its Offensiveness.   Vs. 3, “they will not endure sound doctrine”

Because of their “itching ears” they would accumulate teachers who would satisfy their cravings for things that disagree with God’s truths. The fact that a preacher has a large congregation is not always a sign that he is preaching the truth. In fact, it may be evidence that he is tickling people’s “itching ears” and giving them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

           3.  Regardless of its Rejection.   Vs. 3, “heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears,”  Vs. 4, “they shall turn away their ears from the truth,”

It is but a short step from “itching ears” to turning one’s ears away from the truth. Once people have rejected the truth, they turn to fables (myths). It is not likely that man-made fables will convict them of sin or make them want to repent! The result is a congregation of comfortable, professing Christians, listening to a comfortable, religious talk that contains no Bible doctrine. These people become the prey of every false cult because their lives lack a foundation in the Word of God. It is a recognized fact that most cultists were formerly members of churches.

Note the emphasis on Scripture: “Preach the Word... with... doctrine.... They will not endure sound doctrine... they shall turn away their ears from the truth” (2 Tim. 4:2–4). This emphasis on sound (healthy) doctrine runs through all three of Paul’s Pastoral Epistles, and this emphasis is surely needed today. 

B.  FULFILL YOUR MINISTRY (2 Tim. 4:5)

   1.  Stay Alert.  Vs. 5

   2.  Prove Your Ministry.  Vs. 5

“Make full proof of thy ministry” means “fulfill whatever God wants you to do.” Timothy’s ministry would not be exactly like Paul’s, but it would be important to the cause of Christ. No God-directed ministry is small or unimportant. In this final chapter, Paul named some co-laborers about whom we know nothing; yet they too had a ministry to fulfill.

A young preacher once complained to Charles Spurgeon, the famous British preacher of the 1800s, that he did not have as big a church as he deserved.
“How many do you preach to?” Spurgeon asked.
“Oh, about 100,” the man replied.
Solemnly Spurgeon said, “That will be enough to give account for on the day of judgment.”
We do not measure the fulfillment of a ministry only on the basis of statistics or on what people see. We realize that faithfulness is important and that God sees the heart. This was why Timothy had to “watch thou in all things”— be sober minded in all things (2 Tim. 4:5) and carry on his ministry with seriousness of purpose. (We have met this word “sober” many times in these letters.)

   3.  Endure the Hardships.

Timothy was not only a preacher; he was also a soldier (2 Tim. 2:3–4) who would have to “endure afflictions” (2 Tim. 4:5). He had seen Paul go through sufferings on more than one occasion (2 Cor. 6:1–10; 2 Tim. 3:10–12). Most of Timothy’s sufferings would come from the “religious crowd” that did not want to hear the truth. It was the “religious crowd” that crucified Christ and that persecuted Paul and had him arrested.

   4.  Remain Soul Conscience.

“Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5) would remind Timothy that all of his ministry must have soul-winning at its heart. This does not mean that every sermon should be a “sawdust trail, hellfire-and-brimstone” message, because the saints need feeding as well. But it does mean that a preacher, no matter what he is preaching, should keep the lost souls in mind. This burden for the lost should characterize a pastor’s private ministry as well. (See Acts 20:17–21 for a description of a balanced ministry.)

God has given special men to the church as evangelists (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11); but this does not absolve a pastor from his soul-winning responsibility. Not every preacher has the same gifts, but every preacher can share the same burden and proclaim the same saving message. A friend of mine went to hear a famous preacher, and I asked him how the message was. He replied, “There wasn’t enough Gospel in it to save a flea!” — Excerpts from W.W. Wiersbe

CONCLUSION:

We must expect our church to bear the signature marks of the first century churches--preaching was preeminent.  Seek to make your church what it should be for Christ's glory; advocate for and support the preaching of the Bible and sound doctrine.  

Clearly ministry equilibrium is important to a church, but we must also ensure that we balance the correct responsibilities and requirements. Beloved, preaching is to be primary. Maintaining a balanced church life is a fundamental strategy which provides focus, facilitates a correct emphasis, identifies programs, and affords a fuller scale measurement of progress.  A failure to achieve such poise usually results in either overemphasizing, or substantial neglect of other equally important functions. If we conducted a careful study of the many first century churches, we would discover those characteristics that were the driving and decision making features of real Bible churches.  Securing a biblical understanding of ‘Church life’ should serve as a blueprint to implementing and sustaining signature church features. Ultimately the final outcome should be a stronger local church, more committed Christians, and a sharper sense of obedience to Christ. Generally, we will be more concentrated on the Lord’s ministry expectations and not the culture’s.