2 Timothy 4:1–5 (CSB)
1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom:
2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.
4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.
5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus
1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom:
Paul speaking on the behalf of the Head Pastor in the presence of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge every preacher, word, and ministry.
judge - to separate
Not according to the size or the number but to the substance and quality
And Christ is coming soon–we are in the endtimes
Every message, motive, and ministry of every preacher will be judged rightly and accordingly by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Preach the word
2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
The big picture is to preach the word. 8 verbs to follow is to how to preach the word.
kariso - to herald
Not church history, not denom’s distinctives. But we are to preached the word of God that is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16)
be ready in season and out of season
as a soldier standing guard, a watchman on the tower–be ready. At any moment, be ready to preach no matter then circumstances might be. When it is favorable and when it is dangerous. At the height and at the depth. Anytime. Be ready to preach.
correct
reprove - to expose sin, to bring conviction. That is the work of the Holy Spirit, he will use the word to bring the sharp edge (Hebrews 4:13; Isaiah 55:11)
rebuke
Call sin a sin. Not a mistake nor accident but it is evil. To issue a warning.
No rebuke? Then you are not preaching.
encourage
exhort - urging, pleading, entreating the listener; to summon, invite, and persuade them to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord; compelling
Calling alongside the word of God to stand with it and obey it
How?
with great patience
grace - all patience
Through difficulty and adversity (v3-4 tips what you will face)
Rarely does someone hears the gospel for the first time and is saved. 99% of the rest of us: it takes time! (John 3:1-15)
teaching
instruction; doctrine
We must keep teaching the word of God
3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.
4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Sets the context: this is what you are going to face within the church
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
that is why we must have grace–all patience with these people. Some people will balk and reject and will not endure.
but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear
Because of the sickness of our hearts, we will gather “preachers” that tell us what we want to hear and not what we need to hear.
Again, this is not from outside the church but inside the church. Some churches are infected with power struggles and cannot stand the right preaching of the word.
They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths
Again, not the world. The world is listen to the world and to Satan and to the self.
This is within the church. They turn away from the hearing the truth and will turn to myths and philosophies and religion idealogies and conspiracy theories and whatever the world, Satan, self, and social media will offer them.
Paul to the Preacher: this is what is out there and this what is waiting for you.
5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
exercise self-control in everything
Be sober. Because they will try to seduce you and control you and conform you to what they think a preacher to be versus and against the promise of God that He will conform us to the image of His Son
endure hardship
to suffer evil; bear up under evil affliction
Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Stay the course. Be faithful.
do the work of an evangelist
You must be a gospel preacher.
You must preach the good news to the those who will not tolerate sound doctrine but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.
You must preach to those who turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths and philosophies and religion idealogies and conspiracy theories and whatever the world, Satan, self, and social media will offer them.
fulfill your ministry
Summation of the previous 7 verbs.
How to fulfill your ministry? Do the seven things. This is not multiple choice. It is the chain. The whole thing. All or nothing. Not halfway but all the way.
This is what it is to preach under a divine mandate by the Lord God himself.
This is beyond our best abilities and intentions. That is why we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is no other way.
If our Savior, Son of God who is God, did not start his ministry until he was filled without measure with the Holy Spirit, how can we, the disciples of Christ, go about ministering to others with any less than the indwelling of the Triune God within us?
John 3:34-35 (CSB) For the one whom God sent speaks God’s words, since he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hands.
We cannot preach without the filling of the Holy Spirit. We need God. We need his grace–his all-patience–to do his will.