2 Timothy 4:1-5

PREACH THE WORD 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Text 4:1-5

1 I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the Word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables. 5 But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry.

Thought Questions 4:1-5

189.

Is Paul delivering a charge or giving a testimony?

190.

Is Paul calling God and Christ Jesus to witness for his charge? Explain,

191.

What is the purpose, of 2 Timothy 4:1-5?

192.

When and where will Christ judge the living and the dead?

193.

Why testify in the presence of the Second Coming of Christ? Please show the purpose as it relates to the context.

194.

What kingdom is meant in 2 Timothy 4:1?

195.

The word, preach, is also translated herald. Explain the implication of this for the preacher.

196.

What is meant by the term, word, in 2 Timothy 4:2 a?

197.

Define in your own words the term, urgent.

198.

When is it in season for preaching, and when is it out of season for preaching?

199.

Define the three words, reprove, rebuke, and exhort.

200.

Does Paul give here a divine formula for the development of a sermon? Please look carefully.

201.

Two attitudes of the preacher are described. What are they?

202.

I thought listeners were to do something more than endure the sound doctrine. How is the word, endure, here used?

203.

Who has the itching ears? Discuss.

204.

What is meant by saying, heap to themselves, teachers?

205.

Why do some turn their ears away from the truth? What particular fables would be of interest to these persons?

206.

Discuss the meaning of the word, sober, as in 2 Timothy 4:5 a. What things are included?

207.

Specify three things you believe would be included in the work of the evangelist.

208.

How would Timothy know he had fulfilled his ministry?

Paraphrase 4:1-5

1 I have fully instructed thee in thy duty, and thou art well acquainted with the Jewish Scriptures, in which the Gospel is both explained and confirmed; I charge thee, therefore, in the presence of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His second appearing, when His kingdom shall be displayed in all its glory.
2 Preach the Gospel doctrine in purity; be constant and earnest in preaching it, whether it be seasonable or unseasonable to thyself; confute false teachers, rebuke sinners, exhort all under thy care, with the greatest patience when teaching them.
3 Thou oughtest to be very faithful and diligent in these duties now; for there will be a time when the people will not endure wholesome teaching, but having itching ears, which must be tickled, they will, by the motions of their own peculiar lusts, multiply to themselves teachers, who, to gain their favour, will sooth them in their vices.
4 And thus indeed they will turn away their ears from the true doctrine of the Gospel, and, by their teachers, they will be turned aside to believe fables, concerning miracles wrought in support of the greatest errors.
5 But watch thou at all times, and withstand the beginnings of these corruptions; patiently bear the ill treatment which the enemies of the Gospel will give thee; do the work of an evangelist diligently; fully perform the duties of thy ministry:

Comment 4:1-5

2 Timothy 4:1. This is Paul's final farewell word to his beloved child, Timothy. This whole section (2 Timothy 4:1-5) is surcharged with emotion. Here is Paul's personal testimony, as well as a charge to Timothy. What he said of himself, he says to his son.

Paul practiced living constantly in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, but never was he more aware of his divine observers and participators than when preaching the Word. This is an awesome responsibility. This same Jesus will be our judge on that day when we shall all be manifested before Him. Those who are living when He comes will be judged; those who have died, will be called forth from the world of the unseen to also appear before Him.
The kingdom, here mentioned, probably is best identified with the eternal kingdom where all Christians will reign with Him.

2 Timothy 4:2. Herald forth the whole council of God. The preacher, or herald, has a message from the King of kings. He dare not change it or withhold it. He must tell it if all men refuse it. Timothy, and all who follow after, are to be keenly conscious that they have a message bigger and more important than themselves, that must be heard. The attitude of the preacher toward his message and work is described in the words, be urgent; it means, to be on hand. We might say, Be right on the spot (Lenski). This absorbing interest in what is being said and done, will give the preacher the enthusiasm necessary to communicate the feeling of the truth, instead of just words.

There is no season when the Word is not to be preached. There are times when it does not seem at all convenient; there are times when men will mock it, ignore it, oppose it. There are other times when men will welcome the herald and his good news. Above and beyond all outward circumstances, the preacher has a message that must be told.

Please mark carefully the divine elements in preaching. They are: (1) Reprove or bring to the proofwe might say, convince, Offer evidence and reason for your subject. (2) Rebuke or chideconvict. This is the application of the truth to life. (3) Exhort or call to action. Stir the motives of the listeners to act upon, or decide upon, what has been spoken.

The overmastering attitude in all preaching is to be one of long-suffering and instruction.

2 Timothy 4:3. There is a very good reason for this steadfast attitude in preaching. A time is coming when such a message and preacher will be needed. This is another prophecy of apostasy very much like 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Timothy 3:1. Timothy is to prepare himself and the leaders of the churches against such a day. The world has not changed, but some persons in the church will. There will come a time when healthy teaching will be shunned in preference to the diseased doctrine of false prophets. Such false teachers will be invited by the elders of certain churches (even in Ephesus), to spread their doctrine among them. Such false elders, with their false preachers, have itching ears; i.e., they are eagerly restless to hear something that will satisfy their fancy. This itch is hard to scratch, for even those who have it know not for sure what they want. As a result, they must try one preacher after another. If gathered together they would make quite a heap. Thus does Paul Prophetically as well as sarcastically, describe the coming apostasy.

2 Timothy 4:4. Such persons will aggressively oppose the truth. Because of their own lusts and refusal to obey the truth, they have chosen to obey falsehood. For whatever reason, they have made their choice; they will not hear the truth; they want to hear fables. We have read much in these three letters concerning fables; it is probably with such fables that he is also concerned here. It is difficult to say why some prefer fables to truth, but we can know the reason relates to one of the following three: (1) lust of the eye, (2) lust of the flesh, (3) pride of life. (1 John 2:15.)

2 Timothy 4:5. In contrast to those who have been intoxicated with false doctrinebe thou sober in all things. The reference is to the alert attitude Timothy was to sustain. By being vigilant, he could detect such error before it influenced too many. In all his work, Timothy was to be alert. If, in the discharge of his duties of preaching and teaching, Timothy was faced with perils of various sorts, he was not to be surprised, but rather expect them and overcome them, through his faith.

Paul wishes Timothy to carry out every phase of the office of evangelist. It would indeed be difficult to do the work of an evangelist if one was not an evangelist himself. Timothy was neither a pastor nor a bishop; he was an evangelist. We refer you to our text on THE CHURCH IN THE BIBLE for a rather thorough study of the office and of the work of an evangelist.

Fulfill thy ministry has been translated, make full proof of thy ministry. It means to fill up every part of it: to leave no area undeveloped. This would be no easy task in the face of the conditions described.

Fact Questions 4:1-5

138.

What indications of the emotion Paul felt when he wrote 2 Timothy 4:1-5 are noticed in the text?

139.

What is meant by saying that Paul lived constantly in the presence of God?

140.

Show how the preacher is like a herald.

141.

When is it out of season for preaching? Explain the meaning of the word, urgent.

142.

Discuss the meaning and application of reprove, rebuke, and exhort in preaching.

143.

Who has itching ears? Why? What is to be done about it?

144.

Explain: heap to themselves teachers.

145.

Why do some persons prefer fables to the truth?

146.

Give your own exegesis of 2 Timothy 4:5.