Preach the Gospel audio (5MB)
2 Timothy 4
So we’ve come to the end of this letter – after 5 weeks, we finally get to see how Paul’s going to conclude everything that he’s told Timothy and all the advice he’s given. This part of Paul’s letter to Timothy is his closing commission – it’s his sign off from duty. You might be surprised that only 5 verses in this chapter are spent instructing Timothy, and the other 17 are largely about Paul’s experiences and the people he’s known. He doesn’t focus on his own experiences to get sympathy from Timothy.It’s not because he wants somebody to complain to about the difficult time he’s had. The reason Paul includes such a personal description of the challenges he’s faced is to train Timothy, to prepare him for what lies ahead. As a Christian who professes his faith publicly and strives to make Jesus known, Timothy has difficult experiences ahead of him. And the best authority on any experience is somebody who has already done it.
Like the friskies cat, Paul sees the importance of preparing the next generation for what lies ahead. If you’ve ever taken on a new job, or even a volunteer role, you’ll know how helpful it is
to hear first hand from the person that had the role before you. As he writes to Timothy, Paul is speaking about life as a minister, an evangelist, a Christian.
Paul says that life as a public Christian is:
-Essential (vs 1)
-Warranted (vs 8)
-Encouraging (vs 17 & 18)
-Fruitful (vs 17)
But also that it’s:
-Frustrating (vs 2)
-Sometimes fruitless (vs 3)
-Open to opposition (vs 3 & 14)
-Hard work (vs 5)
-Disheartening (vs 10)
-Dangerous (vs 15)
-Lonely (16)
Over the past 4 weeks we’ve heard in more detail about Paul’s hardships, and the suffering he warns of. He’s telling Timothy about them, knowing that at times it will be the same for him.
So given all this, why is Paul so insistent that Timothy should live his life as a public Christian?
The most obvious reason Paul seems to be highlighting is this: make Jesus known, because people won’t want to know him. “People will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.”
As the leader of a church, Timothy will encounter both believers and non-believers who reject the truth about God. And he needs to make it a priority to explain the gospel to people.
But why does it matter if people don’t accept the truth about God, and the good news of Jesus? Well Paul provides the answer to this in his very first line: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message.” Paul is pointing out to Timothy that Jesus didn’t just take off forever and leave his apostles in charge of the world. Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead, and he’s coming back. So it’s not about Timothy at all, but those around him. He needs to help people understand how to be right with God when this happens. He needs to help them understand that “God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace.”
But there’s another reason for Paul’s enthusiastic urging. And again, it’s not about Timothy. It’s about God’s glory. Paul wants Timothy to strive to make God’s glory known to other people. And to be worthy of the crown of righteousness which is reserved for all who have longed for the appearing of Jesus. By this, Paul doesn’t just mean himself and Timothy, but everyone whom God has set aside and saved. All Christians. God calls us to represent him to the rest of the world. And we do this by making Jesus known to those around us. So far, we’ve looked at what it’s like being someone who makes Jesus known. And we’ve looked at why it’s important. But the real question is this: how do we make Jesus known? As followers of Jesus, charged with making him known to the world around us, we need to do 3 things.
Number one - know the word. Before we can know how to share the word of God with someone, we need to know the word of God. Paul tells us with certainty that in the days before Jesus returns, lots of people will reject the truth about God, and will find others to agree with whatever they choose to believe. He’s warning believers that the word of God will be rejected – both by those who once believed it, and by those who are hearing it for the first time. So it’s all the more important for those who know the gospel and the word of God to make sure that they know it well and stick to it faithfully.In fact the charge that Paul makes to Timothy in the first 2 verses is directly preceded by an encouragement to know the Holy Scriptures. And you might remember that last week, George pointed out the importance of regular bible reading.
So if you don’t feel like you know the scriptures well enough to use them in answering the questions you get asked, you might consider using a reading plan like this one. Or if you’re not in a bible study group that meets to read the bible together, you might consider joining one.
Number two. The second instruction Paul gives is to proclaim the message. The message of “Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David.” In other translations this instruction is expressed as ‘preach the word.’ So Paul is telling Timothy to speak out what he knows about God; what he has learned from God’s own word. We know that “all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”In verses 2-5, Paul encourages Timothy to share what he knows about God with determination, in an ongoing way, taking every opportunity that presents itself, whether or not it’s convenient for him. Paul encourages him to adapt his methods to the situation – to convince those who need assurance, to rebuke those who know the message but are rebellious, and to encourage those who are struggling. And in all circumstances, to be patient with people. Being the leader of a church, Timothy would definitely have encountered people who knew the gospel but were struggling in their faith, and perhaps had even changed their mind since making a commitment to follow Jesus. Paul even mentions some examples of this happening in his own community of leaders.
But Timothy would also have been in contact with those who had never heard of the gospel, or even heard of God at all. And as God’s representatives to the rest of the world, we should also be sharing what we know about Him, not keeping it to ourselves.
I wonder who the people are around us that need to hear the message. To proclaim themessage might be to explain the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to somebody who hasn’t heard it before. It might be to discuss someone’s beliefs and worldview with them and to persuade them that Jesus is the Lord of them as well. It might be to challenge a Christian over their understanding of God, or how they’re living out their faith.It might be to support someone who is suffering, or just struggling with their faith, to strengthen their relationship with God.
OR next time there’s an Alpha course running, you might think about who you can ask to come with you. You might learn a gospel tract, like Two Ways to Live, or Epic Story, to share with them. You might start by sharing with the people around you that you are a Christian. You might even invite them to come with you to a church event, a fundraising event, a youth group night, to join you at Tom’s Crew or MOPS or Mike’s Mates or Eucalypts. Or you might even find that, if you keep your ears open, opportunities to discuss your faith with other people present themselves. Maybe this is something you’re new at, or maybe even something you’ve never done before at all. On the other hand, maybe it’s an everyday experience for you and you want to grow in your evangelism skills. So what’s something you could do if you’re in any of those situations? Oh, of course. Coming to the evangelism course this Tuesday would be a great place to start. But even if you can’t, I encourage you to think about how you might be able to make Jesus known in your setting. Paul encourages us to “carry out our ministry fully.” Paul is able to say at the end of his life that “he has fought the good fight, he has finished the race, he has kept the faith.” And he’s looking for us to also be persistent and faithful in our ministry, whatever it may be.
And this brings us to number three. The third component in Paul’s instructions to Timothy is a hand over. At the beginning of our series on 2 Timothy, we looked at the letter in comparison with the handing over of a baton in a relay. Here, Paul stresses that his own time as a minister and an evangelist is coming to a close. Paul is anticipating his departure from his earthly life, having been faithful in the task that he was given to proclaim the message to gentiles. It’s a reminder that those who brought us to Christ and raised us up in our faith won’t be there forever. So if you’re someone who’s been a Christian for a long time and you have experience in living out your faith, or if you’re in a position of leadership, you might consider who you can invest in to become a leader in the future. Like we talked about last week, the example set by one generation of believers has a big impact on shaping the next.
In living our lives as public Christians, who represent Jesus to those around us, we are to know the word, to preach the message, and to pass these things on to the next generation of Christians. And to keep passing the baton on for others to receive. Just as we received it from early church leaders like Timothy, who received it from Paul, who received it from Jesus himself.
“To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
