2 Timothy 4:1-8 - Preach the Word!

2 Timothy 4:1-8

1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 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; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 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.

Timothy was urged, even commanded, by the apostle Paul to preach the word of God the Father and of Jesus Christ His Son.  He will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 9:8, 98:9, Acts 17:31) at His return before gathering we the wheat into His eternal barn of New Jerusalem.  Since we know these things will certainly come to pass, how can we not proclaim the gospel of grace that delivers from so great an eternal death (2 Corinthians 1:10) of fearful unending torment (1 John 4:18)?  Surely God has called and chosen the ones He is drawing to Himself apart from our efforts, yet He commands us to be part of the calling as He draws men and women out of the darkness into His marvelous light of forgiveness based on Christ’s work of grace alone to deliver them!  Because we know our part in this salvation of others, we proclaim His gospel from the whole counsel of God’s Word at every available opportunity as we aim to explain God’s plan and work from the beginning of time which had been hidden until His Son came among us as Immanuel and reason from the scriptures () to all who will hear as we challenge them to see their sin and accountability to their Creator and teach them the necessity of turning from their sin to Him who died in their place to set them free at last.  Yes, we suffer in the world as the adversary and reluctant people kick against the goads of the Spirit’s conviction of their conscience but we persist in the face of opposition because we know that the stakes are eternal and our knowledge of who He is calling is veiled.  The charge to us is as to Timothy, to always be ready to explain the gospel especially as we see so many false religions and teachings passing as Christian wolves in outward appearance as sheep that they might have their eyes and ears opened to follow the Shepherd of their souls (1 Peter 2:25) into peace with God once and forever.  So many choose teachers that pander to their comfort and desires or who make their feeble efforts seem to earn the right to justify themselves to God, yet we have come to know that only through Jesus Christ is there truth.  All else is a fable meant to give empty comfort and keep the truth at bay from what we say as God has revealed the mystery (Romans 16:25, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 3:9, 6:19, Colossians 1:26-27, 1 Timothy 3:16) of His salvation in Christ to us.  Knowing the battle for the souls of men and women, we are called to watch and pray while we suffer opposition to bear witness of God’s work in His Son that they may believe and receive Him to be reconciled with God in the only way possible (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).  We should be ready and willing to pour out our temporal lives for this work as we fight the good fight for those He is calling and run the race for the prize of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3: ) to be crowned in eternity with His righteousness, that of the Judge of all who rewards all who look forward to His coming for the final judgment to end evil and the presence of sin and bring the consummation of all things to bear on all creation for His glory and our good!  If we truly love and yearn for His appearing, we also will preach the word as faithful Timothy has given us example.